It appears that the U.S. has backtracked on claims that Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro was leading a drug cartel known as the “Cartel de los Soles.” This comes after months of the Trump administration insisting that Maduro was at the head of the operation in Venezuela.
As everybody knows now, the president of Venezuela and the first lady, Cilia Flores, were abducted by U.S. forces on January 3. Trump’s interference in the country’s affairs have caused concern around the globe and people have already begun protesting with many suggesting that the president only targeted Venezuela to plunder its resources.
Well now that the dust has settled and Maduro is being indicted, one of the most significant charges against him has been dropped by the Department of Justice. Prosecutors have ditched the accusation that the Cartel de los Soles was a structured drug organization led by the Venezuelan president.
Where did the claims against Nicolas Maduro come from?
The DOJ has shifted its stance on the cartel and Maduro but why was he even accused of leading the Cartel de los Soles in the first place?
Well much of Trump’s claims from last year trace back to a 2020 Grand Jury indictment of Maduro. According to the NYTimes, language from that indictment was copied in July 2025 when the Treasury Department designated Cartel de los Soles a terrorist organization. The State Department was ordered to do the same in November by Marco Rubio.
This all played a rather big part in the justification for interfering in Venezuela and abducting Nicolas Maduro. There’s just one problem, The Cartel de los Soles isn’t a real group.
The indictment is quietly amended
Experts in Latin America explained that the supposed cartel name which Maduro supposedly led was not actually referring to a cartel, but instead it was slang used by Venezuelans to describe officials who were allegedly corrupted by drug trafficking money.
“The idea that the Cartel de los Soles is a unified terrorist organisation is largely a Western construction.” Political scientist Jenaro Abraham told TRT World. “It’s been circulated not because it reflects empirical reality, but because it provides geopolitical utility — it creates a ready-made justification for intervention.”
After the revelation, the language of the indictment against Maduro was quietly altered with prosecutors seemingly conceding the fact that Maduro probably wasn’t leading the Cartel de los Soles considering it likely doesn’t exist.
Of course, that raises questions over Trump’s motivations for abducting Maduro. Was this all just an excuse to grab more power and potential resources within Venezuela? Maybe so.
Published: Jan 6, 2026 04:56 pm