"Left unspoken was the cloud of suspicion that long surrounded Delcy Rodríguez before she became acting president of the beleaguered nation earlier this month. In fact, Rodríguez has been on the radar of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration for years and in 2022 was even labeled a "priority target," a designation DEA reserves for suspects believed to have a "significant impact" on the drug trade,"
"The DEA has amassed a detailed intelligence file on Rodríguez dating to at least 2018, the records show, cataloging her known associates and allegations ranging from drug trafficking to gold smuggling. One confidential informant told the DEA in early 2021 that Rodríguez was using hotels in the Caribbean resort of Isla Margarita "as a front to launder money," the records show. As recently as last year she was linked to Maduro's alleged bag man, Alex Saab,"
President Donald Trump portrayed Delcy Rodríguez as a preferred partner to stabilize Venezuela after the audacious capture of Nicolás Maduro on U.S. drug charges. Rodríguez has been under DEA scrutiny for years and was labeled a "priority target" in 2022, a designation for suspects believed to have significant impact on the drug trade. The DEA compiled a detailed intelligence file on Rodríguez dating to at least 2018, cataloging alleged ties to drug trafficking, gold smuggling and money laundering. A confidential informant alleged use of Isla Margarita hotels to launder money, and Rodríguez was linked last year to Alex Saab. The U.S. has not publicly charged her.
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