"5. While pursuing these and other objectives, NICOLÁS MADURO MOROS, the defendant, negotiated multi-ton shipments of FARC-produced cocaine; directed that the Cártel the Los Soles provide military-grade weapons to the FARC; coordinated foreign affairs with Honduras and other countries to facilitate large-scale drug trafficking; and solicited assistance from FARC leadership in training an unsanctioned militia group that functioned, in essence, as an armed forces unit for the Cártel de Los Soles."
"The indictment against him (I assume it has been superseded since he was added in March of 2020) alleges that he personally was involved in negotiating FARC-sourced cocaine shipments. Maduro's former military intelligence head, Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios, pled guilty in June. There's no sign, at least not public, that Carvajal Barrios is cooperating (they're holding a hearing this month before Judge Alvin Hellerstein because he claims not to have pled to the individual elements of the offense from which SDNY crafted an onerous sentence)."
"Meanwhile, I have already pointed to this excellent Bloomberg piece on the similar efforts SDNY made to bring Juan Orlando Hernández to justice. It describes how JOH's family pitched Trump on a pardon in part by promising that with his pardon (and the return of his party to power, as has happened), Honduras would return the autonomous zones Trump allies like Peter Thiel have championed."
Donald Trump conducted a military invasion of Venezuela purportedly to arrest Nicolás Maduro to stand trial in the US. The indictment against him alleges personal involvement in negotiating FARC-sourced cocaine shipments. Nicolás Maduro negotiated multi-ton shipments of FARC-produced cocaine, directed that Cártel de Los Soles provide military-grade weapons to the FARC, coordinated foreign affairs with Honduras and other countries to facilitate large-scale drug trafficking, and solicited FARC assistance in training an unsanctioned militia that functioned as an armed forces unit for Cártel de Los Soles. Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios pled guilty, but public signs of cooperation are absent. Juan Orlando Hernández's family drafted an 18-page appeal to seek a Trump pardon, offering political concessions including restoration of autonomous zones.
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