Trump and Rubio accuse Maduro of flooding US with drugs and leading Cartel de Los Soles: 'We cannot let that happen'

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said Sunday that Nicolas Maduro “is NOT the President of Venezuela" and that his regime "is NOT the legitimate government” of the country, while declaring that "Maduro is the head of the Cartel de Los Soles.”

In a message posted on X, Rubio noted that Maduro heads Cartel de Los Soles, described as “a narco-terror organization which has taken possession of a country” and faces charges of trafficking drugs to the United States.

President, Donald Trump also mentioned the issue during his stay in Scotland, where he recently announced an agreement with the European Union (E.U.) for tariffs of 15%.

During a press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the Republican leader said: “Venezuela continues to send drugs to our country. They have been very dirty. And we cannot let that happen.”

Both Trump's and Rubio's statements come two days after the U.S. Treasury Department included Cartel de Los Soles on its list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDN), designating it as an international terrorist group and a transnational threat.

State Department statement

In addition, in a official statement, the State Department reiterated its support for the restoration of democracy in Venezuela not only asserting that Nicolás Maduro is not the legitimate president and that he leads Cartel de Los Soles, but also accusing him of trafficking drugs to the U.S. and Europe and corrupting Venezuelan institutions to facilitate these criminal activities.

The statement claims that Maduro has manipulated the electoral system to stay in power and plans to use force in the upcoming municipal elections, close to the anniversary of the fraudulent presidential election of July 28, 2024. In that vein, the U.S. pledged to work with its allies to hold the Maduro regime accountable, stressing that its actions undermine American national security.

Cartel de Los Soles

The designation of Cartel de Los Soles as a terrorist organization comes against a backdrop of growing concern over the expansion of the Tren de Aragua criminal gang, linked to both the Venezuelan cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel, both of which are listed as terrorist organizations by the United States.

Tren de Aragua, which operates in more than a dozen U.S. states and several Latin American countries, is involved in crimes such as extortion, human trafficking and armed violence, according to authorities.

Republican Sen. Rick Scott expressed his support for the designation, thanking President Trump, Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for responding to his request to classify Cartel de Los Soles as a terrorist organization, arguing that this hinders the group's operations and protects Americans from drug trafficking.