The US has again sent several planes off the coast of Venezuela.
The Donald Trump administration will officially designate the Cartel de los Soles, whose leadership it accuses of authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro and other senior officials, as a terrorist organization.
Five planes were spotted near the country.
The Trump administration routinely carries out such flights off the coast of Venezuela. Earlier this month, local media reported that the US had flown two B-52H Stratofortress strategic bombers, identified as TITO41 and TITO42.
A week earlier, the US had sent B-1B bombers to the country, which turned off their transponders while flying over the Caribbean and turned them back on as they approached the Venezuelan coast. The B-1B is a supersonic heavy bomber capable of carrying cruise missiles and precision-guided munitions.
With the deadline approaching for designating the cartel as a terrorist organization, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said it would bring "a whole bunch of new capabilities to the United States" for attacks against the regime.
The State Department said the designation would take effect on November 24, adding that the organization is "led by Nicolás Maduro and other high-ranking figures in Maduro's illegitimate regime, who have corrupted Venezuela's military, intelligence, legislative, and judicial bodies".
"Neither Maduro nor his associates represent the legitimate government of Venezuela. The Cartel de los Soles, by and with other designated foreign combatant organizations, including the Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel, are responsible for terrorist violence in our hemisphere, as well as drug trafficking to the United States and Europe," the statement added. Maduro has denied any involvement.
Caracas, for its part, has been defiant. On Wednesday, Maduro said that "heavy weapons and missiles" were deployed in a key part of the country.
Maduro said the deployment was part of a "comprehensive defense plan" and strengthens the corridor between Caracas and the coastal state of La Guaira.