Ending the Cartel of the Suns in Venezuela, and tackling transnational organized crime in general, requires an international task force that directly targets their financial resources. The resilience of these groups shields them, ensuring their survival and restructuring.
Jorge Aguirre Hrepic, a criminal lawyer and criminologist from Chile, emphasized this point in an interview with Venezuela Política y Sin Filtros, where he discussed the complex web of transnational organized crime in Venezuela and its implications for hemispheric security during Donald Trump’s administration.
Aguirre analyzed how criminal structures, including the Cartel of the Suns, blend into the state system to secure their economic and political survival, noting the challenges agencies like the DEA face when dealing with a criminal model that employs disinformation labs to protect the ruling elites.
The Transnational Criminal Paradigm
Aguirre presented a critical analysis of the evolution of transnational organized crime, particularly focusing on Venezuela, where the Cartel of the Suns plays a fundamental role. He also touched upon the reconfiguration of U.S. national security policy under Trump’s administration.
He first mentions the evolution of organized crime, specifically citing the Cartel of the Suns, which has morphed into a criminal corporation that is embedded within state institutions, complicating efforts for its eradication through traditional methods.
In this context, the new security doctrine of Trump’s second term shifted from direct intervention aimed at overthrowing authoritarian regimes to special operations and surgical pressure prioritizing intelligence and targeting financial structures.
Aguirre warns that the use of fake news labs and algorithm manipulation has become a key defensive tool for criminal regimes, aiming to delegitimize the Western justice system.
This geopolitical reconfiguration aligns with the strategic interest of the U.S. in Greenland, redefining NATO’s role for a hemispheric security vision aimed at securing resources—water and minerals—and strategic routes against China’s and Russia’s influence.
The chameleonic adaptation capabilities of criminal leaders suggest the necessity for an international task force with unified command that directly targets their frontmen; otherwise, the criminal structure is likely to shift to other territories instead of disappearing.
Criminal Corporation: Structure, Mimicry, and Resilience
Organized crime symbiotically entwines with the state.
The expert explained that organized crime in the region has evolved from a small-scale operation to a system entrenched in society and the state. He compares criminals to “weeds,” asserting that, like weeds, they can only be eradicated with specific chemicals, which, in this case, translates to intelligence operations targeting the root of the problem.
Aguirre emphasizes that criminal organizations have learned to integrate parts of the system to survive, using banking, legitimate businesses, and diplomacy as shields.
Specifically, the Cartel of the Suns is described by him as a structure that controls the state, institutions, and the economy of Venezuela. This sets it apart from the Cali or Medellín cartels, as a new economic elite—aligned with Chavismo—has emerged, aiming for legitimacy through upcoming oil deals.
He points out that under pressure, criminal groups operate like remoras or parasites, seeking out new host states with serious institutional frameworks, such as Chile, to launder capital without necessarily resorting to visible violence.
The Eradication Challenge
Jorge Aguirre Hrepic warns that dismantling this structure is complicated due to the penetration of illicit money into family structures and local contacts.
He also highlights that widespread corruption complicates the mission, as it infiltrates police and intelligence agencies, where former officials have provided crucial information to criminal groups.
He adds that a significant factor is the denial of loyalties, given that silence agreements between leaders can break when more attractive allies or existential threats emerge.
U.S. Strategy
Following this, Jorge Aguirre Hrepic responded to the recent U.S. offensive in Venezuela, which deviates from the Panama-style invasion model, opting instead for a “special operation” rooted in risk management and the use of strategic intelligence.
He explained that the success of current operations is not bound by electoral or social timelines but rather by the aim of minimizing risks.
He believes that the meeting between the CIA director and Delcy Rodríguez emphasizes a negotiation stance rooted in external information and specific guidelines—like prisoner releases and control over paramilitary groups—under the threat of force.
He made it clear that the primary goal of these attacks is not just the capture of individuals but the destabilization of frontmen and the seizure of investments in global markets.
The War on Disinformation and Technology
For Jorge Aguirre Hrepic, it’s crucial to recognize that modern organized crime employs cutting-edge technology to paralyze public opinion and neutralize justice.
He stressed that fake news labs operate to delegitimize judicial cases, including those related to the Cartel of the Suns and Tren de Aragua, creating a distortion of reality to generate social paralysis.
He reminded that criminal organizations employ specialists in cyberattacks and data destruction protocols to avoid being registered in official databases.
Additionally, organized crime manipulates emotions by selling false hope or orchestrating chaos to destabilize governments and facilitate territorial and economic control.
Unified Fight Against Organized Crime
Jorge Aguirre Hrepic emphasizes the need for unified command to effectively combat transnational organized crime. He argues that for the fight against narco-terrorism to be effective, there must be an international organization without operational borders that surpasses the limitations of entities like Interpol or Ameripol.
He insists that recovering institutions in countries like Venezuela is essential, requiring a generational “decontamination” to distance new leadership from the criminal legacy of the past.
Moreover, he warns that the aggressive response from criminals to threats from the Trump administration heightens the risk of attacks against key political leaders, necessitating extreme protection during transitional processes.
He stresses that the end of the crisis in Venezuela will not come from just a change of names in power but will require a complete overhaul of the exchange system and the elimination of a subsistence economy that feeds the mafias.
“The force of the law must be applied effectively; the criminal is a coward who abuses his people, but he surrenders when his money flow is cut off and he is confronted with absolute conviction,” he stated.
Geopolitics and Hemispheric Security: The Greenland-NATO Axis
Finally, Jorge Aguirre referred to the current global scenario, where a redefinition of spheres of influence is emerging. He said the Trump administration views neighboring countries not as a “backyard,” but as a “front garden” that must be protected and ordered.
In the case of Greenland, Aguirre Hrepic emphasized its critical value due to its freshwater and strategic mineral reserves for the tech industry, along with being a control point for Arctic and Baltic Sea routes.
He noted that the U.S. seeks to prevent external powers from exploiting the unprotected island. This represents a geopolitical paradigm shift directed at securing the neighborhood against the expansion of China and Russia.
In this sense, Aguirre considers it unacceptable that NATO—deemed inefficient—operates as a “Europeanized” organization predominantly funded by the U.S. that has lost its direction since the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact.
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