Diosdado Cabello's head of security defects to the U.S. and accuses him of narcotrafficking

http://www.abc.es/internacional/20150127/abci-venezuela-cabello-eeuu-201501262129.html
By Emili J. Blasco
ABC.es
January 27, 2015 

With the arrival yesterday in Washington, DC, of protected witness, [Venezuelan Navy] Captain Leamsy Salazar, who until December was the head of security for Diosdado Cabello, a U.S. federal prosecutor has accelerated the preparation of a formal indictment against the number two in the Venezuelan regime. 

Salazar is the highest-ranking military officer to break ranks with chavismo and make formal accusations in the United States against senior government officials for their involvement in narcotrafficking. 

For almost 10 years, Salazar served as chief of security and as personal assistant to Hugo Chávez. After Chávez's death, Salazar went on to work for Cabello as his chief of security. 

Cartel of the Suns

According to sources close to the investigation, opened by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Salazar claims that [Cabello], the president of the National Assembly, is the head of the Cártel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns) and therefore the leader of the narcostate that Venezuela became under Chávez. 

The Cartel of the Suns, primarily composed of members of the military (its name comes from the insignia worn on the uniform of Venezuelan generals), has a drug trafficking monopoly in Venezuela. The drugs are produced by the Colombian FARC [Fuerzas Revolucionarias de Colombia guerrillas] and taken to their destinations in the U.S. and Europe by Mexican cartels. Recent international figures indicate that Venezuela ships five tons of narcotics on a weekly basis. Ninety percent of the drugs produced by Colombia transits Venezuela. 

As an aide who constantly accompanied Cabello, Salazar witnessed events and conversations that incriminate the National Assembly president. Specifically, he saw Cabello giving direct orders for the departure of boats loaded with tons of cocaine; he has also provided photographs of places where mountains of dollars (sic) from narcotrafficking are stored, according to sources close to the investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). 

On December 11, 2014, a shipment loaded with $10 million in cash was detained at Puerto Cabello, which is Venezuela's most important seaport. The shipment came from the United States and it is speculated that it could be a payment for drugs. A mistake within the organization probably led to its discovery and confiscation. 

Days later, in his weekly television program, rather than fueling suspicions that the money was related to drugs, Diosdado Cabello specifically accused the political opposition of being the recipient of this money, although he failed to provide any evidence. 

Cabello, who served in the military, cultivated a leadership role among members of the Armed Forces; but given Salazar's testimony and his respected record of military service, Cabello's support in the barracks may be significantly reduced. A navy captain, comparable to the army rank of colonel, Salazar has not been involved in any criminal activities, a fact that reinforces the value of his testimony. 

In his revelations, Salazar also implicates the governor of Aragua state, Tarek el Aissami, who also has links with Islamic networks, and José David Cabello, brother of the National Assembly president, who for several years served as director of SENIAT [tax agency] and minister of industry. José David Cabello is allegedly responsible for the finances of the Cartel of the Suns. Salazar mentions that [the state-run oil company Petróleos de Venezuela] PDVSA is a money-laundering machine (sic). PDVSA's former president from 2004 to 2014, Rafael Ramirez, was appointed in December as Venezuela's ambassador before the U.N. Security Council. 

Salazar's testimony, according to the sources cited, has ratified many of the facts already provided by Eladio Aponte to the DEA. Aponte was chief of the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Venezuela; in 2012, Aponte fled to the United States as a protected witness. 

The case against Diosdado Cabello is closely linked to the indictment announced last year by federal prosecutors in New York and Miami against the [retired] Venezuelan General Hugo Carvajal, who headed the Directorate of Military Intelligence for many years. 

The announcement came as Carvajal, alias "El Pollo," was arrested in July [2014] on the Dutch island of Aruba, neighboring Venezuela, at the request of U.S. authorities, who demanded his extradition. However, Aruba gave in to pressure from the government of [Nicolás] Maduro and allowed Carvajal to return to Venezuela. Carvajal was considered to be the head of the Cartel of the Suns. Salazar's information, on the other hand, places Carvajal under Cabello. 

Regarding the links with Havana, Salazar mentioned the regular use of PDVSA aircraft to transport drugs. A son of Chávez's and a son of former Cuban ambassador in Caracas, Germán Sánchez Otero, organized these shipments. Other Cuban officials are mentioned as part of the scheme. The final destination of these shipments was the United States. 

The sources related with this investigation speculate that Sánchez Otero, closely associated with Chávez, was removed from the post of ambassador following the discovery of a briefcase on one of these flights, which proved embarrassing for the Castro regime. The ambassador's son was arrested on one occasion when we traveled alone, while Chávez's son underwent treatment for substance abuse.