Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello announced the arrest of an alleged DEA agent, claiming the individual was involved in a ‘false flag’ operation aimed at implicating a Venezuelan military officer in drug trafficking. Cabello, during his weekly program, stated that the apprehended agent infiltrated the Bolivarian National Police with the intention of abducting an Air Force Major to falsely link him to narcotics. This arrest follows the recent Venezuelan military operation, Operation Relámpago de Catatumbo, which Cabello described as a significant blow to drug trafficking. He suggested that the DEA’s actions are a response to this success and a continuation of their narrative linking Venezuela to drug trafficking.
He further escalated the rhetoric, accusing the DEA of being the world’s “principal drug cartel” and asserting that the United States is the primary consumer of illicit drugs, criticizing the US government’s handling of the drug problem. Cabello also expressed concern about the safety of Venezuelan citizens traveling to the U.S., raising the US travel advisory to a “level 10” warning, citing a lack of safety and security in the United States.
Cabello’s statements come in response to a travel advisory issued earlier this week by the US government urging its citizens to avoid traveling to Venezuela and to leave immediately due to the high risk of arbitrary detentions. The State Department maintains a level 4 travel advisory for Venezuela, citing severe risks such as unjust detention, torture, terrorism, kidnapping, arbitrary police practices, violent crime, civil unrest, and inadequate medical care. The advisory also notes that Venezuela has the highest number of unjustly detained US citizens.
The lack of specifics regarding the arrest, including the identity of the detained agent and details of the operation, leaves many questions unanswered. This incident further exacerbates the already strained relationship between the United States and Venezuela, adding another layer of complexity to the ongoing political and diplomatic tensions between the two nations. The Venezuelan government’s claims will likely be met with skepticism from the US, given the history of strained relations and accusations of human rights abuses within Venezuela.
