Secretary of State Marco Rubio has intensified the diplomatic pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, charging him with leading the narco-terrorist organization Cartel de los Soles, which he claims is facilitating the trafficking of narcotics into the United States. This accusation coincides with Venezuela’s ongoing municipal elections, which are taking place on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the disputed presidential election in July. The United States, in a show of continued resolve, has escalated its efforts against Maduro, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accusing the Venezuelan leader of orchestrating an entity that aids terrorism against American interests.
Rubio’s statement condemned Maduro’s claim to the presidency, asserting that the current regime is illegitimate and that the United States remains committed to supporting Venezuela’s return to democratic order and justice. He further outlined that Maduro is responsible for maintaining a narco-trafficking network that has infiltrated the country’s institutions. The Justice Department had already charged Maduro and 14 other officials with narco-terrorism, corruption, and drug trafficking in March 2020, and the U.S. increased its reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest from $15 million to $25 million.
The Treasury Department’s move to label Cartel de los Soles as a global terrorist organization underscores the U.S. stance against Maduro’s regime, which it accuses of supporting terrorist groups like Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel, already classified as foreign terrorist organizations. The Treasury Department explained that the name derives from the sun insignias on Venezuelan military uniforms, and the cartel is said to support Tren de Aragua’s efforts to use illegal narcotics as a weapon against the U.S. Bessent emphasized that these actions align with President Trump’s ‘America First’ policy, aiming to dismantle violent organizations and their facilitators.