A high-ranking Venezuelan military official, Division General Pedro Rafael Suárez Caballero, has reportedly defected from the Maduro regime and fled the country. The defection, which was reported by sources including NTN24 and ABC Noticias, marks a significant blow to the Venezuelan military’s internal cohesion and could provide the United States with critical intelligence. General Caballero, who served as the Head of Human Resources for the Venezuelan Military Aviation, is said to be in the United States and holding meetings with U.S. government officials.
According to the reports, General Caballero’s defection is directly linked to the “Cartel de los Soles” (Cartel of the Suns), a notorious criminal network allegedly run by high-ranking members of the Venezuelan armed forces and the Maduro regime. The general is reportedly providing the U.S. government with detailed information on the network’s operations in Venezuela, Colombia, and the Caribbean. This intelligence is expected to be invaluable to U.S. efforts to combat drug trafficking and other illicit activities in the region.
The Cartel of the Suns is not a single, centrally coordinated organization but rather a loose network of competing drug-trafficking groups operating within the Venezuelan state apparatus. The group’s name, which has been used by the U.S. government and various international organizations, comes from the sun-shaped insignia worn by Venezuelan generals. U.S. officials, including the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), have sanctioned key members of the Venezuelan government, including Nicolás Maduro, for their alleged involvement in the cartel. The U.S. government has also offered a reward for information leading to their arrest and prosecution.
General Caballero’s defection is not the first of its kind, but his high-ranking position within the Venezuelan military aviation makes his information particularly valuable. The military is a key pillar of support for the Maduro regime, and any signs of internal dissent are closely watched by international observers. A high-profile defection of this nature could encourage other discontented officials to follow suit and may lead to a more effective U.S. strategy to dismantle the criminal networks operating within the Venezuelan state.
The defection also comes at a time of heightened tensions in the region. The U.S. has been increasing its military and diplomatic pressure on the Maduro regime, and a high-level source of intelligence could provide a significant boost to these efforts. The information provided by General Caballero is expected to shed light on the inner workings of the Cartel of the Suns, including its links to other criminal organizations like the Sinaloa Cartel and groups like the Tren de Aragua, which have been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury for providing material support to foreign terrorist organizations. The defection of a military official of this rank suggests that the internal pressures on the Maduro regime are growing, and may lead to further instability within the country’s armed forces.
The defection, if confirmed, would represent a major diplomatic and intelligence victory for the United States. It could provide the U.S. with the necessary information to target the financial and logistical networks of the Cartel of the Suns more effectively, thereby disrupting drug trafficking routes and weakening the Maduro regime’s grip on power. While the long-term impact of this defection remains to be seen, it is a clear indication of the ongoing crisis and fragmentation within Venezuela’s political and military institutions.
