Trump administration labels Venezuela's Maduro leader of a terrorist organization
The designation made Monday may be used by the U.S. government as a legal justification for the use of military force in the South American nation.
The Trump administration announced plans Monday to designate Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) headed by Venezuela’s leader Nicolás Maduro. The action comes after the Treasury Department labelled the group a Specially Designated Global Terrorist — a step below FTO— this summer.
The White House accuses the Cartel de los Soles of embedding itself in Venezuela’s security and political institutions while working alongside other criminal organizations such as Tren de Aragua and Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel to traffic drugs into the United States.
The move marks a leap in escalation between the United States and Venezuela’s ruling regime, perhaps providing further justification should American forces take military action against Caracas.
Tensions between the two countries have risen substantially over the past months, as the Trump administration ramped up strikes against alleged drug traffickers operating off of Venezuela’s northern coast. Monday’s terrorism designation essentially makes the entire Venezuelan government a drug cartel in the eyes of the U.S., allowing Washington to cut the country off from any ties it has to the American financial system.
Classifying Maduro and his allies as narco-terrorists is neither unexpected nor unprecedented. In 2020, the Department of Justice indicted Maduro on federal narco-trafficking and money laundering charges.
What is striking about the latest attempt to isolate the Venezuelan regime is the timing, coming as American military presence ramps up in the region, fueling the prospect of armed conflict.