The Trump administration is drumming up a new war in Latin America. In a bid to topple Venezuela’s government, Washington placed a $50 million bounty on President Nicolás Maduro, accusing him of running a cocaine empire called the Cartel of the Suns. At the same time, it dispatched a fleet of warships and blew up a Venezuelan vessel — without offering a shred of proof for its claims.

Joining MintCast hosts Mnar Adley and Alan MacLeod to break down these latest moves are Diego Sequera and Leonardo Flores. Sequera is a Caracas-based journalist and writer with local outlet Misión Verdad. Flores is the co-founder of the Venezuela Solidarity Network and a former analyst with the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington.

Flores rejected the U.S. narrative, calling the cartel a fiction designed to justify intervention. In reality, Venezuela produces a negligible amount of cocaine. The top producers are Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. And according to the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime’s 2025 World Drug Report, most cocaine enters the United States through Ecuadorian ports or overland via Central America. Likewise, the Drug Enforcement Agency’s 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment, a 90-page report, mentions Venezuela only twice and makes no reference to the Cartel of the Suns.

Washington has pursued regime change in Caracas for decades. In 2002, it supported a far-right coup against Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez. Afterward, it bankrolled opposition groups and launched economic warfare to strangle Venezuela’s economy.

Under Trump, the aggression escalated. He backed a series of coup attempts to install opposition figure Juan Guaidó as leader. In 2018, Maduro survived an assassination attempt that former National Security Advisor John Bolton strongly hinted Washington supported. The U.S. also seized Venezuelan ships and sold off their cargo — acts of modern piracy.

During his first term, Trump said it would be “cool” to invade Venezuela, calling the country “really part of the United States.” But the 4,500 troops Washington has sent to the region are far from a true invasion force. Our guests suggest the deployments are meant to ratchet up pressure, fracture Venezuela’s leadership, and test how far Washington can push without sparking a wider war. Escalation, however, remains a real possibility.

Since 1998, Venezuela has been at the forefront of anti-imperialist struggle. First Chávez, then Maduro, preached Latin American unity and called for global resistance to U.S. domination. Both leaders also championed the Palestinian cause. Under Chávez, Venezuela nationalized its mineral resources, using the profits to build schools, roads, and hospitals. Poverty was cut in half, and extreme poverty fell by nearly three-quarters, transforming Venezuela from South America’s most unequal country to its most equal.

Now, Washington is recycling the oldest trick in its playbook: inventing a drug cartel as a pretext for invasion. From the Contras in Nicaragua to Plan Colombia, the U.S. has long hidden its imperial designs behind the so-called “war on drugs.” This latest stunt is no different — a smokescreen to topple a government that refuses to kneel.

The question is not whether the Cartel of the Suns exists — it doesn’t. The question is whether Americans will allow another war, built on lies, to be launched in their name.

Find the full conversation on the MintCast podcast, only at MintPress News.

Feature photo | Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivers remarks during a troop engagement with Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines at Muñiz Air National Guard Base, Carolina, Puerto Rico, Sept. 8, 2025. Hegseth spoke about the U.S. mission to combat drug smuggling, framing the effort as a defense of the American people. Katelynn Jackson | DVIDS

Mnar Adley is an award-winning journalist and editor and is the founder and director of MintPress News. She is also president and director of the non-profit media organization Behind the Headlines. Adley also co-hosts the MintCast podcast and is a producer and host of the video series Behind The Headlines. Contact Mnar at mnar@mintpressnews.com or follow her on Twitter at @mnarmuh.

Alan MacLeod is Senior Staff Writer for MintPress News. He completed his PhD in 2017 and has since authored two acclaimed books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent, as well as a number of academic articles. He has also contributed to FAIR.org, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, and Common Dreams. Follow Alan on Twitter for more of his work and commentary: @AlanRMacLeod.

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