Carlos Eduardo Orense Azócar has a secret plan: to collaborate with U.S. justice and become a witness in the trials of the main leaders of the cartel currently controlling the Venezuelan state.
The Cartel of the Suns operator pulls the strings: they delay Carlos Orense Azócar’s sentence again
In the heart of New York, under the spotlight of the most relentless judicial system against transnational drug trafficking, the name Carlos Orense Azócar encapsulates a narrative that goes beyond mere accusation. Known as “El Gordo”, this 70-year-old Venezuelan awaits a sentence that, due to his age and the mandatory minimum, effectively means life in prison. The setting is the Southern District Court of New York, and the case —United States v. Carlos Orense Azocar, 21 Cr. 379 (VSB)— has become a portrait of state-sponsored drug trafficking.
The jury ruled decisively in December 2023: guilty. Twelve days of trial were sufficient to prove that Orense Azócar operated as the logistical cog of the Cártel de los Soles, facilitating clandestine air routes, multimillion-dollar payments, and cocaine shipments totaling thousands of kilograms to the United States. Cooperative witnesses, communication records, and large-scale seizures bolstered an accusation describing a well-oiled machine backed by Venezuelan institutional support, including ties to military factions and the state oil company.
The case also showcases international cooperation: arrested in Italy in 2021, Orense was extradited to the U.S. in 2022. Since then, he has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, a federal prison noted for its harsh conditions. The defense has attempted to overturn the verdict with motions citing alleged insufficient evidence and questioning the credibility of witnesses, but these were all rejected in May 2025 by Judge Vernon S. Broderick.
The hearing that did not render a sentence
The sentencing, originally scheduled for December 10, 2025, turned into a status conference. The defense requested an additional 60 days for “adjustments” with supplementary lawyers, emphasizing humanitarian factors: age, chronic illnesses, and the harshness of confinement. The prosecution opposed this. The judge partially accepted and announced a written decision would follow. The curtain remains on hold.
The crux of the debate is unavoidable: the minimum mandatory sentence amounts to 40 years—10 for drug conspiracy and 30 consecutive for firearms under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)—which for a 70-year-old man translates to a sentence of dying in prison. The defensive strategy seeks to humanize the accused; the prosecution insists on the magnitude of the damage and the structural nature of the crime.
A plot that splashes on power
Beyond the judicial calendar, the case strikes at the core of power in Venezuela. The investigation and trial outline a model where crime and state overlap. High-profile names have surfaced within the context of the case and in specialized analyses, from Diosdado Cabello to Tareck El Aissami, as part of the political ecosystem indicated by the prosecution and independent researchers. The shadow of Hugo Carvajal—prosecuted in the U.S.—reinforces the thesis of a systemic entanglement.
Coverage that connects the dots
Journalist Maibort Petit has closely followed the case on her portal and in Sin Filtros Geopolítica. Her investigations detail how Orense Azócar allegedly operated for nearly two decades, the accused’s refusal to cooperate with U.S. justice, and the political significance of the case: a precedent against state-protected drug trafficking. Her analyses warn that if the accused decides to speak, the repercussions could reach untouchable hierarchs as well.
What’s at stake
Judge Broderick’s final decision will not simply be a number of years. It will set the tone between the severity of the law and humanitarian considerations, while also sending a geopolitical message: borders do not shield those who finance power with cocaine and weapons. As the sentence is delayed, the Orense Azócar case remains a ticking time bomb for the networks that have turned Venezuela into a narcotrafficking platform. The verdict already exists; only the final hammer blow is missing.