In the months leading up to the illegal US invasion that plucked Maduro from power, the Treasury Department and State Department both designated Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization. That allegation originated from a 2020 grand jury indictment of Maduro, drafted by the DOJ during Trump’s first term. It is for that reason that the DEA's annual National Drug Threat Assessment, which describes major trafficking organizations in detail, has never mentioned Cartel de los Soles. "Maduro is the head of the Cartel de Los Soles, a narco-terror organization that has taken possession of a country. While it still accused Maduro of participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy, it totally abandoned the claim that any organization called "Cartel de los Soles" actually existed.

Source: International New York Times January 07, 2026 08:21 UTC