The United States Justice Department has withdrawn a key claim it previously made about drug trafficking in Venezuela. In a revised criminal indictment released after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured, prosecutors no longer describe “Cartel de los Soles” as an actual drug trafficking organization.
For years, the Trump administration portrayed Cartel de los Soles as a powerful cartel led by Mr. Maduro. That claim was central to criminal charges filed in 2020 and later used by U.S. agencies to justify terrorism designations and public accusations. However, experts on Latin American crime have long argued that Cartel de los Soles is not a real group. The updated indictment now appears to accept that view.
Justice Department Changes Its Legal Description
The original 2020 indictment accused President Nicolás Maduro of leading Cartel de los Soles as a structured organization involved in large-scale cocaine trafficking. It described the group as working with armed organizations such as the FARC in Colombia and claimed it sought to flood the United States with drugs. The document mentioned Cartel de los Soles dozens of times and identified Mr. Maduro as its leader.
That indictment was overseen by Emil Bove III, then a prosecutor in the Justice Department’s terrorism and international narcotics unit. It presented Cartel de los Soles as a coordinated criminal group with leadership and long-term goals.
In the revised indictment, prosecutors removed most references to Cartel de los Soles as an organization. The new version describes the term as a label used for a system of corruption rather than a cartel. It explains that drug trafficking profits flowed through a patronage system involving corrupt civilian, military, and intelligence officials.
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According to the updated filing, these officials protected drug trafficking partners in exchange for money and benefits. The document says that Mr. Maduro, like his predecessor Hugo Chávez, participated in and protected this corrupt system. The term “Cartel de los Soles” is now explained as a reference to the sun insignia worn by high-ranking Venezuelan military officers, not a criminal group with members or structure.
The revised indictment mentions Cartel de los Soles only twice and avoids describing it as an actual cartel.
Experts Question Earlier Terrorism Designations
Experts on Latin American crime have long said Cartel de los Soles is a slang term, not a real organization. The phrase was coined by Venezuelan media in the 1990s to describe officials suspected of taking drug money.
Major drug trafficking reports support this view. The Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Drug Threat Assessment has never listed Cartel de los Soles as a drug trafficking organization. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has also never included it in its World Drug Report.
Elizabeth Dickinson of the International Crisis Group said the revised indictment reflects reality, unlike the 2020 version. She noted that criminal indictments must be proven in court, while terrorism designations do not require the same level of evidence.
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Despite the Justice Department’s change, those designations remain in place. In July 2025, the Treasury Department designated Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization. In November, the State Department followed under the direction of Marco Rubio, the secretary of state and national security adviser.
After the revised indictment was released, Mr. Rubio again referred to Cartel de los Soles as a real cartel during an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press. He said the United States would continue targeting drug shipments linked to the group and stated that its leader was in U.S. custody.
New Allegations Draw Fresh Criticism
The revised indictment also added a new alleged co-conspirator: the leader of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan prison gang. The document claims the gang leader offered protection services for drug shipments in 2019 during phone calls with someone believed to be a government official.
Experts criticized this addition, saying the connection is weak. Jeremy McDermott of InSight Crime noted that Tren de Aragua does not control major cocaine shipments. Last year, Donald Trump said Mr. Maduro directed the gang’s activities, even though U.S. intelligence assessments say the gang operates independently.
While the Justice Department corrected its description of Cartel de los Soles, disagreements remain between legal filings and political statements surrounding the case.