State Department to designate Venezuelan cartel as a foreign terrorist organization

The United States will designate Cartel de los Soles, which the US alleges is led by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and other high-ranking officials, as a foreign terrorist organization this month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Sunday.

“Neither Maduro nor his cronies represent Venezuela’s legitimate government,” the State Department said in a press release. “Cartel de los Soles by and with other designated FTOs including Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel are responsible for terrorist violence throughout our hemisphere as well as for trafficking drugs into the United States and Europe.”

The designation, which will be effective November 24, comes as the United States has ramped up its military presence in the Caribbean, including with the arrival of the world’s largest aircraft carrier on Sunday. Tensions have risen between President Donald Trump and Maduro as US forces target alleged drug-trafficking operations, with the US conducting its 21st known strike against an alleged drug boat over the weekend.

Trump suggested Sunday that designating Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization allows the US military the ability to target Maduro’s assets and infrastructure inside Venezuela.

“It allows us to do that, but we haven’t said we’re going to do that,” Trump told reporters. “We may be having some discussions with Maduro, and we’ll see how that turns out.”