Caracas. The Venezuelan government rejected the designation, effective this Monday, of the “nonexistent Cartel of the Suns” as a foreign terrorist organization. Caracas called this action a ridiculous fabrication by Secretary of State Marco Rubio “to justify an illegitimate and illegal intervention against Venezuela.”
“This new maneuver will follow the same fate as previous and recurring aggressions against our country: to fail,” reads a statement from the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry.
The list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), which includes Islamist groups, separatists, guerrillas, and, as a recent addition, gangs and drug trafficking groups from Mexico and Colombia, is compiled by the United States Department of State and is supposed to give the government of President Donald Trump legal powers to sanction, freeze assets, and prosecute any person or entity that collaborates with anyone listed on it.
The justification, according to the State Department, is that “the Cartel of the Suns, along with other designated foreign terrorist organizations, such as Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa cartel, are responsible for terrorist violence throughout our hemisphere, as well as drug trafficking to the United States and Europe.”
Although no one has ever presented any evidence, for years a narrative repeated by US media outlets and agencies has maintained the existence of an alleged “cartel” comprised of Venezuelan military personnel and led by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and members of his government, supposedly involved in drug trafficking. Since taking office in Washington, Marco Rubio has used this narrative to pressure the White House in pursuit of his long-standing personal objective: to force Maduro from power.
The Venezuelan statement urges the US government to"rectify this erratic policy of aggression and threats, strongly rejected by the people of the United States themselves," since they affect the entire Caribbean and, moreover,"do nothing to contribute to a true and genuine fight against illicit drug trafficking."
The rejection by the American people seems to be related to the poll published over the weekend by CBS News, which states that 70 percent of Americans oppose military action by their country against Venezuela.
The Caracas government also states that the Venezuelan people “are more united and cohesive than ever,” and are dedicated to attending to national life “and focused on the Christmas festivities.”
On Sunday, the fourth national popular consultation of 2025 was held throughout Venezuela, a form of participatory democracy in which the people choose by direct vote the two community projects that will receive immediate funding from the government so that the community itself can implement them.
EU designates 'Cartel of the Suns' as a terrorist organization
The Trump administration, through the U.S. Treasury Department, designated the Cartel of the Suns as a foreign terrorist organization on Monday for its alleged role in importing illegal drugs into the country. (With information from Reuters)
Venezuelan government publishes position in official statement:
