US Designates Cartel de Los Soles as Foreign Terrorist Organization

Cartel de Los Soles—or Cartel of the Suns—is an alleged criminal enterprise that the United State says is linked to the Venezuelan government.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro participates in a demonstration to mark Indigenous Resistance Day, in Caracas, Venezuela, on Oct. 12, 2025. Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters

WASHINGTON—U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has formally designated Venezuela’s Cartel de Los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization, ramping up an ongoing pressure campaign on the South American country.

Rubio filed for the terrorism designation on Nov. 16, and the Federal Register posted the designation notice on Nov. 24.