People can research how a country with oil and wealth turned into a Narco State that still mistreats their people and works with Iran and the CCP.
US authorities have long accused former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez of enabling and even collaborating with drug trafficking operations. Federal prosecutors have alleged that Chávez intentionally weaponized the drug trade, specifically conspiring with Colombian guerrillas to flood the US with cocaine. While Chávez denied these allegations, recent developments, including the 2025 guilty plea of his former spy chief, have lent weight to the claims.
The "Cartel of the Suns" and high-level corruption
US officials claim that a network of corrupt high-ranking Venezuelan military and government officials, known as the "Cartel of the Suns" (
Cartel de los Soles), expanded significantly under Chávez.
- Military enablement: It is alleged that officials in the military and intelligence services collaborated with organized crime and drug traffickers. This included accepting bribes and allowing drug shipments to pass through Venezuelan territory unimpeded.
- DEA expulsion: A key event cited by critics is Chávez's 2005 expulsion of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from Venezuela. Chávez publicly framed the move as a stand against US interference, but US officials saw it as a deliberate effort to clear the path for drug trafficking.
Alleged collaboration with the FARC
Sources indicate that Chávez's government had a close relationship with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a designated terrorist organization by the US.
- Weapons-for-drugs scheme: According to DEA files, Chávez allegedly met with his intelligence officials in 2005 to arrange a plan to trade weapons for FARC cocaine. This was intended to attack the US by overwhelming it with illegal drugs.
- Haven for guerrillas: Venezuelan and international sources reported that the Chávez government provided a safe haven for FARC and other Colombian guerrilla groups in Venezuela.
Developments after Chávez's death
Accusations of high-level government involvement in drug trafficking have continued and been further evidenced under Chávez's successor, Nicolás Maduro.
- Key officials indicted: Multiple Venezuelan officials, including former National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello and former intelligence chief Hugo Carvajal, have been indicted in the US for drug trafficking.
- Hugo Carvajal's guilty plea: In June 2025, Hugo Carvajal pleaded guilty in a US federal court to drug trafficking and narco-terrorism charges. He had served as Chávez's intelligence chief for years, and his plea was a major development in the case against the Venezuelan network.
- Narcosobrinos affair: In 2015, two nephews of First Lady Cilia Flores (Maduro's wife) were arrested in Haiti and later convicted in a US court of conspiring to smuggle cocaine into the United States. They were released in a prisoner exchange in 2022.