WASHINGTON--The United States on Friday designated a group it said is tied to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for allegedly supporting the Tren de Aragua gang and Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, which the U.S. has named foreign terrorist organizations.
The State Department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said in a post on X that it would use "all the resources at our disposal to prevent Maduro from continuing to profit from destroying American lives and destabilizing our hemisphere."
The post was deleted but later republished on the site.
The U.S. has alleged that the group, known as the Cartel de Los Soles, is made up of high-ranking Venezuelan officials, including Maduro. The U.S. in 2020 charged Maduro and his allies with drug trafficking.
Venezuela's communications ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Maduro has repeatedly rejected the U.S. allegations as a smear campaign and said Washington must do more to reduce drug consumption.
In the post, the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs accused Maduro, whom the office called a "dictator," of leading the group to traffic narcotics into the U.S. The United States has previously argued that Maduro's election win last year was illegitimate and has an outstanding order for his capture.
Maduro, president since 2013, was declared the winner of the country's July 2024 election by both Venezuela's electoral authority and top court, although detailed tallies confirming his victory have never been published.
