US and Venezuela tensions escalate, raising the risk of military confrontation.
The United States has long alleged that the drug cartel “De los Soles” (The Sun Cartel) is linked to the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro; the network’s main activity is smuggling large amounts of drugs into the United States.
Regarding the Sun Cartel’s drug sales to the United States, US President Donald Trump claimed that their actions were not just for profit, but were part of a “war” against the United States, the main weapon of which is cocaine.
Following Trump’s claims and as tensions between Washington and Caracas escalated, the White House doubled the reward for Maduro’s capture to $50 million in August; in an image designed for the reward and released by the US State Department, Maduro is introduced not as the president of Venezuela but as the leader of a “narco-terrorist” organization.
Some news sources have announced that the US will likely launch military action against Venezuela in the coming weeks under the pretext of fighting the cartel. Meanwhile, the White House is set to designate the Khorshid Cartel as a “foreign terrorist organization” on November 24.