On the same day U.S. forces invaded Venezuela to capture Nicolás Maduro, the Justice Department issued a federal indictment charging him with “narco-terrorism” and cocaine trafficking. This updated indictment differs from the 2020 version by framing the “Cártel de los Soles” as a corrupt patronage system rather than a literal drug-trafficking organization. Initially classified as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the Treasury Department, this label now seems inconsistent as it’s considered a figure of speech rather than an actual entity. Critics argue that the FTO designation allows the executive branch to classify any criminal organization as terrorists, undermining the traditional definitions of terrorism involving political motives. Trump’s administration frequently used the FTO labels to justify military actions and controversial policies like summary executions of drug suspects. Despite intelligence agencies disputing claims of direct cooperation between the Maduro regime and criminal organizations like Tren de Aragua, the narrative continued to frame these groups as threats to U.S. national security.
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