Venezuela's Maduro denounced as a 'narco-terrorist' ruler posing a threat to the USA, one year following the contentious election
In a strong statement on Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticised Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro over accusations of facilitating narco-terrorism through terrorist groups like Cartel de los Soles.
The U.S. administration has classified Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel as foreign terrorist organisations, and the Cartel de los Soles, also known as Cartel of the Suns, has been designated as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" by the U.S. Treasury Department.
The Treasury Department has accused the Venezuela-based Cartel de los Soles of providing material support to Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel. According to the department, the cartel supports Tren de Aragua in carrying out its objective of using the flood of illegal narcotics as a weapon against the United States.
Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have accused Maduro of being the leader of this designated narco-terrorist organisation, and the U.S. has refused to recognise Maduro as the winner of the July 2024 Venezuelan election, citing widespread fraud.
The U.S. Justice Department charged Maduro and 14 other Venezuelan officials with narco-terrorism, corruption, drug trafficking, and other criminal charges in March 2020. Rubio has accused Maduro of manipulating Venezuela's electoral system to maintain his illegitimate grip on power.
The U.S. and other international observers widely condemned Venezuela's presidential election as illegitimate in 2019, and the U.S. has not recognised Maduro's presidency since then.
The State Department increased its reward for information leading to Maduro's capture from $15 million to up to $25 million at the start of this year. The Trump administration has been escalating pressure against Maduro in recent days, with the Treasury Department pledging to crack down on violent organisations including Tren de Aragua, the Sinaloa Cartel, and their facilitators, like Cartel de los Soles.
Meanwhile, municipal elections are happening in Venezuela on Sunday, one day before the one-year anniversary of Venezuela's presidential election. It remains to be seen how these developments will impact the political landscape in the South American country.
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