Trump’s hemispheric security strategy for Venezuela aims at the gradual neutralization of the Cartel de Soles and other criminal networks within the chavista regime, as well as the removal of foreign influences from countries like Iran, Russia, and China.
This is the opinion of Guillermo Cueto, an expert in international relations and counterintelligence, and former U.S. security agent of Cuban descent, who shared his insights with Venezuela Política and Sin Filtros. He noted that the U.S. government utilizes discreet diplomatic channels and pressure tactics to dismantle the Cartel de Soles and other nodes of narcoterrorism.
Cueto connects Venezuela’s political instability to threats of asymmetric warfare and subversive cells operating within U.S. territory. He adds that Trump’s hemispheric security strategy is marked by a pragmatic and geopolitical approach aimed at safeguarding national integrity against hostile regimes in the region.
Neutralizing the Cartel de Soles and the Venezuelan regime
According to security specialist and counterterrorism expert Guillermo Cueto, the implementation of the U.S. hemispheric security doctrine in the region is centered on Venezuela, considered a testing ground for gradually and incrementally neutralizing asymmetric threats.
Trump’s security strategy for Venezuela is based on a pragmatic approach that prioritizes the elimination of elements hostile to U.S. national security—especially the presence of foreign powers like Iran, Cuba, Russia, and China—over a simple regime change.
Cueto mentions that the U.S. employs direct and discreet diplomatic channels through the CIA to identify interconnected transnational criminal networks due to concerns about infiltration by subversive cells within U.S. territory.
Venezuela as a laboratory for asymmetric warfare
The current U.S. strategy in Venezuela, in Cueto’s view, is characterized as a process of gradual and incremental neutralization, as it seeks not a single, definitive resolution but rather the constant degradation of the regime’s power structures, particularly the Cartel de Soles.
The neutralization begins with the removal of the “heads” of criminal organizations, identifying Nicolás Maduro as the leader of the Cartel de Soles.
He emphasizes that the goal is to degrade the four fundamental components sustaining the Venezuelan regime:
Political Structure: key figures like Delcy Rodríguez.
Military Structure: led by individuals such as Vladimir Padrino López.
Intelligence Structure: the internal control apparatus.
Asymmetric Structure: collectives and irregular groups commanded by Diosdado Cabello.
Cueto warns that the extraction of leaderships is a complex and unique methodology requiring sophisticated planning that may not be replicable in other contexts like Cuba or Mexico.
The transnational criminal web
In his analysis, Cueto emphasizes that the Venezuelan regime does not operate in isolation, but rather as the main cog in a global and regional criminal corporation.
Threat CategorySpecific Actors IdentifiedDrug CartelsCartel de Soles, Sinaloa Cartel, Tren de Aragua.Guerrilla GroupsELN, FARC, M19.Iranian ProxiesHezbollah, Hamas, Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Quds Forces.Extracontinental PresenceRussia, China, and the Cuban contingent (estimated at over 20,000 troops).
The Cuban threat
Cueto describes Cuba as the actor with the greatest operational depth in Venezuela, noting that its intelligence cadres—Intelligence Directorate (DI), formerly known as General Intelligence Directorate (DGI), and America Department (DA)— infiltrate under the guise of doctors and educators to recruit youth and direct counterintelligence operations.
The expert mentions that the critical state of Cuban civil society could lead to an implosion of the regime on the island even before total collapse in Venezuela.
Diplomacy through parallel channels and CIA mandates
A critical point in Cueto’s analysis is the revelation of direct negotiations between the U.S. administration and figures from the chavista leadership, utilizing discreet yet effective channels.
He states that the role of John Ratcliffe as CIA director is essential, as he maintains direct communication with Delcy Rodríguez and Diosdado Cabello.
Cueto explains that the central message of these communications is the strict demand to remove all foreign asymmetric forces from Venezuelan territory, with a focus on Iranian groups and Cuba’s “Black Wasps.”
He clarifies that the U.S. administration chose a pragmatic approach and leveraged connections to force compliance. Cueto warns that if these demands are not met, the United States holds “all cards on the table,” which includes the possibility of decisive actions.
Internal threats in the United States
Cueto asserts that asymmetric warfare is already being waged within U.S. territory, exacerbated by previous immigration policies.
He indicates that radical groups like Antifa and Black Lives Matter are components penetrated by subversive elements trained in Cuba and Venezuela.
He also warns about the entry of irregular groups—Tren de Aragua, MS-13, Hamas—whose purpose is to carry out insurrection and disrupt public order.
Cueto further claims that there is a systematic strategy by the Venezuelan regime to buy off and corrupt American politicians through bribery, money laundering, and coercive mechanisms to neutralize justice from within.
Mitigating direct risks
Finally, Cueto emphasizes that hemispheric security under Trump’s new doctrine is not measured by the immediate restoration of democracy but rather by mitigating direct risks against the United States. The strategy is:
- Selective: targets specific nodes of the criminal corporation.
- Pragmatic: establishes high-level dialogues with “nefarious” actors if it facilitates the expulsion of extraterritorial powers.
- Gradual: understands that dismantling a system entrenched for 27 years requires constant degradation before final collapse.
Cueto recalls that the Trump administration possesses the tools and determination to finish the job in Venezuela, provided that it cuts the financial and operational ties of the subversive groups acting both in the region and within the United States.