What is Cartel de los Soles, which the US is labelling as a terrorist organisation?

The name Cartel de los Soles, Spanish for “Cartel of the Suns”, refers to alleged state-embedded criminal networks in Venezuela. The “suns” in the name come from the sun insignia worn on the uniforms of high-ranking Venezuelan military officers. 
Wikipedia

Originally coined in the 1990s to describe corrupt military officers who had grown rich through drug running, the term gradually expanded. Over time, it began to encompass police, government officials, and other state actors allegedly involved in illicit activities, not only drug trafficking but also fuel smuggling, illegal mining, arms trafficking, and money laundering. 

According to allegations by the U.S. government, the Cartel de los Soles is not simply a criminal syndicate operating independently. Instead, it represents a network of insiders embedded within Venezuela’s military, intelligence agencies, and other parts of the state apparatus. Its reach reportedly covers cross-border drug trafficking and protection of illegal flows of narcotics, arms, and contraband. 

Over the years, independent experts and some analysts have cautioned that the Cartel of the Suns may not be a tightly structured cartel comparable to traditional drug cartels with a clear hierarchical chain of command. Rather, it is seen by some as more of a loose or decentralized network, a “catch-all” label for corruption and illicit dealings within state institutions. 

U.S. Accusations and Alleged Activities

The U.S. claims the Cartel de los Soles has played a central role in facilitating narcotics trafficking, especially cocaine, from Venezuela toward the United States and Europe. 

According to the U.S. Treasury Department, the cartel has provided material support to other criminal and terrorist-labelled groups, including Tren de Aragua and Sinaloa Cartel. 

In addition to drug trafficking, the group is accused of engaging in other illegal enterprises such as illicit mining (gold, coltán, precious stones) and fuel and arms smuggling.

Because of these activities and their alleged embedding within the Venezuelan state, the Cartel de los Soles is presented by the U.S. not only as a drug-trafficking problem but as a threat to regional security and order. 

The U.S.’s Terrorist Designation

On November 24, 2025, the government of the United States formally designated the Cartel de los Soles as a United States Department of State (US DOS) Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). 

This move builds on earlier sanctions by the United States Department of the Treasury (USTreasury) that had already labeled it a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group. The new FTO classification grants additional legal reach: providing support to the cartel becomes a criminal offense, its assets can be frozen, and its representatives are barred from entering the United States. 

U.S. officials claim that the designation allows them to more aggressively disrupt the cartel’s operations, curb its financing, and restrict its international dealings. 

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the group, together with other labeled organizations, is responsible for “terrorist violence throughout our hemisphere” and drug trafficking to the U.S. and Europe. 

Why It Matters Now

This designation marks a major escalation in international pressure on Nicolás Maduro’s regime. The cartel is widely understood to be tied, directly or indirectly, to top Venezuelan officials. Identifying it as a terror threat effectively raises the stakes and expands legal, financial, and possibly military options against what the U.S. describes as an entrenched narco-state. 

The designation also sends a signal to foreign firms and governments: doing business with Venezuelan state entities could risk association with a terrorist organisation. 

Analysts say the move may increase pressure for political change in Venezuela, but it also carries risks: critics warn that labeling a loosely defined or partially structural phenomenon as a terrorist organisation may open the door to broad military interventions, with serious geopolitical consequences. 

What Are the Controversies

Not everyone agrees on whether the Cartel de the Soles is a coherent organization. Some experts argue that it does not function like a typical cartel; there is no known central governance, no meetings, and no public membership list. Instead, it may just be a way to describe widespread corruption and illicit dealings among various officials. 

Members of the Venezuelan government strongly reject the designation. The government called the move “ridiculous” and claimed the “non-existent Cartel of the Suns” is being used as a pretext to justify foreign intervention in Venezuelan affairs. 

Some human rights and foreign-policy experts caution that using the label “terrorist” for what may be a loosely connected network of corrupt individuals rather than a structured organization risks lowering the bar for military intervention, with potential consequences for civilian populations. 

What’s Next

With the FTO designation now in effect, the U.S. is likely to intensify efforts to intercept narcotics flows, freeze assets, and cut financial and diplomatic support networks associated with the group. The U.S. military escalation in the Caribbean region in recent months may also be tied to the broader campaign against drug trafficking and what the U.S. frames as narco-terrorism. 

At the same time, the geopolitical stakes are rising. Venezuela’s government has vowed to resist what it describes as U.S. aggression and interference. Other nations in Latin America are watching closely; some have echoed the U.S. designation, while others remain skeptical of the legal and political implications.