Maduro exposes US fingerprints in terror plot to destabilize Venezuela
4 Min Read
The foiled operation was aimed at disrupting the upcoming regional elections.
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Voters line up outside a polling station that reads in Spanish "Vote" during the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, July 28, 2024 (AP)
In a decisive show of force ahead of the May 25 regional elections, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced the capture of 38 foreign mercenaries, comprising Ecuadorians, Colombians, and Albanians, accused of plotting violent attacks to destabilize the country and undermine its electoral process.
Describing the arrests as a victory for the Bolivarian Revolution, Maduro affirmed the state’s commitment to safeguarding national sovereignty, peace, and electoral integrity in the face of foreign interference and criminal conspiracies aimed at disrupting democratic order.
Maduro links terror plot to Erik Prince, US imperial interests
President Maduro directly implicated Erik Prince, the founder of the notorious US mercenary firm Blackwater (now Academi), who recently visited Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa under the guise of offering “security training".
“If Erik Prince is in Ecuador, the US empire is there too,” Maduro declared, accusing Washington of deploying shadow networks across Latin America to destabilize progressive governments through covert paramilitary operations.
The Venezuelan government maintains that the plot was orchestrated with support from transnational mafias and foreign powers seeking to discredit the May 25 vote and sabotage Venezuela’s democratic institutions.
Drug trafficking, crypto crime and narco-opposition ties revealed
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello revealed that the dismantled network had deep ties to narcoterrorist groups funded through cocaine trafficking and digital extortion schemes. Authorities discovered over 9 tons of cocaine designated to finance attacks, with suspects linked to:
- The Albanian mafia, which holds vast influence over Ecuador’s drug trade;
- Cryptoasset-based criminal rings involved in kidnapping and ransom;
- Corrupt opposition figures in Zulia, described as “narco-mayors” operating under criminal cover.
Cabello emphasized that many of the mercenaries had entered Venezuela by land and air through Colombia, illustrating the porous transnational nature of the threat.
Machado, Simonovis, and foreign mafias named in conspiracy
Cabello accused prominent opposition figures, Maria Corina Machado and former Caracas police commissioner Ivan Simonovis, of being directly involved in the plot. Machado, who has urged Venezuelans to boycott the May 25 elections, was described as aligning with foreign regimes and criminal financiers to provoke chaos.
A central figure in the scheme, Colombian national Jose Enrique Rincon, was arrested earlier this year in connection with a drug-smuggling operation disguised as a shrimp export business. His fake military vessels, according to Venezuelan authorities, were intended to implicate Venezuela’s armed forces in trafficking, an effort Cabello called “a clear and coordinated smear campaign.”
Caracas ramps up border security to ensure peaceful May 25 vote
In response to the destabilization attempts, the Venezuelan government suspended all flights from Colombia and intensified military security across border regions, aiming to halt the movement of armed groups into the country.
Security forces continue to dismantle criminal cells through coordinated intelligence and counterterrorism operations, reinforcing the civic-military alliance that has become a hallmark of the Bolivarian Revolution’s national defense strategy.
President Maduro asserted that the Venezuelan people will vote freely and peacefully, rejecting violence and choosing their local leaders in defiance of external threats.
Bolivarian Revolution denounces imperialist aggression
As the May 25 elections approach, the Maduro government reiterated its condemnation of foreign meddling and imperialist designs on Venezuelan sovereignty.
“The people, the military, and the government stand united against any form of foreign intervention,” said Maduro, calling on international actors to respect Venezuela’s right to self-determination.
Despite repeated attempts to derail the Bolivarian project, Caracas insists the Revolution remains firm, and so do the millions of Venezuelans preparing to cast their vote.
