CARACAS: Washington’s designation of an alleged Venezuelan cartel as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) takes effect on Monday (Nov 23), opening the door to new forms of US pressure on President Nicolas Maduro.
The FTO list, which includes Islamist groups, separatists, guerrillas, and more recently, gangs and drug organizations from Mexico and Colombia, is overseen by the State Department.
From Monday, the list will include “Cartel de los Soles” (“Cartel of the Suns”), which Washington claims is run by Maduro. The shadowy group is responsible for “terrorist violence throughout our hemisphere,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
The move is part of the Trump administration’s campaign against drugs and illegal immigration from Latin America.
No evidence has been made public to support the accusation of Maduro’s involvement in the group.
However, with a major military presence now deployed in the Caribbean, including an aircraft carrier, the FTO designation will give legal cover for more pressure on the Venezuelan authorities.
Already, US forces have killed at least 83 people in air strikes on boats accused of ferrying drugs in international waters since September, according to an AFP tally of publicly released figures. Again, no evidence has been made public that drugs were in the boats.
