Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced this week his intention to declare the so-called Cártel de los Soles a foreign terrorist organization, ratcheting up the Trump administration’s pressure campaign against Venezuela.

In a statement Sunday, Rubio described an organized cabal of Venezuelan military officers and politicians working hand in glove with drug traffickers to oversee the shipment of massive quantities of cocaine to American shores, all overseen and managed by President Nicolás Maduro.

“Based in Venezuela, the Cartel de los Soles is headed by Nicolás Maduro and other high-ranking individuals of the illegitimate Maduro regime who have corrupted Venezuela’s military, intelligence, legislature, and judiciary,” Rubio said.

The announcement came months after the Treasury Dep

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