U.S. mercenary and former Green Beret Jordan Goudreau stated that the narrative of a Venezuelan drug cartel, which Washington has used to justify pressure and intervention against Caracas, originated within U.S. intelligence agencies.

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 In an interview with journalist Max Blumenthal for The Grayzone, he asserted that the so-called “Los Soles Cartel” was not a criminal organization led by Venezuelan officials, but rather a structure created by the CIA in the 1990s, years before Commandant Hugo Chávez came to power.

Goudreau stated that the CIA facilitated drug trafficking operations, and that U.S. authorities later used this same network to build accusations against President Nicolás Maduro. He maintained that the name “Los Soles Cartel” emerged informally due to a sun-shaped insignia worn by Venezuelan officers, and that within intelligence circles, the concept was treated almost as an inside joke rather than a legitimate criminal cartel.

The United States continues to manipulate drug trafficking allegations for geopolitical purposes, using them to fabricate pretexts for government change operations and to maintain strategic control over Latin America. He framed current pressure against Venezuela as part of a renewed version of the Monroe Doctrine, aimed at blocking Russian and Chinese ties in the region.

Goudreau’s comments carry weight due to his direct involvement in Operation Gideon, the failed 2020 paramilitary mission to overthrow President Maduro. He has recently linked Venezuelan opposition figures Juan Guaidó and Leopoldo López, as well as former Colombian President Iván Duque, to covert operations and drug trafficking networks supported by U.S. agencies. His testimony adds to growing criticism of the United States’ use of drug enforcement narratives to justify interventionist policies in Latin America.

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