Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who is now in US custody, faces narco-terrorism and drug trafficking charges in New York, prosecutors have said. The case is linked to an alleged drug trafficking network known as the Cartel of the Suns, they added.
What Is The ‘Cartel Of The Suns'?
The Cartel of the Suns (Cartel de los Soles) is a term used to describe corruption and drug trafficking involving members of Venezuela's armed forces, particularly high-ranking generals whose uniforms are marked with sun-shaped insignia (“soles”).
It is not a single cartel but a system in which military and government officials allegedly use their positions to move and protect cocaine shipments for profit.
US authorities say investigations into military drug involvement go back to the early 1990s. Under former President Hugo Chavez and later Nicolas Maduro, the network is said to have expanded to include crimes such as illegal mining, fuel smuggling, and money laundering.
How Venezuelan Officials Allegedly Used Their Power
According to the US indictment and earlier investigations, Venezuelan military checkpoints and border posts were used to move cocaine from Colombia into Venezuela with little interference.
Senior officers are accused of providing protection, logistics and official cover for large cocaine shipments bound for the United States. Some shipments, involving several tonnes of cocaine, allegedly passed through state-controlled airports and aircraft, sometimes with military escorts.
Nicolas Maduro's Capture
On January 3, the US carried out a military operation in Caracas and captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. US officials said Maduro was targeted for his alleged role in the Cartel of the Suns and related narco-terrorism conspiracies.
Maduro was later flown to New York, where he is expected to face charges.
US prosecutors allege that Nicolas Maduro led and protected the Cartel of the Suns, using state institutions for drug trafficking. Government airports, military airstrips, ports, and diplomatic channels were reportedly used to move cocaine and drug money. As foreign minister (2006-2008), Maduro is accused of selling diplomatic passports to traffickers and using diplomatic cover to move drug proceeds by private plane.
Authorities also say some cocaine seized by Venezuelan law enforcement was later returned to trafficking routes under military escort, with pro-government armed groups, known as ‘colectivos', providing protection.
Maduro's Wife And Son's Alleged Role
The US indictment accuses Cilia Flores, Venezuela's first lady, of taking bribes to protect cocaine trafficking. In 2007, she allegedly accepted payments to arrange meetings between a trafficker and the anti-drug chief. The trafficker reportedly paid monthly bribes and around $100,000 per flight, with part going to Flores. She is also accused of benefiting from a family-run trafficking operation, with shipments discussed from a “presidential hangar” at the main airport.
Nicolas Ernesto Maduro Guerra, Maduro's son, is named as an active participant. Prosecutors say he used state aircraft, military escorts, and government facilities to move cocaine toward the US, including via Margarita Island, Colombia, and Central America. Planes owned by the state oil company, PDVSA, were allegedly loaded with taped packages believed to contain drugs, sometimes with armed military personnel helping.
