{"id":7802,"date":"2025-11-17T08:10:16","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T09:10:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.globaltalenthq.com\/?p=7802"},"modified":"2025-11-17T18:35:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T18:35:11","slug":"us-to-add-terror-label-to-venezuelan-cartel-it-claims-is-linked-to-maduro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.globaltalenthq.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/17\/us-to-add-terror-label-to-venezuelan-cartel-it-claims-is-linked-to-maduro\/","title":{"rendered":"US to add \u2018terror\u2019 label to Venezuelan cartel it claims is linked to Maduro"},"content":{"rendered":"
The move would allow Washington to target the president\u2019s assets and infrastructure, President Donald Trump claims<\/strong><\/p>\n The US plans to designate the Venezuelan Cartel de los Soles, which it claims is led by President Nicolas Maduro, as a terrorist organization, the State Department has announced. According to a statement, the designation will take effect on November 24.<\/p>\n Trump has long accused Maduro of cartel links, calling him a “narcoterrorist.”<\/em> Despite Maduro’s denials of the allegations, Washington dispatched a naval armada to the western Caribbean earlier this year, and since September, US forces have hit alleged drug-smuggling vessels near Venezuela. US officials also say Trump is considering strikes on cartel targets inside the country.<\/p>\n The State Department reiterated the claim on Sunday that the Cartel de los Soles is led by the “illegitimate”<\/em> President Maduro and senior Venezuelan officials.<\/p>\n It added that “neither Maduro nor his cronies represent Venezuela’s legitimate government,”<\/em> accusing them of corrupting the country’s institutions, directing “terrorist violence throughout our hemisphere,”<\/em> and trafficking drugs into the US and Europe.<\/p>\n \n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Trump said the designation would allow the US military to target assets of the cartel – and by extension, Maduro – and infrastructure in Venezuela. “It allows us to do that,”<\/em> Trump told reporters on Sunday.<\/p>\n He added, however, that “we haven’t said we’re going to do that,”<\/em> noting that the US “may be having some discussions with Maduro”<\/em> first. “They would like to talk… we’ll see how that turns out.”<\/em><\/p>\n Trump did not elaborate on potential talks. It is unclear why he said the designation would allow strikes, as it would not permit attacks without separate authorization.<\/p>\n Maduro has dismissed the allegations and the military buildup as an attempt to overthrow him, while urging Trump to negotiate. In September, he sent a letter to the White House in which he said Venezuela has dismantled the drug networks, offering direct talks.<\/p>\n