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Maduro Nephews Arrested After Attempting To Smuggle 800 Kilos Of Cocaine Into The US
For those unaware, Venezuela is one of the quintessential examples of what we like to call a Socialist paradise and to be sure, we’ve had our fair share at the country’s expense.
From toilet paper shortages, to images of empty shelves, to hapless President Nicolas Maduro being pelted in the head with a mango by an angry Venezuelan woman, the country never disappoints when it comes to producing absurd outcomes. Years of incompetence have led to inflation on a massive scale, with the black market bolivar exchange rate now so low that a hundred bolivar note will buy you just 14 cents. Needless to say, slumping crude prices haven’t done the country any favors either and as we outlined a few days back, the country has now resorted to selling its gold to make bond payments.
What’s amusing to note is that even as everyday Venezuelans watch in horror as their purchasing power evaporates virtually by the day, Venezuelan government officials have been variously accused in the past of drug smuggling, a side job that can be quite lucrative especially when you share a border with Colombia. As Reuters notes, “The U.S. State Department said in a report in March corruption in Venezuela facilitates drug smuggling, and it implicated high-ranking Venezuelan government officials in the trade. The U.S. Treasury has placed nine Venezuelan officials on a ‘kingpin’ list, which bars those suspected of involvement in large-scale drug trafficking from the U.S. financial system.”
With that in mind, consider that on Tuesday, two of Maduro’s nephews were arrested in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, after they allegedly contacted a DEA informant requesting assistance in their effort to smuggle some 800 kilos of cocaine to the US where it was apparently bound for New York. Here are the details via WSJ:
[They] also sent pilots to talk to an airport official at Roatán about the drug trafficking scheme, according to a U.S. document. “It looked like amateur stuff,” said a person with knowledge of the matter.
In subsequent meetings in Venezuela, this person said, the two Venezuelans brought a kilogram of cocaine to a confidential informant to show the quality of the promised shipment, which was to be sold in New York. Agents filmed and taped the meetings with the Venezuelans, this person added.
The two men, Efraín Antonio Campo Flores and Francisco Flores de Freitas, are nephews of Cilia Flores, Maduro’s influential wife.
As WSJ goes on to note, The First Lady - or, as she’s called in Venezuela, “The First Combatant” - has put many of her relatives in important government positions, including another nephew, Carlos Erick Malpica Flores, who is the chief financial officer of state oil company Petróleos de Venezuela and the country’s treasurer.” More, from Reuters:
She worked on the legal team of late socialist leader Hugo Chavez, working to secure his 1994 release from prison after a failed coup attempt.
In 2006, she became the first woman elected to lead the legislature, taking over that role from Maduro, and is registered as a candidate in the Dec. 6 legislative elections.
The arrest came as the US attempts to crack down on what Washington alleges is rampant drug activity among Venezuelan politicians and officials including Diosdado Cabello, president of the country’s National Assembly.
Needless to say Maduro isn't happy:
La Patria seguirá su Camino,ni ataques,ni emboscadas imperiales,podrán con el Pueblo de los Libertadores,tenemos un solo destino..Vencer....
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) November 12, 2015
That's, "The fatherland will follow its course. Neither attacks nor imperialist ambushes can harm the people of the liberators."
Right, whatever that means.
Fortunately for Maduro, he may be able to use the incident to his political advantage at a key time. From The Telegraph:
The case is a major embarrassment for Mr Maduro, three weeks before the ruling Socialist Party heads towards parliamentary elections. For the first time in 16 years polls suggest the Socialists could lose control of the 167-seat national assembly.
Some analysts said that the arrests could play into Mr Maduro's hands, because he frequently styles himself as defending Venezuela against outside interference.
"The timing is hardly ideal," said Michael Shifter, president of the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue think tank.
"The arrests could give Mr Maduro the excuse he was hoping for to declare a state of emergency and postpone the elections.
"He will blame the arrests on US imperialism and see them as an attempt to undermine his government."
That possibility is itself hilarious as Maduro is scheduled to speak today at The United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva regarding Venezuela's reputation for sitfling dissent. Demonstrators reportedly organized a protest outside the UN gates.
In any event, this will certainly be an amusing case to follow. Maduro's nephews were due to appear before a New York judge today. If Venezuelan officials are heavily involved in the trafficking of cocaine to the US, maybe they can do their patriotic duty and use of the proceeds to offset the FX reserve burn before the country defaults.
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was he bring it to Obama or Hillary? Was Holder his bag man?
Well, you can know about me when you stop fucking around and start doing business with me, Hector!
dont mess with the cia's monopoly.
play along, and you might be gifted the presidency like bill clinton.
Those stupid nephews should have used Pepsi, Pepsi (no Coke)
NoVa
Was that a half kilo each for Goldman's new managers?
Party is gonna suck now.
pods
Looks to me like the nephews are just implementing a proven and successful business model pionered by the Bush Clan, AKA, The Family of Secrets.
The CIA hates competition.
Cocaine Importation Association
They could have saved themselves a whole lot of hassle if only they had donated more $$ to the Shitlery for President campaign.
These enterprising Guys were just trying to "Diversify" the Venezuelan Economy!
They did not get the memo on the 425 new MDs and goldman? Some dudes are going to be pissed the good shit is not in town.
What an amazing coincidence. Relatives of the leader of a state under attack by the US personally smuggling drugs into the US. It is almost as if they wanted to be caught allowing regime change to go ahead unhindered.
The real shocker in this story comes while considering all of the smoking hot latinas in Venezuela, and he married... her.
¡Dios mío!
If they were George Bush 39's nephews, these two would get a severe tongue lashing for not shipping in more cocaine. Bush arranged through Pablo Escobar to ship in tons of cocaine weekly via the Mena, Arkansas airport, the Clinton drug pipeline. Senate Majority Leader McConnell wife's father got caught with some 50 kilos of cocaine on one of his Europe bound ships (stashed in a locker) and the corporate press was totally silent, as if the drug smuggling by McConnell's in-law (and cash campaign supporter) was an official secret.
Obama said he only snorted coke when he had the money. The millions he earned from his books explaining his drug use must all be going up his nose!
800 kilo's=a two day supply for Wall St........
but two days without dope can crash the whole stock market.
it would explain today's dip
800 kilos or a quarter point interest rate hike
Cocaine is the real reason we will never have a "cashless" society. You just can't buy the shit with your debit card.
The Bush family is going to be pissed.
No, the Bush's have the heroin market cornered. They can get the most bang for their buck by going for the low end CONsumer. It's a far larger growing market.
I was talking about personal consumption, doc ;-)
My Gawad! Who in the world is snorting all that nose candy? ;/)
Typical, capitalism for the ruling elite, and socialism for the proles. People will never learn.
Hmmm, Maduro. I wonder if they had anything to do with Clinton/Lewinsky. Maybe she prefers a Claro.
Word has it she's into White Owls.
More like White Owls were into her.
Cramer does it yet again!
I didn't downvote you.
...after they allegedly contacted a DEA informant requesting assistance in their effort to smuggle some 800 kilos of cocaine to the US where it was apparently bound for New York.
bound for goldman sachs employees.
They're going to get their Christmas bonuses one way or another.
Collateral for the new GS-provided revolver?
GS bankers going to impair the shit out of said collateral.
"Nico, we found a problem with your collateral. It's 65% inositol powder. We're calling our recent line of credit. Oh, and we'll keep the collateral to make up for the lost interest."
Ha ha ha ha Fuck'en socialists such scum.
Just like those serving in CONgress. Not much difference between them now.
I'd feel a little better about this story if the nephews were arrested in New York as they landed with all their coke for resale rather than having some DEA informant in Haiti facilitating the arrest. Just how many DEA informants are there outside the US ?
Makes total sense though, that coke can just be "disappeared" by the corrupt DEA/CIA and resold on US streets for retail. That would be much harder if it was remanded into some potentially honest DA's custody.
Riiiiiiight Maduro! Sounds like a total line of bullshit to me. You're wrecking your country just fine without our help.
The Maduro boys are about to learn this the hard way: don't ever try to muscle in on CIA turf.
How dare they compete with the CIA!!!
oh those poors socialists or communists...
They care so much for the peeps.
All your coke are belong to us.
IDK who the banker's current suppliers are but it appears these two were trying to grab a piece of somebody else's market...
I like to think they were doing their patriotic duty to shore up government revenues.
Does he own a Delorean car?????
What about the CIA and their billion dollar a year Afghani Herion GIG !!!
Standard DEA sting operation, had a plane waiting at Port au Prince to fly them to NYC.
This story doesn't make sense. If high-ranking Venezuelan government officials are moving illegal drugs, then why are these nephews reinventing the wheel on their own? Why not use established drug connections?
These nephews could have learned more by watching such narco-trafficking television programs like El Senor de los Cielos (if for no other reason than to drool over Carmen Villalobos and some of her co-stars), El Cartel Dos, En la Boca del Lobo, etc.
Sounds more like they were paid to somehow discredit the Maduro regime, a probably unnecessary effort since most of Maduro's wheels are already off.
Nonsense.
If they were drug traffickers and dirty as advertised, they would have mules running the drugs for them. no head honcho runs drugs himself.
.............
Its basically just a dirty US state dept. move to try to make Venezuelan government bad and that's that.
How are they going to boost GDP taking this much blow out of circulation?
If you don't have clearance to land your shit on a military base you might as well just turn yourself in.
I mean if you are going to run a country like a criminal atleast doit with some class.
Look at the U.S. govt, most of the criminals spend their time playing golf, smoking cigars and banging prostitutes in limos.
Something stinks here. Why would the nephews of Maduro, who have all the money and power in the world, need to risk life in prison by smuggling in drugs into the United States? This was a set-up by the criminals in Washington.
Capitalism once again under attack...
US officials are heavily involved with the trafficking of cocaine, so why is it so hard to imagine most if not all governments are involved with this shit?
800 Kilos? Isn't that like how much Kardashian's ass weighs? Should be enough for a lifetime supply really...
My nephews have never so much as bought me a cup of coffee. But then I don't run a banana republic either.
Clinton gang doesn’t like that. Because biggest U.S. Cocaine dealer? The Clinton gang. Biggest U.S. heroin dealer? The Bush gang.
Do you vote heroin or cocaine?
Venezuela's only crime is they have oil, gold and won't blow America.
More boots on the ground talk again?