Cartel de los Soles
The Cartel de los Soles, also known as the Cartel of the Suns, is a Venezuela-based criminal organization that the United States government has designated as a major threat to American national security. The cartel derives its name from the sun insignias displayed on the uniforms of Venezuelan military officials, reflecting its roots within Venezuela's armed forces and government institutions. The organization has become a focal point of escalating tensions between the United States and Venezuela in 2025, culminating in unprecedented military deployments and direct action in the Caribbean region.
On July 25, 2025, the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned the Cartel de los Soles as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organization. According to the Treasury Department, the Cartel de los Soles is "a Venezuela-based criminal group headed by Nicolas Maduro Moros and other high-ranking Venezuelan individuals in the Maduro regime that provides material support to foreign terrorist organizations threatening the peace and security of the United States, namely Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel." Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent stated that "Today's action further exposes the illegitimate Maduro regime's facilitation of narco-terrorism through terrorist groups like Cartel de los Soles. The Treasury Department will continue to execute on President Trump's pledge to put America First by cracking down on violent organizations including Tren de Aragua, the Sinaloa Cartel, and their facilitators, like Cartel de los Soles."
The Treasury Department's designation elaborated that the cartel is "headed by Nicolas Maduro Moros and other Venezuelan high-ranking individuals in the Maduro regime who corrupted the institutions of government in Venezuela, including parts of the military, intelligence apparatus, legislature, and the judiciary, to assist the cartel's endeavors of trafficking narcotics into the United States." The department asserted that "The Cartel de los Soles supports Tren de Aragua in carrying out its objective of using the flood of illegal narcotics as a weapon against the United States. Additionally, the Cartel de los Soles has provided support to the Sinaloa Cartel."
Following the terrorist designation, the U.S. State Department significantly increased the reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest and conviction. On August 7, 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that "The Department of State and the Department of Justice are announcing a reward offer increase of up to $50 million under the Narcotics Rewards Program for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Nicolás Maduro for violating U.S. narcotics laws. For over a decade, Maduro has been a leader of Cartel de los Soles, which is responsible for trafficking drugs into the United States." The statement emphasized that "Today's reward offer is authorized by the Secretary under the NRP, which supports law enforcement efforts to disrupt transnational crime globally and bring fugitives to justice as a key pillar of President Trump's 'America First' priorities."
The 2025 actions build upon previous legal measures taken by the U.S. government. In March 2020, the Department of Justice unsealed a superseding indictment charging Nicolás Maduro and fourteen current and former Venezuelan officials with narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, and weapons charges. U.S. Attorney General William Barr declared at the time that "For more than 20 years, Maduro and a number of high-ranking colleagues allegedly conspired with the FARC, causing tons of cocaine to enter and devastate American communities." The indictment alleged that "Since at least 1999, Maduro Moros, Diosdado Cabello Rondón, Hugo Carvajal Barrios, and Clíver Alcalá Cordones, acted as leaders and managers of the Cártel de Los Soles." According to the indictment, "The Cártel de Los Soles sought not only to enrich its members and enhance their power, but also to 'flood' the United States with cocaine and inflict the drug's harmful and addictive effects on users."
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman of the Southern District of New York provided additional details about the scope of the alleged criminal enterprise, stating that "The scope and magnitude of the drug trafficking alleged was made possible only because Maduro and others corrupted the institutions of Venezuela and provided political and military protection for the rampant narco-terrorism crimes described in our charges. As alleged, Maduro and the other defendants expressly intended to flood the United States with cocaine in order to undermine the health and wellbeing of our nation. Maduro very deliberately deployed cocaine as a weapon. While Maduro and other cartel members held lofty titles in Venezuela's political and military leadership, the conduct described in the Indictment wasn't statecraft or service to the Venezuelan people. As alleged, the defendants betrayed the Venezuelan people and corrupted Venezuelan institutions to line their pockets with drug money."
The 2020 indictment detailed that "Maduro Moros and the other charged Cartel members abused the Venezuelan people and corrupted the legitimate institutions of Venezuela – including parts of the military, intelligence apparatus, legislature, and the judiciary – to facilitate the importation of tons of cocaine into the United States." The charges included participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy carrying a twenty-year mandatory minimum sentence and a maximum of life in prison, conspiring to import cocaine into the United States with a ten-year mandatory minimum sentence, and using and carrying machine guns and destructive devices during drug trafficking operations carrying a thirty-year mandatory minimum sentence.
The historical origins of the Cartel de los Soles trace back to the 1990s when Venezuelan National Guard officers were first accused of collaborating with drug traffickers. The phrase "Cartel of the Sun" reportedly emerged in 1993 when two Venezuelan National Guard generals serving in anti-narcotics units were investigated for drug trafficking crimes. As brigade commanders, each wore a single sun insignia on their epaulettes, giving rise to the phrase. When division commanders bearing double sun insignias were later accused of trafficking, the name evolved into the Cartel of the Suns. By the mid-2000s, elements of the National Guard and other military branches had moved beyond extorting traffickers to directly buying, storing, and distributing cocaine.
Rather than functioning as a traditional hierarchical cartel organization, the Cartel de los Soles operates as a loose network of cells within Venezuela's army, navy, air force, and Bolivarian National Guard, spanning from the lowest to the highest ranks. These groups essentially function as drug trafficking organizations embedded within state institutions. The exact relationships between these cells and whether they interact remains unclear to outside observers. The phenomenon expanded significantly during Venezuela's political transformation under Hugo Chávez, who came to power in 1998, and his successor Nicolás Maduro.
According to U.S. officials, the relationship between Venezuelan military officials and Colombian guerrilla groups, particularly the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, became a central component of the cartel's operations. U.S. Attorney Berman stated in 2020 that the Venezuelan military was the point of contact between Maduro and the FARC, noting that "Around 1999, the cartel invited the FARC to expand its operations across the Colombian border into Venezuela, as part of the cartel's effort to flood the United States with cocaine." The March 2020 indictment charged not only Venezuelan officials but also two FARC leaders with participating in the narco-terrorism conspiracy.
Several high-ranking Venezuelan officials have been specifically implicated in the cartel's operations. Diosdado Cabello, head of Venezuela's National Constituent Assembly and currently serving as Interior Minister, was charged in the 2020 indictment and has been identified as a key figure in the organization. Hugo Carvajal, former director of military intelligence, pleaded guilty in June 2025 before a U.S. court. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Carvajal "worked with the FARC to coordinate multi-ton drug shipments under his protection; provided heavily-armed security to protect drug shipments; and armed the FARC with automatic weapons and explosives to further the group's drug trafficking and terrorist activities." The statement further noted that he used "violence, including kidnappings and murder, to facilitate this cocaine trafficking and protect his co-conspirators."
Other Venezuelan officials have faced similar allegations. Tareck El Aissami, Venezuela's former vice president, was charged in a separate 2020 indictment with violations related to efforts to evade sanctions. According to Treasury Department notices, El Aissami received payments for facilitating drug shipments and was linked to coordination with Los Zetas, a violent Mexican drug cartel, as well as providing protection to Colombian and Venezuelan drug traffickers. The wife of Nicolás Maduro, Cilia Flores, had two relatives arrested by DEA agents in Haiti in November 2015 while attempting to move 800 kilograms of cocaine from Venezuela to the United States.
The Trump administration's designation of the Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist organization in 2025 triggered a cascade of international actions. Following the United States' lead, Ecuador, Paraguay, Argentina, Peru, and the Dominican Republic also designated the cartel as a terrorist organization. The Colombian Senate voted to declare the cartel a terrorist actor, although Colombian President Gustavo Petro maintained that no investigations on drugs have proven the existence of the cartel as an organized entity. Trinidad and Tobago, while falling short of an official declaration, offered its territory to combat drug trafficking coming from Venezuela.
The designation of the Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist organization provided legal justification for an unprecedented U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean beginning in August 2025. The deployment represents the largest U.S. military presence in Latin America in decades, with approximately 10,000 troops, multiple naval vessels, advanced aircraft, and substantial air assets concentrated in the region. The force includes the USS Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group with more than 4,500 Marines and sailors, three guided-missile destroyers, the USS Newport News nuclear-powered attack submarine, a guided missile cruiser, and P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced on September 10, 2025, the formation of a new counternarcotics joint task force to operate in Latin America and the area of the United States Southern Command, to be headed by the II Marine Expeditionary Force, intended "to crush the cartels, stop the poison and keep America safe." Following the designation of the cartel as a terrorist organization, Hegseth declared regarding drug traffickers that "Narco-terrorists are enemies of the United States — actively bringing death to our shores. We will track them, kill them, and dismantle their networks throughout our hemisphere — at the times and places of our choosing."
Beginning in September 2025, the United States military executed a series of airstrikes on vessels in the Caribbean Sea that U.S. officials claimed were transporting drugs and were operated by narco-terrorist organizations. President Trump announced on September 2, 2025, that the U.S. Navy had carried out the first airstrike in the Caribbean on a boat from Venezuela, killing all eleven people on the vessel. Trump released video footage of the incident, showing a missile striking the boat and setting it on fire. In a message to drug traffickers posted on social media in all capital letters, Trump warned: "Be warned—If you are transporting drugs that can kill Americans, we are hunting you!"
Multiple additional strikes followed throughout September and October 2025. On September 15, Trump announced a second strike that killed three men. On September 16, he announced a third strike without providing details. On October 3, Secretary Hegseth announced that a strike near the coast of Venezuela killed four people. On October 14, Trump posted that six more men were killed in a strike on a vessel near Venezuela. On October 24, Hegseth announced "the first strike at night" against an alleged drug vessel operated by Tren de Aragua in the Caribbean, killing six men. Trinidad and Tobago began investigating whether some of the casualties included citizens from their country.
On October 1, 2025, President Trump formally notified Congress that the United States was in a "non-international armed conflict" with "unlawful combatants" regarding drug cartels operating in the Caribbean. The notification specifically referenced narco-terrorist organizations as "non-state armed groups" engaged in attacking the United States. This legal framework was intended to provide justification for the military strikes under the laws of armed conflict rather than traditional law enforcement operations.
The military campaign escalated further when President Trump confirmed on October 15, 2025, that he had authorized the CIA to conduct lethal ground operations inside Venezuela and elsewhere around the Caribbean. Military officials drafted options for strikes on Venezuelan territory. When asked whether the CIA had authority to target Maduro directly, Trump stated "I think Venezuela is feeling heat" but declined to provide specifics. The deployment of U.S. Special Operations helicopters from the elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, spotted flying within 90 miles of Venezuela's coast in early October, suggested the possibility of commando raids or strikes inside Venezuelan territory.
The air component of the U.S. deployment included some of the most advanced aircraft in the American military arsenal. In addition to P-8 Poseidon patrol aircraft and various reconnaissance assets, the United States deployed at least ten F-35 stealth fighters to Puerto Rico, highly versatile jets capable of striking, fighting, and gathering intelligence while remaining difficult to detect by radar. On October 15, 2025, U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bombers flew north of Caracas for two hours, joined by F-35 fighters, in a significant show of force. Multiple B-1B Lancer bombers also flew near Venezuela in subsequent operations. The United States later rerouted the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier with approximately 5,000 personnel on board and over 75 fighter jets, helicopters, and early warning aircraft, to the Caribbean region.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth emphasized the administration's stance regarding the legal authority for these operations, declaring "We have the absolute and complete authority" and citing "the defense of the American people alone. 100,000 Americans were killed each year under the previous administration because of an open border and open drug traffic flow." The administration positioned the military operations as a direct response to what it characterized as narco-terrorism threatening American lives through the flow of illegal drugs into the United States.
The Venezuelan government responded to the U.S. military buildup with its own defensive measures. President Maduro declared a state of external emergency on September 30, 2025, placing Venezuela's military on full wartime alert. Venezuela deployed both naval vessels and drones to patrol its coastline and activated what Maduro claimed were 4.5 million civilian militia members, though observers questioned this number. The Venezuelan military conducted exercises along the country's Caribbean coast, and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello stated that what Venezuela lacked in firepower, it made up for in determination. In early September, two Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets buzzed a U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer in the region in a show of force.
Venezuelan officials have strongly condemned the U.S. actions and denied the existence of the Cartel de los Soles as alleged by Washington. Following one of the strikes, Maduro stated that the U.S. was "coming for Venezuela's riches" and declared that "Venezuela is confronting the biggest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years." Venezuela's ambassador to the United Nations, Samuel Moncada, called on the UN Security Council to investigate what he described as a "series of assassinations" and "extrajudicial executions." Holding up a Trinidad and Tobago newspaper detailing two fishermen allegedly killed in a strike, Moncada declared "There is a killer prowling the Caribbean."
The existence and nature of the Cartel de los Soles as characterized by the U.S. government remains a subject of significant debate among experts, analysts, and regional governments. While the involvement of high-ranking Venezuelan military and government officials in drug trafficking is widely documented, many analysts dispute whether the Cartel de los Soles functions as the centrally coordinated organization that U.S. officials describe. Colombia and Venezuela itself have officially denied the existence of such an organization. Colombian President Petro stated that no investigations on drugs have proven the existence of the cartel as alleged.
International analysts and researchers have offered nuanced assessments of the cartel's structure. According to investigative reporting, rather than a hierarchical organization with Maduro directing drug trafficking strategies, the Cartel of the Suns is more accurately described as a system of corruption wherein military and political officials profit by working with drug traffickers. The organization functions as a loose and fragmented network of competing drug-trafficking networks within state institutions rather than a unified command structure. Some analysts note that the nature of these criminal networks changed after 2017 due to Venezuela's severe economic and financial crisis, which prevented the state from ensuring adequate pay to members of the military and law enforcement.
Venezuela itself, along with Colombia, has insisted there is no such thing as the Cartel de los Soles as an organized entity. Phil Gunson, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, stated that "There is no such thing, so Maduro can hardly be its boss." He noted that while individual military officers have been proven to be involved in drug trafficking, there is little evidence that any sort of stable, organized cartel exists in the manner described by U.S. officials. Significantly, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration's National Drug Threat Assessment of 2024 made no mention of Venezuela or the Cartel de los Soles. A classified National Intelligence Council report established that Maduro did not control any drug trafficking organization.
The scale and motivations of the U.S. military deployment have generated substantial debate regarding Washington's ultimate objectives in Venezuela. While the Trump administration has consistently framed the operation as focused on counternarcotics and counterterrorism, many analysts and regional observers have concluded that regime change represents the true objective. The massive military buildup in the region, the cutting off of diplomatic channels with the Venezuelan government, the increasing scope of operations, and the authorization of CIA covert operations all point toward objectives that extend beyond drug interdiction.
Members of Congress from both parties have questioned various aspects of the administration's Caribbean campaign. Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans have expressed concerns about the legal authority for the military strikes, the lack of transparency regarding rules of engagement, and the potential for escalation into broader conflict. Legal experts have stated that the strikes lack clear legal precedent or basis under international law. Some constitutional scholars have argued that striking civilian vessels in international waters without imminent threat to U.S. territory stretches the boundaries of executive authority and the laws of war.
The deployment has also created tensions within U.S. military leadership. Admiral Alvin Holsey, head of U.S. Southern Command responsible for forces operating in Central and South America, announced his retirement in October 2025, just one year into his tenure and two years ahead of schedule. The New York Times reported that anonymous sources indicated tension between Holsey and the Trump administration over Venezuela policy. On October 16, 2025, Defense Secretary Hegseth publicly thanked Admiral Holsey "for his more than 37 years of distinguished service to our nation as he plans to retire at year's end," but no official explanation was provided for the early departure.
Regional reactions to the U.S. campaign have been mixed. Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado stated that the deployment encouraged "tens and tens of thousands" of Venezuelans to join an underground movement aiming to overthrow Maduro. She argued that the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election, which international observers widely rejected as fraudulent, gave a mandate for regime change, though she emphasized that regime change was the responsibility of Venezuelans rather than the United States. Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister initially stated she had no sympathy for drug traffickers, but concerns mounted as evidence emerged that some casualties might have been fishermen from Caribbean nations rather than drug traffickers.
Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the leading leftist in the region, floated the idea of mediating talks between the United States and Venezuela. However, tensions between the U.S. and Brazil also escalated when Trump imposed fifty percent tariffs on Brazilian goods, complicating potential diplomatic efforts. Other Latin American nations have watched the situation with growing concern about the precedent being set for U.S. military action in the hemisphere and the potential for wider conflict.
The financial and asset seizure components of the U.S. campaign against the Cartel de los Soles have been substantial. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated in August 2025 that officials had already seized over $700 million worth of assets linked to Maduro, including two private jets and nine vehicles. The Drug Enforcement Administration reported recovering seven tons of cocaine linked to the Venezuelan leader, often trafficked by members of Tren de Aragua, the Sinaloa Cartel, and related organizations. The sanctions imposed by the Treasury Department block all property and interests in property of designated persons that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons, with violations potentially resulting in civil or criminal penalties.
The Cartel de los Soles has been described as providing material support to two other major criminal organizations that have been designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations by the United States. Tren de Aragua originated in Venezuela and is involved in drug trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking, extortion, sexual exploitation of women and children, and money laundering. The Sinaloa Cartel is one of the oldest and most powerful cartels in Mexico, responsible for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and other illicit drugs into the United States. Both organizations were designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists by the State Department on February 20, 2025.
As of late October 2025, the situation in the Caribbean remains highly volatile, with the United States maintaining its significant military presence and continuing operations against suspected drug trafficking vessels. The Trump administration faces critical decisions about whether to escalate to direct military strikes inside Venezuelan territory or to de-escalate the confrontation. Analysts note that there have been no indications of cracks in the Maduro regime or high-profile defections that might suggest the pressure campaign is achieving its objectives of forcing political change in Caracas. The Maduro government has indicated it remains willing to resume dialogue with the United States, though the Trump administration cut off diplomatic channels in early October 2025.
The debate over the Cartel de los Soles reflects broader questions about how international law, counternarcotics policy, counterterrorism operations, and traditional interstate relations intersect in the 21st century. The U.S. government's characterization of a foreign head of state as the leader of a terrorist organization and the subsequent military operations represent a significant development in how Washington approaches threats it perceives from organized crime with state connections. Whether this approach represents an effective strategy for combating transnational drug trafficking and whether it comports with international legal norms remains subject to intense debate among policymakers, legal scholars, and regional experts as the situation continues to unfold in the Caribbean.
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