US Designates Maduro-Linked Cartel de los Soles Terrorist Organization

The United States government under President Donald Trump has designated the Venezuelan group known as the Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist organization, asserting it is led by President Nicolás Maduro and other high-ranking officials in his regime. The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) stated the cartel provides material support to other designated terrorist organizations, including Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel and the Tren de Aragua gang, which are involved in drug trafficking, human smuggling, extortion, and other criminal activities. This designation aims to prevent Maduro and his network from profiting from drug trafficking and destabilizing the region, following previous criminal charges against Maduro for narco-terrorism. The Trump administration has intensified efforts to crack down on Latin American gangs, including deporting alleged members of the Tren de Aragua to El Salvador, in exchange for the release of Americans held in Venezuela. Maduro and his government have consistently denied these accusations, calling them interventionist and dismissing the existence of groups like Tren de Aragua. U.S. officials emphasize that these actions expose Maduro's role in facilitating narco-terrorism and threaten the peace and security of the United States and the hemisphere.