What is Cartel de los Soles? Trump admin set to label alleged Maduro-linked group a foreign terrorist organization

US to designate alleged Maduro-led cartel as foreign terrorist organization

The United States will designate the Venezuela-based Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) on November 24, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Sunday.

In a formal statement, Rubio alleged that the group, which he says is led by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and senior figures of his regime, has “corrupted Venezuela’s military, intelligence, legislature, and judiciary.”

Also read: US strike kills three as largest warship enters Caribbean amid rising Venezuela tensions

Rubio said the cartel, along with Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel, is responsible for “terrorist violence throughout our hemisphere” and for drug trafficking operations targeting the US and Europe. The designation, to be made under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, will take effect once published in the Federal Register.

The organisation has previously faced sanctions from the US Treasury Department for supporting terrorist activities. Following Rubio’s announcement, he wrote on X that the cartel is “headed by the illegitimate Nicolás Maduro” and accused it of enabling violence carried out in coordination with other designated groups.

The move comes as Washington intensifies its crackdown on drug trafficking networks. President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters Sunday night, said: “We’re stopping drug dealers and drugs from coming into our country,” adding that he instructed officials, including Rubio, to tell Congress that the US is “not letting drugs come through Mexico” or Venezuela.

Trump also confirmed that the FTO designation would give the US authority to target Maduro’s assets or infrastructure, noting, “It allows us to do that.” He added that the US and Venezuela “may be having some discussions,” saying, “They would like to talk… we’ll see what happens.”

This comes as the US has intensified its military operations in Latin America, conducting another lethal strike on a suspected narcotics-smuggling vessel while its most advanced aircraft carrier moved into the Caribbean in a major show of force.

The nationalities and identities of the three men killed have not yet been disclosed. The Pentagon also confirmed that on November 15, Joint Task Force Southern Spear carried out a “lethal kinetic strike” on a vessel operated by a designated terrorist organisation.

At the same time, Washington continues to maintain pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a move Caracas considers a political manoeuvre rather than a genuine counter-narcotics effort. US officials, however, deny that the deployment is directed at Venezuela.