The United States will formally designate the Cartel de los Soles, an entity the government accuses Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of leading, as a foreign terrorist organization on Monday, escalating a multifaceted pressure campaign against his regime amid ongoing military operations in the Caribbean.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio previewed the action last week, charging the so-called Cartel of the Suns with orchestrating terrorist violence across the Western Hemisphere while facilitating massive drug flows into the United States, a step that builds on Treasury Department sanctions imposed in July and aligns with broader efforts to dismantle narcotrafficking networks.

Experts emphasize that the Cartel de los Soles is not a conventional cartel but rather a loose descriptor originating in the 1990s for corrupt Venezuelan military officers profiting from drug-running, later encompassing police, officials, and illicit activities like mining and fuel smuggling under Presidents Hugo Chávez and Maduro, without a formal hierarchy or membership structure.

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This designation extends the Trump administration's recent expansion of the foreign terrorist label—previously reserved for groups like the Islamic State—to eight Latin American criminal outfits involved in narcotics and smuggling, as the U.S. blames them for operating vessels targeted in strikes that have killed over 80 individuals, though evidence linking specific organizations remains undisclosed.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth indicated the move unlocks enhanced operational tools against Maduro, including potential land strikes, while intelligence reports suggest rising anxiety within the Venezuelan leadership; the administration views Maduro's rule as unsustainable, rejecting his disputed 2024 election victory and pursuing a range of military and covert options to force change.

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