SUMMARY
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury added "Cartel de los Soles" (a.k.a. Cartel of the Suns) to the SDN List as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), under Executive Order 13224 as amended by Executive Order 13886. The designation cites the group's material support to Tren de Aragua and to the Sinaloa Cartel - both previously designated - and describes the organization as a transnational criminal network headed, according to the U.S. government, by Nicolas Maduro and other senior Venezuelan officials. The action blocked all property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction and generally prohibited U.S. persons from transactions with the designated entity.
OUTCOME
This was the first time the United States designated "Cartel de los Soles" as a terrorist group in its own right, and not only individual officials. Four months later, the State Department would add its own FTO designation. The action opened the door to further sanctions escalation, including an expanded federal reward for Maduro.
INVOLVED MEMBERS
SOURCES