A photo taken from a video shows federal agents assisting Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, as they get into an armored vehicle on their way to the Manhattan federal courthouse in New York City, January 5, 2026. WABC / AP
In 2020, US prosecutors accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of heading the Cartel de los Soles ("Cartel of the Suns"). The indictment at the time alleged that he personally led this criminal group, responsible for shipping thousands of metric tons of drugs to the US, notably via Honduras. The term "cartel" appeared 32 times in the indictment.
In July 2025, the US Department of the Treasury included this "cartel" on its list of terrorist organizations. In August, the US Department of State raised the reward for information leading to the arrest of the "leader of the Cartel of the Suns" to $50 million (€42.7 million). The email address for tips was CartelSolesTips@dea.gov. US Attorney General Pam Bondi stated at the time that "Maduro is one of the largest narcotraffickers in the world" and that he used the "foreign terrorist organization (...) Cartel of the Suns to bring drugs into the United States."
Many experts expressed surprise at the reference to the "Cartel de los Soles," noting that it is not a criminal organization in the strict sense and that Nicolas Maduro could therefore hardly be its leader.
