Cártel de los Soles
activecartelOrigin: Venezuela — alleged state-linked trafficking network · aka Cartel of the Suns, Suns Cartel
Notes
Name refers to the sun insignia worn by Venezuelan generals. Functions less as a unified cartel than as a state-tolerated trafficking corridor in which senior officials facilitate cocaine flows from Colombia through Venezuela to the Caribbean and West Africa. Maduro government denies its existence. US State Dept lifted some sanctions in 2023 oil deals but reimposed several in 2024.
Leadership
Alleged senior Venezuelan military and government officials. US DOJ indicted Nicolás Maduro and 14 others in March 2020 for narco-terrorism; Treasury OFAC has sanctioned multiple senior officers.
Primary activities
cocaine wholesalefuel smugglingillegal gold exportweapons trafficking