“The Valkyrie Cartel” is not a real-world organization but 

a fictional one from the 2025 thriller novel Valkyrie by Mark O’Neill. In the book, it refers to a paramilitary syndicate that is a successor to the traditional cartels and is involved in smuggling nuclear weapons and engaging in covert warfare. 

• Fictional paramilitary syndicate: In the context of the novel, the Valkyrie cartel is a powerful paramilitary group that has moved beyond traditional drug smuggling into more dangerous activities like nuclear proliferation.
• Part of a thriller: The term is used to create a sense of high-stakes international espionage, with the story pitting the syndicate against a black-ops unit called Department 89.
• A play on words: The name “Valkyrie” itself refers to the female warrior figures in Norse mythology who choose the slain for Valhalla, but in the novel, it is used to describe a modern, malevolent organization that brings ruin.