"Following a US attack on a suspected "drug-carrying vessel from Venezuela" that killed 11, Caracas has warned the US against using its military for "regime change." The US has deployed several warships to the Caribbean. The White House said, without providing evidence, that the people killed in the boat that had departed from Venezuela were "narco-terrorists" and part of the transnational Tren de Aragua group."
"InSight Crime also said in August that, despite claims to the contrary by the Trump administration, the group posed a "limited security threat to the general public" in the US and "the scale of that threat is unlikely to grow." After his inauguration on January 20, 2025 US President Donald Trump instructed the State Department to designate Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist organization, alongside several Latin American drug cartels. Cartel de los Soles was later added to the list."
"The Cartel de los Soles (or Cartel of the suns), a network that is allegedly run by high-ranking former and active members of the Venezuelan military, was reportedly named after the single suns that certain Venezuelan generals wore on their shoulders as insignia. It is not clear to what extent this group is involved in drug trafficking and who exactly is part of it, partly because the prosecution of such activities is not a high priority in Venezuela."
US forces attacked a suspected drug-carrying vessel from Venezuela, killing 11 and prompting Caracas to warn against US military use for regime change. The US deployed several warships to the Caribbean. The White House claimed, without providing evidence, that the dead were "narco-terrorists" linked to Tren de Aragua. InSight Crime reported little evidence that Tren de Aragua is heavily involved in international drug trafficking and described the group's threat to the US as limited and unlikely to grow. After January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump designated Tren de Aragua and later the Cartel de los Soles as foreign terrorist organizations. The Cartel de los Soles is alleged to involve current and former Venezuelan military figures, though its precise drug trafficking role and membership remain unclear, and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello has been accused of leadership in the group.
#usvenezuela-tensions #tren-de-aragua #cartel-de-los-soles #foreign-terrorist-organization-designation
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