The Venezuelan socialist party, which has ruled the nation for 16 years, is still reeling from its decisive loss in the December 6 legislative elections, with the nation’s highest-ranking politicians threatening voters who oppose socialism that poverty and sickness are now on the horizon.
Reeling from a decisive loss in Sunday’s legislative elections, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has planned a “crusade to strengthen the Revolution,” lasting “however many hours it takes” on Tuesday, comprising the heads of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).
An extensive report in Miami’s El Nuevo Herald claims that the nephews of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, arrested for attempting to traffic 800 kilograms of cocaine into New York, have claimed the drugs belonged to the nation’s second-in-command, National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello.
Diosdado Cabello, the head of Venezuela’s National Assembly and nation’s second-in-command, has accused the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) of “kidnapping” two nephews of President Nicolás Maduro following their arrest this month for allegedly attempting to traffic 800 kilograms of cocaine into the United States.
Two nephews of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro have been arrested and extradited to New York on charges of attempting to smuggle 800 kilograms of cocaine into the United States. These arrests follow more than a year of investigations and accusations that Venezuelan government officials are deeply involved in the drug trade.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro warned viewers on Sunday that he expects December’s legislative elections to be the “most difficult yet” for the socialist Chavistas. Maduro, who barely scraped a victory against opposition leader Henrique Capriles Radonski in 2013, also accused the United States of “conspiracy” against him.
Two members of Venezuela’s Bolivarian National Guard–the state police–have been arrested after being accused of aiding drug trafficking by the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel, run by the now-fugitive Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Following news of reconciliation with the Cuban communist regime, Reuters is reporting that the Obama administration has been engaging in secret diplomacy with the dictatorship currently governing Venezuela, hoping to reestablish ties with socialist President Nicolás Maduro and negotiate the freedom of political prisoner Leopoldo López.
The president of Venezuela’s National Assembly–the Venezuelan government’s second-in-command–has announced he will seek to take legal action in the United States and Spain against media outlets that have published reports alleging that he is being investigated for running a cocaine trafficking organization.
Former Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs under George W. Bush, Roger Noriega, asserted in multiple interviews this week that the United States has ample evidence that high-ranking government Venezuelan officials are involved in cocaine trafficking, and that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has used drug money to run his campaign.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro responded to the announcement of expanded sanctions on his regime on behalf of the Obama administration yesterday in an extensive public broadcast in which he repeatedly called President Obama “nefarious” and claimed the United States had organized a false-flag style operation to make it appear that Maduro had bombed his own government buildings.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is calling for his government to draft a blacklist of Venezuelans exiled in the United States calling for Congress to impose further sanctions on his socialist regime for both economic and political crimes, as well as ties to drug trafficking.
A Venezuelan defector says his former boss, the head of Venezuela’s National Assembly, runs a secret drug cartel. Leamsy Salazar was a bodyguard and former head of security for Diosdado Cabello, the 2nd most powerful man in Venezeula’s socialist party.
The former head of security for Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and for current President of the National Assembly Diosdado Cabello has defected to the United States and plans on filing a formal complaint against Cabello for leading a drug smuggling ring.