HomeNewsBriefUS to Bring Drug Charges Against Venezuelan Military: Report
BRIEF

US to Bring Drug Charges Against Venezuelan Military: Report

CARTEL OF THE SUNS / 9 DEC 2015 BY VENEZUELA INVESTIGATIVE UNIT EN

According to a report by ABC España, the United States plans to bring formal drug trafficking charges against half a dozen high-ranking Venezuelan military officials, including multiple generals.  

US officials -- who did not want to influence Venezuela's recent parliamentary elections -- will make the announcement within the week, the report cited two US federal prosecutors as saying. 

According to the report, the charges are not linked to the recent drug trafficking arrests of two men related to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The two are set to face trial in the Unites States on December 17.  

InSight Crime Analysis

Although ABC España's report has yet to be confirmed by US officials or other media outlets, the suggestion that US authorities are moving to formally charge high-ranking Venezuela military officials with drug trafficking fits with recent events. 

The United States has long suspected that some members of the Venezuelan government are involved in drug trafficking, as evidenced by the inclusion of multiple civilian and military officials on the US "Kingpin" list. US officials are also likely aware of the numerous reports on the existence of "Cartel of the Suns" (Cartel de los Soles), which refers to drug trafficking groups within the Venezuelan military. 

SEE ALSO: Cartel de los Soles News and Profile

US investigators have also likely been aided by potential inside sources, such as former Venezuelan presidential security chief Leamsy Salazar, and possibly even Maduro's recently captured relatives Efrain Antonio Campo Flores and Francisco Flores de Freitas. Salazar defected to the United States in late 2014 and is reportedly working with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Reports also indicate Maduro's relatives are speaking extensively with US authorities.

Additionally, US authorities have already set a precedent of taking action against Venezuelan officials. In March, the United States sanctioned seven government officials over human rights violations and is currently investigating Venezuelan state oil firm PDVSA over possible money laundering. 

The US bringing charges against a group of military officials could impact Venezuelan politics in various ways. On one hand, Venezuela's opposition coalition has gained a supermajority in the National Assembly. This supermajority will allow the opposition to strip legislators of immunity and replace members of the judiciary, which, in turn, could make prosecution of high-ranking officials easier. 

At the same time, the Maduro administration is practiced in reframing events to fit their own narrative. Maduro will likely depict any drug trafficking charges against the Venezuelan military as further evidence of US imperialist attempts to undermine his government. This would endear Maduro to one of his last supporters, the military. In a worst case scenario, this could eventually set up Venezuela for a shift towards an even less democratic form of rule. 

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

COCAINE / 29 SEP 2021

Accused paramilitary drug lord “Memo Fantasma,” or “Will the Ghost,” has petitioned a judge to be let out of a…

ELITES AND CRIME / 10 DEC 2021

Authorities in Peru have dismantled a criminal network involving at least two government ministries. The corruption case underscores weak government…

ARMS TRAFFICKING / 8 JUL 2022

Haiti’s Customs Agency has seized an extremely large quantity of illegally imported ammunition.

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Cited in New Colombia Drug Policy Plan

15 SEP 2023

InSight Crime’s work on emerging coca cultivation in Honduras, Guatemala, and Venezuela was cited in the Colombian government’s…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Discusses Honduran Women's Prison Investigation

8 SEP 2023

Investigators Victoria Dittmar and María Fernanda Ramírez discussed InSight Crime’s recent investigation of a massacre in Honduras’ only women’s prison in a Twitter Spaces event on…

THE ORGANIZATION

Human Trafficking Investigation Published in Leading Mexican Newspaper

1 SEP 2023

Leading Mexican media outlet El Universal featured our most recent investigation, “The Geography of Human Trafficking on the US-Mexico Border,” on the front page of its August 30…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Coverage of Ecuador Leads International Debate

25 AUG 2023

This week, Jeremy McDermott, co-director of InSight Crime, was interviewed by La Sexta, a Spanish television channel, about the situation of extreme violence and insecurity in Ecuador…

THE ORGANIZATION

Human Rights Watch Draws on InSight Crime's Haiti Coverage

18 AUG 2023

Non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch relied on InSight Crime's coverage this week, citing six articles and one of our criminal profiles in its latest report on the humanitarian…