The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reaffirmed sanctions on the Cartel of the Suns as a terrorist organization and issued a reward for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Venezuelans Nicolás Maduro Moros, Diosdado Cabello Rondón, and Vladimir Padrino López.
- The announcement includes Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, for whom a $25 million reward is being offered.
- “With this designation, the United States will use all resources at its disposal to prevent Maduro from continuing to profit from the destruction of American lives and destabilizing our hemisphere,” he added.
The announcement includes Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, for whom a $25 million reward is being offered.
It’s worth noting that toward the end of his term, the administration of Joe Biden had announced a $25 million reward for information leading to the detention of Venezuela’s president after he assumed a third term in office despite evidence suggesting he lost the recent elections held in his country.
This new information is connected to an announcement by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the Treasury Department, which sanctioned the Cartel of the Suns, allegedly led by Maduro Moros and other high-ranking Venezuelan officials from the Chavista regime, who are accused of providing material support to foreign terrorist organizations that threaten the peace and security of the United States, particularly the Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel.
“Today’s action further exposes the Maduro regime’s facilitation of narcoterrorism through terrorist groups like the Cartel of the Suns,” stated Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
“The Treasury Department will continue to fulfill President Trump’s promise to put America first by cracking down on violent organizations like the Tren de Aragua, the Sinaloa Cartel, and their facilitators, such as the Cartel of the Suns,” he stated.
“With this designation, the United States will use all resources at its disposal to prevent Maduro from continuing to profit from the destruction of American lives and destabilizing our hemisphere,” he added.
According to the Donald Trump administration, the Cartel of the Suns corrupted government institutions in Venezuela, including parts of the military, intelligence apparatus, legislature, and judiciary, to aid the cartel’s efforts to traffic narcotics into the United States.
The cartel’s name derives from the sun insignias typically displayed on the uniforms of Venezuelan military officers.
Image: Opinion
