US formally lists Venezuelan Cartel de los Soles as ‘foreign terrorist organisation’ – Is it even a ‘cartel’?

US President Donald Trump’s administration has officially declared Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO), effective Monday (Nov 24), as the US government ramps up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Washington claims that the group, which it says is tied directly to Maduro and other senior officials, works with known outfits like Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel to fuel violence and drug trafficking across the region. But is Cartel de los Soles even a ‘cartel’?

In a statement, the US Department of State said, “Based in Venezuela, the Cartel de los Soles is headed by Nicolás Maduro and other high-ranking individuals of the illegitimate Maduro regime who have corrupted Venezuela’s military, intelligence, legislature, and judiciary. Neither Maduro nor his cronies represent Venezuela’s legitimate government. Cartel de los Soles by and with other designated FTOs including Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel are responsible for terrorist violence throughout our hemisphere as well as for trafficking drugs into the United States and Europe.”

What is Cartel de los Soles?

The entity Cartel de los Soles is not actually a cartel per se. The term is rather used to describe military officers and other officials involved in corruption and other illegal activities in the country.

The term Cartel de los Soles, or Cartel of the Suns, started being used in Venezuela in the 1990s to refer to senior military officials who became rich from drug-running. As the corruption spread in the country under late President Hugo Chavez and then under Maduro, the term was associated with police and government officials, and also activities like illegal mining and fuel trafficking. The “suns” in the name refer to the epaulettes attached to the uniforms of high-ranking officers in the military.

The term was then used to describe a Maduro-led drug-trafficking organisation in 2020, when the US Justice Department announced the indictment of the Venezuelan president and his inner circle over charges including narcoterrorism.

“It is not a group,” said Adam Isaacson, director for defence oversight at the Washington Office on Latin America organisation. “It’s not like a group that people would ever identify themselves as members. They don’t have regular meetings. They don’t have a hierarchy.”

US to launch operations in Venezuela?

This comes amid reports that the US is set to launch a new phase of operations related to Venezuela in the coming days as US President Donald Trump’s administration escalates pressure on President Nicolas Maduro’s government. Earlier, the two leaders said that they were ready to talk with each other “face to face”. However, the US president said that he will not “rule out” the presence of the US military in the archipelago.

The Trump administration has accused Maduro of leading a “terrorist” drug cartel – an accusation he denies. Despite the mounting criticism over the mounting civilian toll in the US strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, Washington has maintained that it is defending itself against “narco-terrorists”.

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said last week that the designation of Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organisation will provide a “whole bunch of new options to the United States” for dealing with Maduro, without providing further details.

“So nothing is off the table, but nothing’s automatically on the table,” he said.

Earlier this month, the US Navy positioned its largest aircraft carrier, the Gerald R. Ford, in the Caribbean with its strike group. At least seven other warships, a nuclear submarine and F-35 aircraft have also been stationed.