Washington, DC – The United States has officially designated the ‘Cartel of the Suns’ as a foreign terrorist organization, placing it in the same category as Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. This move comes amid ongoing tensions in the region, with the Pentagon attributing recent US airstrikes on small boats near Venezuela’s coast to narcoterrorism. The attacks, which have resulted in over 80 deaths, have been part of a two-month campaign targeting what the US claims are illicit maritime operations linked to the alleged cartel.
The designation of the Cartel of the Suns as a terrorist organization is based on long-standing allegations that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro leads the group, a claim the US Treasury has repeatedly made. The term ‘Cartel of the Suns’ originated in the 1990s as a media reference to alleged corruption among high-ranking Venezuelan military officers, who were said to wear Sun-shaped insignia on their uniforms. In 2020, the US indicted Maduro and 14 current or former officials, accusing them of drug trafficking and organized crime, and claiming they collectively ran the cartel.
However, analysts and regional leaders have cast doubt on the existence of the Cartel of the Suns as a centralized, hierarchical criminal organization. Justice Minister Diosdado Cabello, one of the officials charged by the US, criticized the designation as a strategy to label anyone who ‘bothers them’ as cartel members. Colombian President Gustavo Petro dismissed the group as a ‘fictional excuse of the far right’ to undermine governments that do not submit to US influence.
During the Trump administration, the US recognized opposition figure Juan Guaido as the legitimate leader of Venezuela, though his subsequent attempts to overthrow Maduro failed. The recent US strikes in the Caribbean, combined with a buildup of military assets in the region, have fueled speculation that Washington may be preparing for a renewed effort to remove Maduro from power. The designation of the Cartel of the Suns as a terrorist organization is part of a broader effort to justify increased military and diplomatic pressure on the Venezuelan government.
Regional tensions continue to escalate, with Brazil and other Latin American nations expressing concern over the US military presence and potential interventions. As the situation develops, the international community remains divided on whether the designation of the Cartel of the Suns is a legitimate counterterrorism measure or a political move to exert pressure on Venezuela’s leadership.