The U.S. Treasury Department has announced sanctions against a Venezuelan group operating under the leadership of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and allegedly supporting drug cartels.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), an agency of the Treasury Department, announced that the organization, dubbed the Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns), has been classified as a global terrorist organization, and restrictions have been imposed on it.
OFAC, which determines sanctions according to U.S. foreign policy, states that the group “is run by Nicolas Maduro and other high-ranking Venezuelan officials in the Maduro regime.”
The cartel is also accused of “providing material support” to criminal organizations such as Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel, both of which were declared terrorist groups by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
In a statement, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, “Today’s action further exposes the illegitimate Maduro regime’s support for narcoterrosim through terrorist groups such as the Cartel de los Soles.”
Relations between Washington and Caracas have deteriorated for years.
In 2019, the U.S. opposed Maduro’s re-election, which was deemed fraudulent by the international community.
Trump this year announced a partial ban on travelers from Venezuela, as well as several other countries.
On Thursday, Maduro announced that he had allowed the U.S. oil giant Chevron, which had previously been sanctioned by the U.S., to resume its operations in the South American country. Washington has not yet confirmed this development.
Trump announces tariffs on countries buying oil and gas from Venezuela
