The U.S. has designed the Venezuela-based Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist group and said it is headed by the president of the South American country, Nicolás Maduro.
The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced it had sanctioned the cartel as a specially designated global terrorist organization.
The OFAC statement said the group supports foreign terrorist organizations threatening the peace and security of the United States, namely Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel. Newsweek has contacted the Venezuelan foreign ministry for comment.
Why It Matters
The Trump administration has pledged to crack down on drug trafficking, targeting in particular Latin American gangs.
Around 250 Venezuelans were deported from the U.S. to a prison in El Salvador after President Donald Trump invoked a centuries old law intended for use in times of war, due to the “invasion” of alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang named in OFAC’s statement.
The men were returned in a deal with the U.S. that saw the release of 10 Americans detained in Venezuela. The ruling on Cartel de los Soles may add pressure on Caracas and the regime of Maduro which the U.S. considers illegitimate, having already issued an outstanding order for his capture.
What To Know
In a statement on Friday, OFAC said it had sanctioned the Cartel de los Soles, which it described as a Venezuela-based criminal group headed by Maduro and other high-ranking Venezuelan individuals in his regime.
The statement said the group provides support to foreign terrorist organizations threatening the peace and security of the United States, namely Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel—one of Mexico’s most powerful groups that traffics drugs into the U.S.
The statement said that Tren de Aragua was involved in the illicit drug trade, human smuggling and trafficking, extortion, sexual exploitation of women and children, and money laundering, among other criminal activities.
On February 20, 2025, the State Department designated both Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists.
It comes after the U.S. restored Chevron Corp.’s ability to pump oil in Venezuela, reversing an earlier decision when the Trump administration was seeking to exert more pressure on Maduro’s regime.
What People Are Saying
Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent in a statement: “The Treasury Department will continue to execute on President Trump’s pledge to put America First by cracking down on violent organizations including Tren de Aragua, the Sinaloa Cartel, and their facilitators, like Cartel de los Soles.”
Senator Rick Scott, (R-FL) on X: “Americans are safer now that it’s harder for this disgusting gang to terrorize our country by flooding it with deadly drugs.”
What Happens Next
The OFAC ruling will block all property and interests linked to Cartel de los Soles and was welcomed by Florida Senator Rick Scott who posted on X that “Americans are safer now.” It could also add to international pressure against Maduro.
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