WASHINGTON —

The Trump administration is escalating its pressure campaign against Venezuela by designating the "Cartel de los Soles," which the U.S. claims is led by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, as a foreign terrorist organization.

The move marks another step in the Trump administration’s broader effort to crack down on drug networks tied to Venezuela. When he first signaled the decision last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the group was “responsible for terrorist violence." Advertisement

Experts say this designation would give the U.S. more room to conduct military operations inside Venezuela.

Brian Fonseca, a public policy professor at Florida International University, said, “I think this organization was labeled as such because the United States wanted to leverage

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