Justice Department drops claim that ‘Cartel de los Soles’ was an organization

The Justice Department has revised an indictment against Nicolás Maduro and abandoned its prior claim that the term “Cartel de los Soles” referred to an actual drug trafficking organization, the new document shows. The revised indictment still accuses Mr. Maduro of participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy but says the phrase refers to a “patronage system” and a “culture of corruption” fueled by drug money.

Where the earlier indictment mentioned Cartel de los Soles 32 times and described Mr. Maduro as its leader, the new filing mentions the term twice and portrays him as participating in and protecting a patronage system. Experts have long said the phrase is a Venezuelan slang term, invented by the media in the 1990s, for officials corrupted by drug money.

The 2020 indictment had portrayed Cartel de los Soles as a trafficking group and said it took actions such as providing weapons to the FARC and trying to “flood” the United States with cocaine; the Treasury Department later designated the term as a terrorist organization in July 2025 and the State Department followed that language in November, copying the earlier indictment.

The retreat has prompted questions about the legitimacy of those designations. Spokespeople at the White House and the Justice, State and Treasury Departments did not respond to requests for comment.

Key Topics

Politics, Justice Department, Nicolas Maduro, Cartel De Los, Venezuela, Treasury Department