It is not a cartel in the way you’re thinking. When people hear the word "cartel," they usually picture Pablo Escobar’s jungle labs or El Chapo’s mountain hideouts. They think of guys in gold chains and private armies fighting the state. But the Cartel de los Soles is something else entirely. It is the state.
Basically, the name refers to the sun insignias worn on the epaulettes of high-ranking Venezuelan generals. It’s a shorthand for a loose, shadowy network of military officers, politicians, and intelligence officials who have allegedly turned Venezuela into one of the world’s most significant cocaine transit hubs. We aren't talking about a few "bad apples." We’re talking about a systemic integration of narcotics trafficking into the highest levels of government power in Caracas.
The U.S. Department of Justice doesn't mince words. They’ve indicted President Nicolás Maduro and several top-tier officials, accusing them of running this operation for decades. But how did a national defense force end up moonlighting as a global shipping department for the FARC?
Where the Cartel de los Soles Actually Came From
It started small. Back in the 1990s, when the National Guard was stationed along the border with Colombia, soldiers started taking bribes. Just small stuff. They’d look the other way when a truck went by. By the time Hugo Chávez took power in 1999, things shifted.
Chávez didn't necessarily set out to build a drug empire, but he did want to insulate his "Bolivarian Revolution" from American influence. He kicked out the DEA in 2005. He accused them of spying. Whether that was true or not, the result was a massive vacuum of oversight. Without the DEA breathing down their necks, the Venezuelan military found themselves sitting on a gold mine. They controlled the ports. They controlled the airports. They controlled the highways.
If you're a drug trafficker in Colombia, that's the ultimate business partner.
One of the most famous cases involves the "Narcosobrinos"—the nephews of Cilia Flores, Maduro’s wife. In 2015, Franqui Francisco Flores de Freitas and Efrain Antonio Campo Flores were arrested in Haiti by the DEA. They were caught trying to ship 800 kilograms of cocaine into the United States. Why does this matter? Because they were using the presidential hangar at the airport in Caracas. That’s the level of brazenness we're talking about. It’s not a secret clandestine operation; it’s an open-air logistics business.
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The Architecture of a Shadow State
You have to understand the geography to understand the profit. Venezuela shares a massive, porous border with Colombia, the world's largest producer of cocaine. The Cartel de los Soles reportedly acts as the middleman. They don't usually grow the coca or process the paste themselves. Instead, they provide the "secure passage."
Think of it like a toll road, but the toll is paid in kilos or millions of dollars.
The FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) and the ELN (National Liberation Army) do the dirty work in the jungle. They move the product across the border into Venezuelan states like Zulia, Táchira, and Apure. Once it’s in Venezuela, it’s under the protection of the "Suns." It gets loaded onto "ghost flights"—unmarked planes that take off from clandestine strips or even official military bases. These planes head to Central America, the Caribbean, or West Africa, destined for the hungry markets of the U.S. and Europe.
Key Figures Named in U.S. Indictments
- Nicolás Maduro: The big boss, according to the U.S. Southern District of New York. They allege he helped manage and ultimately lead the organization to use drugs as a weapon against the United States.
- Diosdado Cabello: Often considered the second most powerful man in Venezuela. He’s been a target of Treasury sanctions for years. Sources like Cliver Alcalá—a former general who surrendered to U.S. authorities—have pointed to Cabello as a central pillar of the military’s involvement.
- Tareck El Aissami: The former Oil Minister and Vice President. He was designated as a "Specially Designated Narcotics Trafficker" under the Kingpin Act. While he recently fell out of favor with Maduro in a massive corruption scandal, for years, he was seen as the bridge between the Venezuelan state and international illicit networks.
The "Air Bridge" to the World
Ever wonder how hundreds of tons of white powder move across oceans without getting caught? It’s about the infrastructure. In the early 2010s, the "Air Bridge" became the primary method. Small Cessnas and Beechcrafts would fly low over the Caribbean.
Sometimes they’d ditch the planes in the ocean and have boats pick up the cargo. Other times, they’d land on private ranches in Honduras or Guatemala.
The Cartel de los Soles allegedly provided the radar codes. If you're a military officer in charge of the country's airspace, you simply tell your radar operators to ignore the blip on the screen at 2:00 AM. It’s that easy. For this "service," commanders reportedly took a cut of every shipment. Over time, this created a tiered system of corruption where junior officers were bribed with motorcycles and appliances, while the generals were buying luxury apartments in Turkey or the UAE.
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Why Can’t Anyone Stop Them?
Honestly, it’s because the "cartel" and the government are the same entity. In a normal country, if the police find out a general is trafficking drugs, they arrest him. In Venezuela, the people who would do the arresting are often the ones in on the deal.
The judiciary is packed with loyalists. The intelligence services, like SEBIN, are used to crack down on whistleblowers rather than criminals. This creates a "fortress state." The leadership knows that if they lose power, they don't just lose an election—they go to a Supermax prison in the United States.
That makes them very, very motivated to stay in power at any cost.
Sanctions have been the primary tool for the international community. The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has frozen billions in assets. But the Cartel de los Soles is adaptable. When the U.S. market gets too difficult, they pivot to Europe. When the banking system gets tight, they move into illegal gold mining. The "Arc of the Orinoco" is now a massive, lawless region where the military oversees illegal gold extraction to laundered money and replace lost oil revenue.
Common Misconceptions About the Organization
People often think there is a "Godfather" sitting at a desk somewhere directing every single gram of cocaine. That’s probably not how it works. Most experts, like those at InSight Crime, describe it more as a "franchise" system. Different military units in different regions have their own "franchises."
A general in Zulia might have his own deal with a specific FARC dissident group. A navy admiral in Puerto Cabello might have his own arrangement for maritime shipments. They all pay "tax" up the chain of command to ensure they aren't bothered by other branches of the government. It’s a messy, decentralized, but highly effective web of corruption.
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It is also a mistake to think this is only about money. For the Venezuelan leadership, the Cartel de los Soles is a tool of geopolitical survival. By facilitating the flow of drugs, they create instability in the region and generate "off-the-books" cash that can be used to pay off soldiers and keep them loyal during protests. It is the glue that holds the regime together.
The Human Cost You Don’t See
While the generals are getting rich, the average Venezuelan is starving. The "resource curse" has been amplified by the narco-economy. Because the state is focused on illicit rents, they have completely ignored the infrastructure. The power grid is failing. The hospitals have no gauze.
More importantly, the violence has spilled over. The border regions are war zones. Local populations are caught between the ELN, the FARC, and the Venezuelan military. If you live in a border town, you don't call the police. You pray that whoever is in charge that day doesn't think you’re a snitch.
What Happens Next?
Is there a way out? It’s tough. The U.S. has offered a $15 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Maduro. They’ve put similar bounties on Cabello and others. But as long as the military remains the primary beneficiary of the drug trade, they have zero incentive to support a transition to democracy.
Any real change would require a massive "unmasking" of the military hierarchy.
We’ve seen some cracks. General Hugo "El Pollo" Carvajal, the former head of military intelligence, was extradited to the U.S. in 2023. He knows where the bodies are buried. He knows the bank account numbers. His testimony in U.S. courts could be the most significant blow to the Cartel de los Soles in decades. If he talks, the sheer volume of evidence could make it impossible for international partners like Russia or China to continue providing diplomatic cover for the regime.
Actionable Insights for Following the Situation
If you want to stay informed on the evolution of the Cartel de los Soles and how it impacts global security, you should focus on these specific tracking points:
- Monitor OFAC Updates: The U.S. Treasury regularly updates its list of sanctioned individuals. New names often signal which military sectors are currently most active in the trade.
- Follow InSight Crime and REVEAL: These investigative outlets specialize in Latin American organized crime and provide the most granular reports on the ground-level movements of the Venezuelan military.
- Watch the "Gold-for-Cocaine" Pivot: The trend is moving toward diversified commodities. Keep an eye on reports regarding the "Arco Minero del Orinoco," as this is where the cartel's future wealth is being generated.
- Track Extradition Cases: The legal proceedings of figures like Hugo Carvajal and Alex Saab (who was recently released in a prisoner swap but remains a key figure in the financial web) are the only places where the inner workings of the organization are made public.
The story of the Cartel de los Soles isn't just a crime drama. It’s a cautionary tale of what happens when a country’s defense institutions are swallowed by the very black markets they were meant to fight. It’s a reminder that in the modern world, the most dangerous cartels don't always hide in the shadows—sometimes, they wear the uniform.