The arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in the early hours sent ripples across the globe, marking a significant escalation in the United States’ ongoing battle against the infamous “Cartel of the Suns.”
Maduro, along with his wife Cilia Flores, his son, and three alleged accomplices, has been charged with federal offenses related to gun and drug trafficking. These charges, which echo those initially filed in the Southern District of New York in 2020, now include additional allegations against Flores and were submitted under seal last month.
Maduro faces four counts: narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and a conspiracy to possess these weapons.
Federal prosecutors assert that, for years, the “Cartel of the Suns” — or “Cartel de los Soles” — under Maduro’s leadership, has collaborated with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to orchestrate an intricate cocaine trafficking operation targeting the United States.
In December 2025, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro addressed his supporters during a rally in Caracas commemorating the anniversary of the 19th-century Battle of Santa Ines. (Pedro Rances Mattey/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“The regime in Venezuela, formerly led by Nicolás Maduro Moros, has long been mired in criminality and corruption,” stated former Attorney General William Barr in a 2020 press release. “For over two decades, Maduro and several high-ranking officials allegedly conspired with the FARC, flooding American communities with tons of cocaine.”
U.S. officials’ war against Venezuela’s trafficking empire dates back to 1996, after the country was deemed one of the largest drug transit hubs within the Western Hemisphere, according to a 2009 report published by the United States Government Accountability Office.
Venezuela’s shared border with Colombia – along with ongoing corruption within the country’s government – has long provided criminals with consistent resources to transport narcotics throughout the region.
Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro leads the celebration of the 22nd anniversary of late President Hugo Chavez’s return to power after a failed coup attempt in 2002, in Caracas, Venezuela April 13, 2024. (Reuters/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/File Photo)
Since 2005, Venezuela’s cooperation with the U.S. regarding counternarcotic operations has significantly dwindled, denying visas to U.S. officials in 2007. One year later, then-President Hugo Chávez expelled the U.S. ambassador and recalled his ambassador from Washington, D.C., marking a significant blow to the two countries’ collaboration efforts.
While Venezuela and the U.S. agreed to reinstate their ambassadors in 2009, Venezuelan officials insisted the country did not need to work alongside the U.S. in counternarcotic efforts due to the country’s own programs.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro gestures next to his wife Cilia Flores as they leave the Capitolio, home of the National Assembly, after taking the oath during the presidential inauguration in Caracas on Jan. 10, 2025. (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)
In an effort to crack down on Venezuela’s trafficking networks, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has worked both within the country and domestically to capture the cartel’s key players.
In 2018, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added Padrino Lopez, a general in the Venezuelan armed forces, to its Specially Designated Nationals List.
In 2020, the Department of Justice unsealed an indictment against Maduro and 14 co-conspirators, with charges stemming from investigations conducted in collaboration with the DEA.
Five years later, Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios, a top general known as “El Pollo,” pleaded guilty to the same charges brought against Maduro. His conviction marked a notable victory for U.S. officials, with co-conspirator Cliver Antonio Alcala Cordones also pleading guilty to providing material support, including firearms, to the FARC.
In 2025, OFAC sanctioned the Cartel of the Suns as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist due to its history of providing material support to Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel. Despite the accusations, a U.S. intelligence assessment comprised of 18 agencies later found no direct evidence of a connection between the cartels, according to The Associated Press.
However, the indictment filed against Maduro alleges he, along with his family, facilitated “cocaine-fueled corruption to flourish for his own benefit, for the benefit of members of his ruling regime, and for the benefit of his family members.”
Federal prosecutors allege Maduro “provided law enforcement cover and logistical support,” such as facilitating transport – such as boats and airplanes – to cartels moving drugs throughout the region.
“This cycle of narcotics-based corruption lines the pockets of Venezuelan officials and their families while also benefiting violent narco-terrorists who operate with impunity on Venezuelan soil and who help produce, protect, and transport tons of cocaine to the United States,” the indictment adds.
The DEA did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
