New American government's sanctions against the so-called “Suns cartel” of Venezuela incorrectly describe it as a hierarchical organization of drug trafficking with ideological engine rather than a system of generalized corruption based on profit involving high-ranking military personalities.
The Office for the Control of Foreign Assets of the US Treasury Department (OFAC) sanctioned the Suns cartel (LOS SOLES CARTEL) As a “specially designated national” on July 25. The agency said the group is working with the Venezuelan gang Tren of Aragua and the Mexican criminal group, the Sinaloa cartelUse drug trafficking as a “weapon” against the United States.
See also: Maduro consolidates criminal power in Venezuela municipal election
The designation places financial sanctions against the accused of being part of the organization, notably President Nicolás Maduro and other high -ranking Venezuelan officials. But many of the officials targeted by the Treasury Department have already been punished, and have therefore already been blocked by the American financial system.
Consequently, it is unlikely that new measures affect them personally. However, by appointing the organization as a whole, instead of specific persons, the sanctions could allow the OFAC to target more broadly companies or individuals suspected of interacting financially with Venezuelan officials.
The sanctions occurred shortly after the United States and Venezuela engaged in an exchange of prisoners and the day after Maduro's announcement that the United States had enabled the Chevron oil company to renew its operations in Venezuela, suggesting that President Donald Trump seeks to present a difficult posture to Maduro without closing relations with the country.
Although considerable evidence has shown that the Venezuelan government and military figures benefit from drug trafficking, the latest American sanctions presented an inaccurate image of the functioning of the Suns cartel.
The Suns cartel is not a hierarchical organization
The Treasury Department claims that Maduro directs the Suns cartel, but it is an excessive simplification.
Rather than a hierarchical organization with Maduro leading drug trafficking strategies, the Suns cartel is more precisely described as a corruption system in which soldiers and political leaders take advantage by working with drug traffickers.
See also: Debunking 3 myths on Tren of Aragua
Officials are not necessarily directly involved in drug shipments, although in some cases, military vehicles can be used to move drugs. More often than not, managers use their positions to protect traffickers from arrest and ensure that shipments go through a territory.
Maduro and other senior officials allow this type of corruption to ensure the loyalty of the lower ranks. But the decentralized nature of its structure means that the elimination of individual high -ranking officials would probably have no impact on the functioning of the wider network.
The Suns cartel does not use drugs as a “weapon”
The sanctions present the Cartel of Suns as an organization that seeks to undermine the integrity of the United States by pushing its citizens into drug addiction. But it is a system motivated by pragmatism and profit, not ideology.
Maduro, like former president Hugo Chávez before him, bought the loyalty of the military by authorizing his members, at the base poorly paid to the senior officials he needs to stay in power, to take advantage of drug trafficking.
The drugs flowing from Venezuela to international markets support this system, but they do not do much to contribute to instability in countries of destination. In addition, the destination of drugs is determined by profitability first; Expeditions take place to European countries with less openly hostile relations with Venezuela as well as ideological enemies supposed as the United States.
The Suns Cartel does not support Tren of Aragua
The latest sanctions wrongly connect the Suns cartel to Tren from Aragua, the transnational gang of Venezuelan origin that Trump recently designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
Although Tren de Aragua one day played political protection in Venezuela, the government Return control From Tocorón prison, the Gang’s headquarters in September 2023, and since then, the remains of its associated factions which remain in Venezuela have been the target of security force operations. A reported note from April has shown that US intelligence agencies doubt that Maduro directs Tren of Aragua's activities.
In addition, there is a lack of evidence to suggest that the gang is a major player in drug trafficking in the United States. Although some cases demonstrate The involvement of Tren of Aragua in transnational drug trafficking, it is more commonly linked to extortion, the trafficking in human beings and the smuggling of migrants.
Featured image: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López during a military event. Credit: Reuters
