Former Green Beret Behind Failed Venezuelan Coup Claims CIA Engineered the 'Cartel de los Soles' Decades Ago

Jordan Goudreau, a former U.S. Green Beret involved in a failed 2020 armed incursion into Venezuela, has alleged that the CIA created the so-called "Cartel de los Soles" in the 1990s and later used it to justify U.S. policies against successive Venezuelan governments.

In an interview with journalist Max Blumenthal for The Grayzone, the ex–special operations contractor said the network attributed to Venezuelan military figures was "a CIA construction" that predates the presidency of Hugo Chávez.

"As far back as the 1990s, the Cartel de los Soles was created by the CIA," said Goudreau "This isn't a secret; it's the truth," he said. When asked to confirm whether U.S. intelligence was responsible for forming the group, he replied, "Oh, absolutely. That's not new."

He went on to cite a former senior intelligence official as the basis for his claim, saying the ex-head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had told journalist Mike Wallace that "drug shipments arrived here through CIA trafficking in partnership with Venezuela's National Guard."

The former Green Beret added that the name "Cartel de los Soles" originated as "almost a joke" within U.S. intelligence circles, based on the sun emblem on Venezuelan military uniforms.

The operative also claimed the CIA "facilitated drug trafficking through this group," describing it as "well documented." He argued that the U.S. government, regardless of administration, seeks to "protect the resources it gains through narcotics operations," linking current policy toward Venezuela to what he called an updated version of the Monroe Doctrine aimed at countering Russian and Chinese influence.

The former contractor, who led the botched "Operation Gideon" in May 2020, attempted to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro with a small group of armed volunteers trained in Colombia. The plan collapsed within hours of landing on Venezuelan shores.

Goudreau was charged in 2024 with illegally attempting to export about 60 AR-15 rifles and other military equipment to Colombia for the mission. The Trump administration denied involvement in the operation, dubbed the "Bay of Piglets," which left several dead and two U.S. citizens imprisoned in Venezuela.

Reflecting on that failed mission, he accused the CIA of sabotaging it, saying the operation "crashed against the hard rocks of CIA interference," as the agency "had other interests and was not interested in removing Maduro." He alleged that officials close to then-Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were aware of the plot, adding that political enthusiasm in Washington was high before support was withdrawn.