Trump administration labels Venezuelan Cartel de los Soles as foreign terrorist organization

The Trump administration announced Monday that it has designated the Venezuelan Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization.

The State Department formally announced the designation in the Federal Register, but it was originally written on Nov. 16. Cartel de los Soles is a network of government and military officials in Venezuela engaged in drug trafficking, The Hill news outlet reported.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week that Cartel de los Soles and other Venezuelan cartels were “responsible for terrorist violence throughout our hemisphere as well as for trafficking drugs into the United States and Europe.”

The designation will let the Trump administration impose sanctions and crack down on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s assets as the U.S. military has launched strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean.