How the US terrorist label on Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles could impact your world more than you think

DCM Editorial Summary: This story has been independently rewritten and summarised for DCM readers to highlight key developments relevant to the region. Original reporting by The Conversation, click this post to read the original article.

The United States intensified its conflict with Venezuela by labeling the so-called Cartel de los Soles a foreign terrorist organization. The U.S. claims it’s a drug trafficking network led by President Nicolás Maduro, a charge that is strongly disputed and far more complex than it appears. While this label has serious legal outcomes, the group is not considered a traditional terrorist organization, nor is it confirmed to be a formal group at all. The term “Cartel de los Soles” originally came from journalists in the 1990s and refers to corrupt Venezuelan military officers supposedly linked to drug trafficking.

This designation raises questions, largely because criminal groups like drug cartels are usually motivated by profit, not politics—unlike traditional terrorist organizations. Using anti-terror tactics against such criminal networks can produce unintended consequences, such as sparking more violence. Experts suggest that the Cartel de los Soles functions more as an informal network rather than an organized entity with a hierarchy or membership. There’s no consensus within Venezuela on the term, suggesting the group may lack cohesion.

Venezuela’s geography makes it a key trafficking route for Colombian cocaine heading to the U.S. and Europe. While some cocaine is produced locally, vast amounts flow through the country with the help of corrupt officials. High-ranking military officers are often suspected of being involved, but the lack of clear evidence makes it difficult to gauge how entrenched the issue truly is.

The U.S. terrorist designation brings legal and financial implications. It criminalizes providing any support to the group, can block individuals from entering the U.S., and requires financial institutions to monitor and report related transactions. But many of those alleged to be involved, like Venezuela’s interior minister Diosdado Cabello, were already under U.S. sanctions, so the practical effects may be limited. Venezuela’s government outright denies the group’s existence, dismissing the label as an excuse for possible foreign intervention—though such a designation does not authorize military action.

International response to this move has been cautious. While a few Latin American countries with conservative governments have echoed the U.S. position, traditional allies like Canada and the UK have not followed suit. The broader global community doesn’t widely share the Trump administration’s stance of calling criminal organizations terrorists. This lack of international backing weakens the potential effectiveness of U.S. efforts to tackle transnational drug trafficking through this approach.