Which Venezuelan officials and security forces have been implicated alongside Maduro in narcotics networks?
Executive summary
U.S. authorities and several major news outlets say the label “Cartel de los Soles” refers to a network of senior Venezuelan military officers and government officials that U.S. officials allege is tied to cocaine trafficking and other narco‑networks; the U.S. has named President Nicolás Maduro and a set of current and former officials in indictments and sanctions actions (see DOJ, State Department and Reuters summaries) [1] [2] [3]. Reporting and expert commentary disagree on whether these links represent a single, centrally managed “cartel” or a looser system of corruption and facilitation within parts of Venezuela’s security forces [4] [5].
1. Who U.S. authorities and prosecutors have publicly implicated
U.S. law‑enforcement and State Department materials explicitly allege Nicolás Maduro and a number of senior officials are involved: the Justice Department’s 2025 announcements charged Maduro and 14 current and former officials with narco‑terrorism and related crimes, and the State Department’s postings and reward notices lay out accusations that Maduro “helped manage and ultimately lead” the Cartel de los Soles and coordinated multi‑ton shipments with FARC and other traffickers [1] [2]. Reuters and other outlets report that U.S. sanctions and designations also point to ties between that network and specific gangs such as Tren de Aragua and external cartels like Sinaloa [3] [6].
2. Which security branches are named or implicated
Reporting and U.S. statements commonly single out elements of the Venezuelan armed forces and other security services rather than only civilian politicians: the Cartel de los Soles label grew from allegations about generals in the National Guard and references the sun insignia worn by generals, and U.S. accounts emphasize involvement by “senior Venezuelan military officers and government officials” [7] [8]. The DOJ materials name the Venezuelan Minister of Defense and other high‑ranking officials among the accused, and U.S. reporting has cited cooperation or permissive behavior by elements of security forces in drug transit [1] [9].
3. Names repeatedly cited in media and expert accounts
Beyond Maduro, multiple sources point to historically named figures tied to narcotics allegations: former military intelligence chief Hugo Carvajal and former general Clíver Alcalá have been referenced in U.S. indictments and media accounts; the BBC and Reuters summaries list other senior figures—Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino among those publicly named in different reporting—as examples of officials identified in past indictments or investigative work [7] [1] [3]. Available sources do not provide a single, up‑to‑date roster unambiguously endorsed by all investigators; names appear across U.S. indictments, sanctions lists and investigative reporting [1] [7].
4. What U.S. designations and actions have done — and what they claim
The Trump administration designated the Cartel de los Soles as an FTO and has used sanctions, asset freezes and an increased arrest reward for Maduro to signal the U.S. view that state actors are deeply implicated; Reuters and Newsweek note the State Department and Treasury moves in mid‑ to late‑2025 and the claimed links to Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel [8] [3]. U.S. military operations aimed at vessels alleged to be tied to trafficking have been framed by officials as part of counter‑narcotics actions tied to these designations [10] [11].
5. Areas of expert disagreement and evidentiary limits
Prominent analysts and outlets—InsightCrime, CNN and others—warn that the “Cartel de los Soles” label may oversimplify a complex reality: they say there is robust evidence of corruption and links between traffickers and some military officers, but that clear proof of a single, centrally run state cartel led personally by Maduro is disputed [4] [5]. The BBC and CNN note the term originally described a pattern of generals’ involvement and has been used broadly; some U.S. intelligence sources cited by media argue parts of the administration’s public narrative rely on contested or political intelligence assessments [7] [5].
6. What this means for readers seeking clarity
Available reporting shows two converging facts: U.S. authorities have formally accused Maduro and named senior officials in narcotics‑related indictments and sanctions [1] [2], and investigative journalists and analysts document long‑standing links between traffickers and elements of Venezuela’s security apparatus [7] [9]. But available sources also make clear there is disagreement about whether those connections amount to a single hierarchical “cartel” run by the presidency or to fragmented, opportunistic networks embedded in state institutions [4] [5]. Readers should treat U.S. indictments and sanctions as powerful policy moves backed by specific allegations while also weighing the plurality of expert views about the structure and scope of the alleged networks [1] [4].
Limitations: reporting cited here comes from U.S. government releases and international media with differing perspectives; available sources do not supply a definitive, universally accepted list of every individual implicated beyond the names included in indictments and sanctions [1] [3].