The Cartel of the Suns is an informal Venezuelan crime organisation allegedly headed by high-ranking members of the Armed forces of Venezuela who are supposedly involved in international drug trafficking.

On July 25, 2025, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned the Cartel of the Suns as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organisation. According to the Americans, it is a Venezuela-based criminal group supposedly headed by President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro Moros, and other high-ranking Venezuelan individuals in the Maduro regime that provides material support to foreign terrorist organisations, thereby creating a threat for the security of the United States.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated the Trump administration’s view that Venezuela poses a serious threat to the US through the illegal drug trade. “Unfortunately, the regime that governs, but is not the government of Venezuela, is a transhipment organisation," he said. “They allow cocaine from Colombia and other places to be shipped through national territory—not just with the cooperation, but in many cases, with the participation of elements of this regime."

The US has sent a flotilla to Venezuela that includes an aircraft carrier with 70 fighter jets and attack helicopters, a helicopter carrier with another 30 tilt-rotor aircraft and attack helicopters and nearly 2,000 Marines, the spearhead of an assault landing force, a guided-missile cruiser, six or more destroyers and other support ships. A US destroyer, the USS Gravely, and the Marine unit are already in Trinidad and Tobago, just six miles from the Venezuelan coast.

Since September 2, 2025, US forces have bombed 10 boats, with eight of the attacks........

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