U.S. Designates Venezuela’s “Cartel de los Soles” as Terrorist Organization Amid Rising Tensions

Key Facts

Published: November 25, 2025 Location: Washington D.C. Source: Wire Services

• The Trump administration formally designated Venezuela’s so-called Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).
• Venezuela calls the cartel a “ridiculous fabrication,” accusing Washington of seeking to justify “illegal intervention.”
• U.S. military buildup continues in the Caribbean as deadly anti-narcotics strikes escalate.

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Washington D.C. Bureau Staff

(Worthy News) – The Trump administration on Monday escalated its pressure campaign on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, formally designating the Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization—a move that adds new terrorism-based sanctions and intensifies concerns of potential U.S. military action.

The designation, published in the Federal Register, targets what Washington alleges is a Maduro-linked network responsible for drug trafficking and “terrorist violence” in the Western Hemisphere. Secretary of State Marco Rubio previewed the step last week, arguing the network poses a direct threat to U.S. national security.

The term Cartel de los Soles—“Cartel of the Suns”—originated in the 1990s to describe Venezuelan military officers who grew wealthy from trafficking. Over time, it expanded to include police and government officials implicated in drug-running, fuel smuggling, and illegal mining.

Maduro’s government blasted the U.S. designation as a “ridiculous lie,” claiming it is designed to “justify an illegitimate and illegal intervention against Venezuela.” The foreign ministry again insisted no such cartel exists.

The U.S. designation comes amid a sweeping military campaign in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, where American forces have been targeting boats accused of transporting narcotics. At least 83 people have been killed in those strikes since September, though U.S. officials have not publicly presented evidence that drugs were on board the vessels hit.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the new terrorism label provides “a whole bunch of new options” for dealing with Maduro but declined to specify whether the U.S. might strike targets on Venezuelan soil. “Nothing is off the table, but nothing’s automatically on the table,” he said on OAN.

The move also coincides with growing regional concern over the U.S. military buildup. The world’s largest aircraft carrier and additional U.S. forces have been deployed near Venezuela, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine is set to visit Trinidad and Tobago this week to discuss counter-trafficking operations.

Maduro, appearing on state television, avoided discussing the U.S. designation and instead proclaimed Venezuela “invincible” against foreign pressure.

Meanwhile, uncertainty over military escalation prompted six airlines to cancel flights to Venezuela, and the FAA warned civilian aircraft to exercise caution over “worsening security” in the area.

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