Some experts say 9-10 years, and Donald says 18 months to get Venezuela's oil infrastructure up and pumping oil into the Oligarchs greedy pockets. A huge win would be the midterms are won by the Democrats, and Venezuela oil is handed back to the rightful owners. Hope seems all we have right now.
And experts are saying the American Taxpayers will be forced to subsidize the oil agarchy in getting the infrastructure up and pumping. We the People must keep getting the message out that we and the Venezuelain people are NOT GOING TO STAND FOR THIS! Midterms and Epstein Cover-up exposed and investigated by DEMOCRATIC LEADERS that have the courage! Vote for those people!
The phrase **“Cartel de los Soles”** is real in a **social and journalistic sense**, but it’s important to be precise about what it *means* — especially in discussions with people who dismiss it outright.
📌 **1. It originally came from Venezuelans, not the U.S. government.**
In Venezuela the term *Cartel de los Soles* emerged in the early 1990s when high-ranking military officers — whose uniforms bear sun-shaped insignia (“soles”) — were implicated in drug trafficking scandals. It became shorthand in local media for **military corruption tied to drug smuggling and other illicit activities**, not the name of a formal, hierarchically structured criminal organization like the Sinaloa or Medellín cartels. ([Wikipedia][1])
📌 **2. Experts agree it’s not a classic “cartel.”**
Independent analysts who study Latin America’s drug trade repeatedly stress that *Cartel de los Soles* doesn’t work like a traditional cartel with centralized leadership, command structures, and territory. What the term describes is a **system of corruption and collusion** in which some Venezuelan military and political officials profit from helping traffickers — for example, by facilitating crossings or turning a blind eye — rather than a single unified criminal enterprise. ([France 24][2])
📌 **3. U.S. authorities have used the label politically.**
Recent U.S. indictments and terrorism designations have leaned on *Cartel de los Soles* to describe alleged narcotics conspiracies involving Venezuelan officials, including Nicolás Maduro. But in court filings the U.S. Department of Justice has *walked back claims that a formal cartel as such exists*, instead using the term to refer to **corruption networks and patronage systems**. ([Common Dreams][3])
⚖️ This matters. As someone born in Caracas, I’ve seen how **military corruption and illicit revenue streams have been real problems in Venezuela**, especially at border checkpoints and in how the state controls key infrastructure. But it’s inaccurate to equate that with a neat, singular “cartel” in the classic organized-crime sense.
In other words:
* Yes — **the phenomenon behind the name is real** (corruption + drug trafficking links).
* No — it’s **not a traditional cartel with formal structure and hierarchy** like those in Mexico or Colombia.
* And the way governments use the label can sometimes tell you more about their **policy aims or political framing** than about the on-the-ground reality in Venezuela. ([Wikipedia][1])
It’s very hard as an American to admit we’ve become seriously mentally ill. We are uniquely required now to heal ourselves out of it; it has to be a collective effort. I see how hard we are all working to name it. Understand it. working to pull out the pin that holds the bad parts together. I keep thinking of the Dulles brothers. There is no firm unchangeable answer to this but there are principles….something like mental institutions we have to keep healthy. Find and keep strong and healthy. I’m really starting with myself as my contribution to democracy; be clear headed, stronger physically, open to not being so tight brained in my opinions. Whew. It’s a high dive board.
Some experts say 9-10 years, and Donald says 18 months to get Venezuela's oil infrastructure up and pumping oil into the Oligarchs greedy pockets. A huge win would be the midterms are won by the Democrats, and Venezuela oil is handed back to the rightful owners. Hope seems all we have right now.
Tough times we are experiencing all around this big country Resist stand Strong Expose the Lies ✌🏼
And experts are saying the American Taxpayers will be forced to subsidize the oil agarchy in getting the infrastructure up and pumping. We the People must keep getting the message out that we and the Venezuelain people are NOT GOING TO STAND FOR THIS! Midterms and Epstein Cover-up exposed and investigated by DEMOCRATIC LEADERS that have the courage! Vote for those people!
The phrase **“Cartel de los Soles”** is real in a **social and journalistic sense**, but it’s important to be precise about what it *means* — especially in discussions with people who dismiss it outright.
📌 **1. It originally came from Venezuelans, not the U.S. government.**
In Venezuela the term *Cartel de los Soles* emerged in the early 1990s when high-ranking military officers — whose uniforms bear sun-shaped insignia (“soles”) — were implicated in drug trafficking scandals. It became shorthand in local media for **military corruption tied to drug smuggling and other illicit activities**, not the name of a formal, hierarchically structured criminal organization like the Sinaloa or Medellín cartels. ([Wikipedia][1])
📌 **2. Experts agree it’s not a classic “cartel.”**
Independent analysts who study Latin America’s drug trade repeatedly stress that *Cartel de los Soles* doesn’t work like a traditional cartel with centralized leadership, command structures, and territory. What the term describes is a **system of corruption and collusion** in which some Venezuelan military and political officials profit from helping traffickers — for example, by facilitating crossings or turning a blind eye — rather than a single unified criminal enterprise. ([France 24][2])
📌 **3. U.S. authorities have used the label politically.**
Recent U.S. indictments and terrorism designations have leaned on *Cartel de los Soles* to describe alleged narcotics conspiracies involving Venezuelan officials, including Nicolás Maduro. But in court filings the U.S. Department of Justice has *walked back claims that a formal cartel as such exists*, instead using the term to refer to **corruption networks and patronage systems**. ([Common Dreams][3])
⚖️ This matters. As someone born in Caracas, I’ve seen how **military corruption and illicit revenue streams have been real problems in Venezuela**, especially at border checkpoints and in how the state controls key infrastructure. But it’s inaccurate to equate that with a neat, singular “cartel” in the classic organized-crime sense.
In other words:
* Yes — **the phenomenon behind the name is real** (corruption + drug trafficking links).
* No — it’s **not a traditional cartel with formal structure and hierarchy** like those in Mexico or Colombia.
* And the way governments use the label can sometimes tell you more about their **policy aims or political framing** than about the on-the-ground reality in Venezuela. ([Wikipedia][1])
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartel_of_the_Suns?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Cartel of the Suns"
[2]: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250828-us-targets-venezuela-over-soles-cartel-does-it-exist?utm_source=chatgpt.com "US targets Venezuela over 'Soles' cartel. Does it exist?"
[3]: https://www.commondreams.org/news/doj-cartel-de-los-soles-not-real?utm_source=chatgpt.com "After Claiming Maduro Was Its Kingpin, DOJ Now Admits in ..."
Thank you for that clarification.
And, lest we forget, this predates Chavez, not to mention Maduro.
It’s very hard as an American to admit we’ve become seriously mentally ill. We are uniquely required now to heal ourselves out of it; it has to be a collective effort. I see how hard we are all working to name it. Understand it. working to pull out the pin that holds the bad parts together. I keep thinking of the Dulles brothers. There is no firm unchangeable answer to this but there are principles….something like mental institutions we have to keep healthy. Find and keep strong and healthy. I’m really starting with myself as my contribution to democracy; be clear headed, stronger physically, open to not being so tight brained in my opinions. Whew. It’s a high dive board.
Thank you, Nina.
oil, oil, money. drugs?
I forget to say Donald is giving the greedy oil companies $100 billion dollars in Subsidies.