MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Paraguay declares Cartel de los Soles a “terrorist organization”

Peña noted that Washington was a strategic ally

Paraguayan President Santiago Peña has signed a decree officially declaring the Cartel de los Soles an “international terrorist organization,” it was announced in Asunción. The Government argued that the measure highlighted its commitment to fighting transnational crime and protecting national sovereignty.

This decision comes after the United States designated the Cartel de los Soles as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist Entity” on July 25. Paraguay became the third country to do so, following Ecuador.

The Republican administration of US President Donald Trump has linked this group to high-ranking Venezuelan officials, including President Nicolás Maduro, and has offered a US$50 million reward for information leading to his capture.

The decree was issued following a request from the Paraguayan Senate and coincided with a visit from a U.S. delegation. The Venezuelan government, for its part, has rejected these accusations, with one of its ministers calling the Cartel de los Soles a U.S. “invention.”

“The transnational criminal organization known as the Cartel de los Soles is hereby designated as an international terrorist organization,” stated the document. The Paraguayan state has an obligation “to double down its efforts” to combat and prevent transnational crime “from a comprehensive and multidimensional perspective,” it further argued while reckoning that Washington was a “strategic ally.”

Caracas' Chavista administration has rejected these allegations, with Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello claiming it was all an invention of the United States.