Washington previously struck alleged \u201cnarcoterrorist\u201d boats in the Caribbean<\/p>\n
The US has formally labeled the \u2018Cartel of the Suns\u2019, a purported criminal syndicate said to operate within Venezuela\u2019s security services, as a foreign terrorist organization \u2013 placing it in the same category as Al-Qaeda and Islamic State.
\nAnnouncing the decision on Thursday, the US Treasury repeated long-standing allegations that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whose legitimacy Washington disputes, leads the network.
\nThe move comes after nearly two months of US airstrikes on small boats off Venezuela\u2019s coast, which the Pentagon says are aimed at \u201cnarcoterrorism\u201d and which have left around 80 people dead.
\nThe term \u2018Cartel of the Suns\u2019 originated in the 1990s as a media reference to alleged corruption among Venezuelan military officers who reportedly wore Sun-shaped insignia on their uniforms. In 2020, the US indicted Maduro and 14 current or former officials on accusations of drug trafficking and organized crime, claiming that they collectively ran the cartel.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Brazil \u2018enormously\u2019 worried about US forces off Venezuela \u2013 Lula<\/p>\n
Numerous analysts and regional leaders, however, have cast doubt on the cartel\u2019s existence. While acknowledging that individual officials may be involved in illicit schemes, skeptics argue that claims of a centralized, hierarchical criminal enterprise are unfounded.
\nJustice Minister Diosdado Cabello, one of the Venezuelan officials charged by the US, said the Americans label anyone who \u201cbothers them\u201d as cartel members. Colombian President Gustavo Petro dismissed the Cartel of the Suns as a \u201cfictional excuse of the far right to bring down governments that do not obey them.\u201d
\nDuring US President Donald Trump\u2019s first term, Washington recognized opposition figure Juan Guaido as Venezuela\u2019s legitimate leader, though his subsequent attempts to overthrow Maduro failed.
\nThe recent US strikes in the Caribbean, combined with a buildup of military assets in the region, have fueled speculation that Washington may be preparing for a renewed effort to remove Maduro from power.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Washington previously struck alleged \u201cnarcoterrorist\u201d boats in the Caribbean The US has formally labeled the \u2018Cartel of the Suns\u2019, a purported criminal syndicate said to operate within Venezuela\u2019s security services,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23079,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t