CARACAS — Venezuela on Monday rejected a U.S. terrorist designation of an alleged drug cartel as a “ridiculous lie” amid a major American military buildup in Caribbean waters.

“Venezuela categorically, firmly, and absolutely rejects the new and ridiculous lie from the Secretary of the Department of State, Marco Rubio, who designates the alleged Cartel of the Suns as a terrorist organization… to justify an illegitimate and illegal intervention against Venezuela,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Washington’s listing of the “Cartel de los Soles” (Cartel of the Suns) as a foreign terrorist organization officially took effect on Monday, opening the door to new forms of US pressure on leftist President Nicolas Maduro.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration alleges t

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