The US decision to label a group it ties to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro a “foreign terrorist organization (FTO)” will give Washington expanded military and legal tools, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday.
Speaking to One America News, Hegseth said the listing “brings a whole bunch of new options to the United States” for action, adding that Washington does not consider Maduro a legitimate leader and accusing him again of involvement in drug trafficking. Maduro has repeatedly rejected those allegations.
The designation of Cartel de los Soles was announced earlier this week by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Under the measure, providing any material support to the group becomes a federal crime.
US officials claim the cartel cooperates with the Venezuelan criminal organization Tren de Aragua, which the US has already designated as an FTO, in smuggling narcotics into the country. US officials insist Maduro leads the organization, an allegation he has repeatedly dismissed.
The FTO designation is set to take effect Monday.
“The Department of State intends to designate Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), effective November 24, 2025. Based in Venezuela, the Cartel de los Soles is headed by Nicolas Maduro and other high-ranking individuals of the illegitimate Maduro regime who have corrupted Venezuela’s military, intelligence, legislature, and judiciary,” the US State Department said in a Nov. 16 statement released.
The move comes amid a significant US military buildup in the region, including the deployment of a major aircraft carrier group and F-35 fighter jets.
Tensions between the US and Venezuela have been on the rise since Trump this August ordered a military deployment in the Caribbean with the stated aim of attacking drug cartels and stopping drug trafficking routes, which are linked to Maduro.
Caracas maintains that what is being sought is a change of regime. Since then, the US military has carried out a total of 21 strikes on vessels it claimed were loaded with drugs, and killed 83 people, and Trump has signaled he could attack alleged drug trafficking targets on the ground in Venezuela.
