Director de InSight Crime: ¿Por qué la designación del cartel de los Soles cambia las reglas de juego? The U.S. government has officially designated Venezuela’s ‘Cartel of the Suns’ as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, a move that merges the war on drugs with counter-terrorism efforts. This designation, described as a “profound turn” in U.S. foreign policy, applies counter-terrorism tools to economically motivated criminal structures. Venezuela has become a test case for this strategy, with increased naval and military presence near its coasts and a bounty offered for Nicolás Maduro’s capture.

• The U.S. government officially designated the ‘Cartel of the Suns’ as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on November 24.
• This designation combines the war on drugs with counter-terrorism strategies.
• The ‘Cartel of the Suns’ is described as an ‘umbrella term’ for factions within the Venezuelan Armed Forces involved in smuggling, corruption, and cocaine trafficking, rather than a strict drug trafficking organization.
• This marks the largest expansion of the Foreign Terrorist Organization list since its creation in 1997.
• The Trump administration is employing this approach, combining counter-crime and counter-terror strategies with economic pressure, in Venezuela.
• A naval and military deployment has been increased near Venezuela’s coast.
• A $50 million reward has been offered for the capture of Nicolás Maduro.
• The analyst suggests that time may favor Maduro due to limited U.S. appetite for prolonged intervention or reconstruction efforts.