WASHINGTON – On Friday, the U.S. government took new action against the Venezuelan administration by designating a group allegedly linked to President Nicolás Maduro. The group is accused of providing support to the notorious Tren de Aragua gang and Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel.
The announcement was made in a post on the social media platform X by the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. However, the post was later deleted without explanation, raising questions about the official status of the designation.
In the deleted post, the bureau called Mr. Maduro a "dictator" and accused him of directing a group of high-ranking officials, known as the "Cartel de Los Soles," to traffic drugs into the United States. The post vowed to use "all available resources to stop Maduro from continuing to profit from the destruction of American lives and destabilizing our hemisphere."
When asked for comment on the post's deletion, the U.S. State Department did not immediately provide a response.
For its part, Venezuela's Ministry of Communication has also not commented on the incident. However, in the past, President Maduro has repeatedly rejected accusations from Washington, labeling them as a smear campaign aimed at overthrowing his government.
This is not the first time the United States has targeted high-ranking Venezuelan officials. In 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted Mr. Maduro and his close allies on "narco-terrorism" charges. The U.S. government also does not recognize Mr. Maduro's victory in the July 2024 election and maintains a warrant for his arrest.
