The United States will officially designate Venezuela's Cartel de los Solas as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) on November 24, the State Department announced on Sunday.
The Treasury Department had previously designated the cartel as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) on July 25.
The State Department alleged that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and senior regime officials head the cartel, and that Venezuela's leaders have "corrupted the country's military, intelligence services, legislature and judiciary."
"Neither Maduro nor his cronies represent Venezuela’s legitimate government," the statement said.
The cartel is accused of collaborating with other cartels which the State Department has designated as terror groups, including Venezuela's Tren de Aragua and Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, to traffic drugs into the US and Europe while conducting "terrorist violence throughout our hemisphere."
"The United States will continue using all available tools to protect our national security interests and deny funding and resources to narco-terrorists." the statement said.
US attacks alleged drug trafficking boat
The United States conducted another attack on an alleged drug trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific on Saturday, killing three people aboard, the Pentagon said on Sunday.
"Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics," the US Southern Command announced in a post on social media. The announcement said the boat was in international waters when it was struck by Joint Task Force Southern Spear.
The latest operation was the 21st known attack on drug boats by the US military since early September in what it has called a justified effort to disrupt the flow of narcotics into the United States. The strikes have killed more than 80 people, according to Pentagon figures.
Lawmakers in the US Congress, human rights groups and US allies have raised questions about the legality of the attacks. The Trump administration has said it has the legal authority to carry out the strikes, with the Justice Department providing a legal opinion that justifies them and argues that US military personnel who carry out the operations are immune from prosecution.
Trump says he could have talks with Venezuela's Maduro
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he could have discussions with Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who has been in the crosshairs of a US military build-up in the Caribbean.
Trump, speaking with reporters, said he thinks Venezuela would like to have talks with the United States, but did not provide more details.