Venezuela Says Trump Has Designated ‘Non-Existent’ Drug Cartel As Terrorist Org; US Covert Ops Believed ‘Imminent’

With talk of anti-Caracas US covert operations set to begin imminently, President Trump’s labelling of the so-called “Cartel de los Soles” as a foreign terrorist organization has become official, and taken effect Monday.

However, Venezuela has hit back, rejecting the label and going so far as to call the group, which translates to “Cartel of the Suns, as “non-existent”.

“Venezuela categorically, firmly, and absolutely rejects the new and ridiculous fabrication by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of State, Marco Rubio, which designates the non-existent Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist organization,” said Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil on his Telegram account. Caracas is dismissing it as an ‘absurd’ lie.

Gil claimed that this revives “an infamous and vile lie to justify an illegitimate and illegal intervention against Venezuela, under the classic U.S. regime-change format. This new maneuver will meet the same fate as previous and recurring aggressions against our country: failure.”

Indeed the Trump administration has admitted that regime change targeting President Maduro is an option which is on the table, amid the unprecedented military build-up in the Caribbean. 

Reuters has said that Trump held several meetings with senior advisers last week to explore options for a possible military strike on Venezuela.

But then later the commander-in-chief said, “I can’t tell you what it would be, but I’ve kind of made up my mind” while aboard Air Force One.

President Maduro has lately compared the situation to the US invasion of Iraq, well-known to have been launched on false claims about weapons of mass destruction. He accused Washington crafting “a bizarre narrative” since it cannot accuse Venezuela of hiding chemical or biological weapons.

The US has lately linked Fentanyl trafficking with “chemical weapons” – given the substance is technically classified as dangerous chemical substance. 

Meanwhile, on Monday Fox News has issued the following headline: Venezuela ‘covert actions’ could begin soon, reports say.

U.S. MILITARY SURGE TO PUSH RUSSIA, CHINA AND IRAN OUT OF THE AMERICAS

Fox News is reporting that the sweeping U.S. buildup in our own hemisphere shows this is about far more than Maduro.

“It’s about getting Russia, China and Iran OUT of the western hemisphere.”

“Should… pic.twitter.com/NiwCKqddT1

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) November 24, 2025

But at this point, nothing about any of this seems so “covert” after all. There’s a possibility that power grid disruptions could ensue, or also missile or drone strikes could begin targeting cartel locations by land.