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US Announces Narco-Terrorism Charges against Venezuela's Maduro

Masood Farivar

   WASHINGTON - The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday announced
   narco-terrorism and other criminal against Venezuelan President Nicolas
   Maduro and 14 other current and former officials of the country,
   accusing them of collaborating with a leftist Colombian guerrilla group
   involved in flooding the United States with cocaine.

   In addition to Maduro, Maidel Moreno, the current chief justice,
   Diosdado Cabello, a former speaker of the National Assembly, Vladimir
   Padrino Lopez, a former defense minister and two former leaders of the
   leftist Colombian guerrilla group FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias
   de Colombia) were named in separate federal indictments returned in
   Washington, D.C., New York and Florida.

   The dramatic charges were announced by Attorney General William Barr
   and other senior law enforcement officials at a virtual press
   conference.

   "Today's announcement is focused on rooting out the extensive
   corruption within the Venezuelan government -- a system constructed and
   controlled to enrich those at the highest levels of the government,"
   Barr said. "The United States will not allow these corrupt Venezuelan
   officials to use the U.S. banking system to move their illicit proceeds
   from South America nor further their criminal schemes."

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