Narcosobrinos affair
The Narcosobrinos affair (Spanish for drug-nephews) is the situation of events that surrounded two nephews of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores who were arrested for narcotics trafficking.[6][7][8][9][10][11] According to Jackson Diehl, Deputy Editorial Page Editor of The Washington Post, the Bolivarian government of Venezuela shelters "one of the world's biggest drug cartels".[15] The Narcosobrinos incident happened at a time when multiple high-ranking members of the Venezuelan government were being investigated for their involvement of drug trafficking,[16] including Walter Jacobo Gavidia, Cilia Flores' son who is a Caracas judge, former National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello, and Governor of Aragua State Tarek El Aissami.The nephews and DEA informants met on multiple occasions in Haiti, Honduras and Venezuela while every meeting "produced an audio recording plus three to seven videos".[31] In trial papers filed on 1 July 2016, the nephews stated that they were not informed of their rights when detained, attempting to suppress their statements that they made to DEA agents after their arrest.[20] A confidential informant posing as a leader of the Sinaloa cartel confessions testified that Efrain Campo planned to finance Cilia Flores' congressional campaign.[3] Two informants that observed the nephews were murdered shortly before and after their arrest, raising concerns that the drug trafficking operation was larger than suspected.[34][35] Social media, which is popular in Venezuela, was used by journalists as a way to allow Venezuelans to bypass censorship and provide updates about the situation surrounding the president's nephews.This case suggests a culture that drug trafficking is routine and daily fare for someone with contacts in the presidential palace", with Bagley further stating that "With their connections, they felt they would skate through ...[39] Diosdado Cabello, a senior official in Maduro's government who has been accused of drug trafficking himself, was also quoted as saying the arrests were a "kidnapping" by the United States.[40] Roberto de Jesús Soto Garcia, a Honduran man who provided assistance to the smugglers, has been linked to Venezuela's Vice President Tareck El Aissami.
Source: United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
Port-au-Prince, HaitiEfraín Antonio Campo FloresSpanishNicolás MaduroCilia FloresUnited States Drug Enforcement AdministrationPort-au-PrincecocaineUnited Statessentencedprisoner swapCitgo Sixdrug dealerUnited States Southern CommandIllegal drug trade in VenezuelaJackson DiehlThe Washington PostHugo ChávezThe Wall Street JournalUnited States Department of JusticeMexican drug cartelsJohn KellyDiosdado CabelloTarek El Aissami2013 Venezuelan presidential election2015 Venezuelan parliamentary electionsSimon Bolivar AirportUnited States District Court for the Southern District of New YorkRevolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)Caracas, VenezuelaSan Pedro SulaHondurasCaracasRoatánJuan Manuel Gálvez International AirportCessna Citation 500New York CityToussaint Louverture International AirportMiranda rightsWestchester County AirportWhite Plains, New Yorkstep sondiplomatic immunityEl Dorado International AirportBogota, ColombiaInterpolwarrantCartel of the SunsUnited States of America v. Campo and Floreslife in prisoninformed of their rightsexhibitUnited States Attorney Office in Manhattanfederal offenseGlobovisiónÚltimas NoticiasBruce BagleyUniversity of MiamiTareck El AissamiAssociated PressHannah DreierJames FoleyAlex SaabMatthew John HeathBharara, PreetUnited States District Court Southern District of New YorkReutersThe GuardianLa PatillaInfobaeTal CualEl MundoDow Jones & Company, Inc.El TiempoInSight CrimeUnivisionInsightCrimeThe New York TimesFox News LatinoLa PrensaMiami HeraldDolarTodayEl Nuevo HeraldCrisis in VenezuelaProtests against Nicolás MaduroVenezuelan presidential crisisHistory of Venezuela (1999–present)COVID-19 pandemicEconomic crisisBolivarian missionsBolivarian RevolutionBolivarianismCensorshipChavismoDefectionsDevaluation of the Venezuelan bolívarEconomic policies under Nicolás MaduroEnergy crisisZulia energy collapseHyperinflationIllegal drug tradeInternational sanctionsU.S. sanctionsInterventions of political partiesNegotiationsRefugee crisis and diasporaResource shortagesState protectorsState-sponsored terrorismStates of emergency in VenezuelaCatatumbo campaignPemon conflictCoronavirus pandemicColombian diplomatic crisisDeath of Franklin BritoPDVAL affairParliamentary electionIII National Assembly of VenezuelaAmuay tragedyPresidential electionRegional electionsDeath of Hugo ChávezDakazoMunicipal electionsLa Salida2014 protests