(Bloomberg) – The United States plans to designate a Venezuelan drug cartel, which it claims is led by Nicolás Maduro, as a foreign terrorist organization, even as US President Donald Trump said on Sunday (16) that talks with the Venezuelan government could take place.
The new classification, which comes into force on November 24, should broaden the legal basis for more aggressive actions, at a time when the US is strengthening its military presence in the Caribbean after months of deadly attacks on vessels.
On Sunday, Trump told reporters that he has not yet made a decision on next steps, but said the Venezuelan government wants to talk to Washington.
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“We can have some conversations with Maduro and we’ll see what that results in,” Trump said as he left Florida for the White House.
The designation as a terrorist organization comes after more than two months of deadly attacks on boats suspected of transporting drugs in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean, which authorities say resulted in the deaths of about 80 people. , according to US Southern Command, leaving three dead.
In addition to prohibiting members of the Cartel de los Soles from entering the United States and allowing the American government to confiscate funds from the organization, the measure announced this Sunday criminalizes any form of support for the group.
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“Based in Venezuela, the Cartel de los Soles is commanded by Nicolás Maduro and other high-ranking figures of the illegitimate regime who have corrupted the country’s Armed Forces, intelligence services, Legislature and Judiciary,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement. “Neither Maduro nor his allies represent the legitimate government of Venezuela.”
In February, the US had already classified Tren de Aragua, another Venezuelan group, as a foreign terrorist organization. Washington also alleges that the group is linked to at least one of the vessels that were destroyed. However, designation for the Cartel de los Soles has been avoided until now. The new classification puts the cartel on the same level as organizations such as Al-Qaeda and Islamic State, targets of US financial and military operations in the Middle East for years as part of the so-called war on terror.
This Sunday, an attack group led by . The move reinforces a military presence already expanded by the US on the coast of South America and fuels speculation about a possible broader offensive against Venezuela.
The Treasury Department had already classified the cartel, in July, as a “specially designated global terrorist group”, a sanction measure that causes financial isolation.
“They’re probably looking for more ways to justify military action if they decide to move in that direction,” said Brian Nichols, who was the State Department’s top diplomat for the Western Hemisphere during the Biden administration. “It’s a political designation rather than one based on new information.”
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On Friday, when asked about the next steps in relation to Venezuela. “I can’t say what the decision is, but we’ve made a lot of progress in stopping drugs from coming into the United States,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One last week.
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