Answer
It’s a myth recycled to justify sanctions and regime change. The term was invented in 1993, long before Chávez or Maduro. Even the DEA’s 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment, which devotes 13 pages to Latin American cartels, doesn’t mention it. Former U.S. intelligence officials like Fulton Armstrong say no one in the community takes it seriously, except those trying to sell the war narrative.