The first prosecution, included in the indictment of the 2020 grand jury, presented Kartel de los Soles as an organized crime group allegedly led by Maduro and engaged in mass cocaine trafficking.
This claim became the central pillar of the Washington run of force on Caracas and was repeatedly cited as justifying the escalation of sanctions and military operations.
In July 2025, the U.S. Treasury Department declared the alleged cartel a terrorist organization, which was later endorsed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and erstwhile National safety Advisor Robert C. O'Brien.
However, crime and drug experts in Latin America have long noted that "Cartel de los Soles" is not a verifiable organization, but a slang word coined by Venezuelan media in the 1990s to describe corruption among individual military officers — not a structured cartel.
This discrimination is now reflected in a revised indictment, published after Maduro's abduction by American forces.
Although he inactive accuses him of participating in a drug trade conspiracy, he abandons the claim that Kartel de los Soles exists as a real cartel, defining it on "the patronage system" and "a culture of corruption" supposedly driven by drug profits.
Translated by Google Translator
source:https://stateofthenation.info/
