The U.S. Department of the Treasury has sanctioned the Cartel de los Soles, a Venezuela-based criminal group led by President Nicolás Maduro, as a global terrorist organization. This move is part of broader efforts to combat narco-terrorism, with the department linking the group to violent organizations like the Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel. The designation follows a statement from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who emphasized the need to uphold President Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ pledge by cracking down on violent organizations and their enablers.
According to the Treasury Department, the Cartel de los Soles is providing support to foreign terrorist organizations, including the Tren de Aragua, which is involved in illegal activities such as human smuggling and the drug trade. The Sinaloa Cartel, a powerful Mexican cartel, is also implicated, with the Treasury Department noting its role in trafficking drugs like fentanyl into the United States. In an X post, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sought information leading to the arrests and convictions of Maduro, Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace Diosdado Cabello Rondón, and Minister of Defense Vladimir Padrino López.
The U.S. has increased the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest and conviction to $25 million, a move that underscores the government’s continued focus on the Maduro regime. The United States has not recognized Maduro as the legitimate Venezuelan president since 2019, a stance that reflects the administration’s broader opposition to the regime’s actions. Additionally, the U.S. Department of State has issued a travel advisory warning citizens not to visit Venezuela due to severe risks, including wrongful detention, torture in detention, terrorism, kidnapping, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest, and poor health infrastructure.
Senator Marco Rubio recently criticized Maduro as a ‘narco-terrorist’ leader threatening the U.S., highlighting the growing geopolitical tensions between the two nations. The Treasury Department’s approach is seen as a significant shift, with the Department of Justice and the FBI adopting a more confrontational stance against drug cartels by using terrorism charges. This strategy aims to disrupt the networks of violence and illicit trafficking that have plagued both U.S. and Latin American regions.