No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsCrimeVenezuela national guard chief accused in US drug trafficking indictment

Venezuela national guard chief accused in US drug trafficking indictment

NEW YORK – Venezuela’s national guard chief has been accused in a soon-to-be-unsealed U.S. indictment of being on the payroll of drug traffickers, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

Néstor Reverol, a former interior minister and counter-drug chief under the late Hugo Chávez, is alleged to have tipped off drug traffickers to raids and “stopped or hindered” drug investigations, a person familiar with the federal case told the Times.

Federal charges against him and Edilberto Molina, another Venezuelan official in the anti-drug unit, will be unsealed soon in the federal district court in Brooklyn, the Times said.

Reverol, a longtime head of Venezuela’s national anti-drug office, was appointed to head the Venezuelan National Guard in October 2014 under Chávez’s embattled successor, Nicolás Maduro.

https://twitter.com/NestorReverol/status/675030470686580736

News of the latest indictments targeting top Venezuelan officials comes with Maduro’s socialist government reeling from a crushing defeat in legislative elections on Dec. 6.

Earlier this year U.S. authorities were reported to be investigating National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello for alleged involvement in drug shipments to the United States.

Two nephews of Venezuelan first lady Cilia Flores were arrested in Haiti in November and taken to New York where they were charged with conspiracy to import 800 kilograms of cocaine into the United States.

https://twitter.com/NestorReverol/status/660071640542375936

In September, federal prosecutors in Miami unsealed indictments against a former Venezuelan intelligence official, Pedro Luís Martín, and a former anti-narcotics investigator, Jesús Alfredo Itriago.

A former Venezuela intelligence chief, Hugo Carvajal, was arrested in Aruba in July at the request of U.S. authorities, but sent home rather than to the United States to face drug charges.

https://twitter.com/NestorReverol/status/659849700250624000

Trending Now

A Costa Rica Love Story: From Rustic Cabina to Separate Dreams

My Tica wife and I have been together for over a quarter century. When we met, I was living a simple life here. Three...

Celso Gamboa Allegedly Ran Drug Ring with Costa Rican Government Ties

Celso Gamboa, once Costa Rica’s Security Minister and a Supreme Court judge, now faces extradition to the U.S. for leading a major cocaine trafficking...

Costa Rican Court Orders Release of Migrants Deported Under Trump Deal

A court on Tuesday ordered Costa Rican authorities to release foreign migrants who had been detained in a shelter after being deported under an...

Costa Rica Maintains Economic Stability Amid Global Tensions

Costa Rica is holding steady economically despite global tensions sparked by conflicts involving Israel, the United States, and Iran, according to Federico Quesada Chaves,...

Costa Rica’s Top Court Bans President Chaves from 2026 Election Campaign

Costa Rica’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal on Thursday barred President Rodrigo Chaves from participating in the 2026 election campaign, ruling that he "illegitimately used" his...

Costa Rica Joins U.S. Global Entry, Easing Travel for Tourists

Costa Rica took a big step forward, by officially joining the U.S. Global Entry program, a move set to make travel smoother for Costa...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica