- Despite repeated “narcoterrorism” accusations, US officials have not presented evidence tying Maduro and other Venezuelan leaders to drug trafficking.
By Ricardo Vaz
CARACAS, (venezuelanalysis.com) – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Sunday that the so-called Cartel de los Soles will be designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) effective November 24.
Rubio accused Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and high-ranking officials of leading the purported cartel and having “corrupted Venezuela’s military, intelligence, legislature, and judiciary.” He further claimed the Cartel de los Soles was responsible for “terrorist violence […] and trafficking drugs to the US and Europe.”
In July, the US Treasury Department added the aforementioned “cartel” to the Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) list. An SDGT designation enables the US Treasury to restrict the target’s access to funds within the international financial system. In contrast, an FTO designation prohibits any provision of “material support,” including financial assistance, to the designated group.
The new FTO designation led analysts to speculate that it could be a precursor to a military escalation against Caracas. Ahead of a vote in the Senate to curtail Trump’s bombing campaign, White House lawyers told US lawmakers that the legal opinion by the Office of Legal Counsel that authorizes the US to conduct strikes in international waters did not cover potential strikes on Venezuelan land.
Shortly after, US president Donald Trump raised the possibility of upcoming talks with the Maduro government amidst a growing US military buildup near Venezuelan territory.
“We may be having some discussions with Maduro,” Trump told reporters Sunday night in Florida. “We’ll see how that turns out, but they [Venezuela] would like to talk.”
The White House’s stated opening for dialogue would reverse a prior decision in early October, when Trump reportedly ordered Special Envoy Richard Grenell to cut all communications with Caracas.
Since August, Washington has amassed naval assets and thousands of troops in the Caribbean, including the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, on a self-declared anti-narcotics mission. US forces have bombed 22 vessels that US officials claimed were carrying US-bound drugs, killing 83 civilians in the process. Nevertheless, US authorities have not disclosed evidence of the boats’ cargoes or crews.
The Trump administration has accused Caracas of playing a major role in international drug trafficking. In 2020, the Justice Department levied “narcoterrorism” charges against Maduro and other officials. A reward for information leading to the Venezuelan president’s capture was raised to US $50 million in August.
However, US officials have never presented court-tested evidence of the Cartel de los Soles’ existence or of any involvement of high-ranking Venezuelan officials in drug smuggling.
In addition, reports from both the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) indicate that Venezuela plays only a marginal role in narcotics trafficking. UNODC has additionally classified Venezuela as a “territory free of illicit drug cultivation.”
While Trump has sent contradictory messages concerning the prospect of bombing targets inside Venezuelan territory, several outletsreported that the US president has been presented with military options in recent days.
US warplanes have repeatedly flown inside Venezuela’s Flight Information Region (FIR) in recent weeks, while two warships likewise navigated close to Venezuelan shores on Thursday.
For its part, the Maduro government has denounced Washington’s military escalation as an oil-driven regime-change campaign and called for an international response. Caracas convened an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council in October, but no resolutions were tabled.
The Venezuelan armed forces have undertaken large-scale defensive exercises over the last two months under the “Independencia 200” plan. The drills have deployed airforce, naval and artillery units while also providing training to volunteer militia groups.
Venezuelan officials have also warned against false flag attacks to trigger a conflict, pointing the finger at Trinidad and Tobago for alleged complicity. Trinidadian forces are set to hold military exercises with the 22nd US Marine Expeditionary Unit from November 16 to 21, following the recent hosting of the USS Gravely missile destroyer and the same marine battalion in late October.
Venezuelan allies, including Russia, China and Iran, have voiced support while condemning US threats and boat strikes. UN experts have classed the bombings as extrajudicial killings. A recent CELAC-EU summit saw the two blocs issue a joint call for peace and respect for international law.
US actions have additionally sparked mobilizations and protests from progressive movements around the world. Grassroots collectives held coordinated demonstrations in over two dozen cities worldwide on Saturday.
“This is not about drugs, this is about hegemony,” Jae Franklin from Anti-War Committee Chicago (AWC) said during a rally on Saturday. “The people and sovereignty of Venezuela are not negotiable, so we must continue to be in the streets to say US hands off of Venezuela.”
Franklin added that Venezuela is “being punished for its principled solidarity with the Palestinian people.”
Progressive and international solidarity coalitions, including Anti-War Action Network and the Black Alliance for Peace, have scheduled dozens of actions in the coming days to protest US military threats against Venezuela and extrajudicial strikes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
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