The evidence against the Cartel of the Suns comes from various sources, including the laptops of alias “Raúl Reyes,” the operational leader of the FARC who was killed during Operation Phoenix by the Colombian Armed Forces in Ecuador on the morning of March 1, 2008. The military found invaluable information on these computers related to the activities of the Colombian terrorist group, including those linking them to the Chavez hierarchy.
The extensive documentation from the laptops referenced the ongoing contact and meetings between the FARC and the Chavista elite, including Nicolás Maduro—then Foreign Minister under Hugo Chávez—Diosdado Cabello, Ramón Emilio Rodríguez Chacín, and Henry Rangel Silva, among others, as well as their business ties and financial connections.
Despite the Chavista regime’s denial of its links to the FARC at that time, made by Maduro himself in his role as foreign minister (1), published data and subsequent admissions—such as the guilty pleas of Cliver Alcalá Cordones and Hugo “El Pollo” Carvajal in U.S. federal courts—confirm these ties. Moreover, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a prestigious British think tank specializing in global defense and security matters, alongside Interpol (2), certified the authenticity of the information as well.
Contents of Raúl Reyes’s Laptop
In a series of communications attributed to members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), former guerrilla leader Rodrigo Granda Escobar, alias “Ricardo,” made several references to Nicolás Maduro while he served as a deputy and, later, as Foreign Minister during Hugo Chávez’s government.
The messages, dated between 2002 and 2007, are part of the emails extracted from Raúl Reyes’s laptops, alias for Luis Edgar Devía Silva, following the Colombian military operation in Ecuadorian territory.
In a message from January 8, 2002, Granda reported on a conversation with deputies Nicolás Maduro, Tarek William Saab, and Marelis Pérez, whom he invited to a meeting in Mexico, sending “a special greeting for Raúl [Reyes].”
Later, in another email dated June 7, 2002, it was mentioned that Pedro Carreño and Nicolás Maduro sent “a big hug” to Commander Raúl Reyes, in addition to proposing the drafting of a document “for the coordination of a long-term plan.” In the same message, Granda referred to alleged irregularities and corruption rumors involving Maduro, Carreño, and deputy Cilia Flores.
In a communication from April 19, 2003, Maduro reappeared among the names of attendees at bilateral meetings held by FARC delegates with various Latin American political and social actors, including Evo Morales, Ismael García, and Tarek William Saab.
Furthermore, in an email dated May 18, 2004, Granda mentioned Maduro alongside Diosdado Cabello and William Lara, stating that within Chavismo’s circle, there were “huge deals through PDVSA” and internal tensions seeking to remove Hugo Chávez from power.
In a message dated December 31, 2007, French diplomat Noël Saez conveyed a message “from Minister Nicolás Maduro,” who requested the FARC’s coordinates to initiate a humanitarian rescue operation, involving President Chávez and the Venezuelan government.
From Ideology to Pragmatism
The late Hugo Chávez began establishing ties with Colombian insurgent groups (FARC and ELN) and even advocated for their international recognition as a belligerent group rather than a terrorist one—according to Chavismo—while their relationship evolved from ideological affinity to more pragmatic actions, such as drug trafficking as a funding mechanism. The case of Cilia Flores’s nephews—Efraín Antonio Campo Flores and Franqui Francisco Flores de Freitas— convicted by U.S. justice, also corroborates this.
Moreover, decades of investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice led to the indictment presented in 2020 before the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against Nicolás Maduro, Diosdado Cabello, Hugo “El Pollo” Carvajal, Clíver Alcalá Cordones, Luciano Marín Arango alias “Iván Márquez,” and Seuxis Paucis Hernández Solarte alias “Jesús Santrich,” which was later expanded.
“For over 20 years, Maduro and several high-ranking colleagues allegedly conspired with the FARC, leading to the influx of tons of cocaine and devastation in American communities,” stated the Justice Department’s note announcing the indictment against Maduro’s regime for narco-terrorism (3).
What the Indictment States
Specifically, the indictment states that “the defendants participated in a corrupt and violent narco-terrorism conspiracy between the Cartel of the Suns of Venezuela and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)” and adds that Nicolás Maduro “negotiated shipments of several tons of cocaine produced by the FARC; ordered the Cartel of the Suns to provide military-grade weapons to the FARC; coordinated foreign affairs with Honduras and other countries to facilitate large-scale drug trafficking; and requested assistance from FARC leadership to train an unsanctioned militia group that essentially functioned as an army unit for the Cartel of the Suns.”
Among the actions undertaken by Maduro and the other defendants that support the accusation are:
Accused(s) main(s)Specific activityKey periodMaduro, Cabello, and CarvajalHigh-level coordination and abuse of power: agreed with the FARC to provide cash and military weapons (machine guns, rocket launchers) in exchange for greater cocaine production. Maduro abused his authority as Foreign Minister to ensure that the border with Colombia remained open for drug trafficking and later, as president, requested the FARC to train an armed militia in Venezuela.2008 – 2014Maduro MorosMoney laundering and funding: received USD 5 million in drug proceeds from the FARC through a money laundering scheme involving the purchase of palm oil extraction equipment in Malaysia. Also, as an Assembly member, was instructed by Chávez to remove judges who did not protect FARC activities.2005 – 2006Maduro, Cabello, and CarvajalStrategic air trafficking and response to seizures: discussed a shipment of four tons of cocaine (2009). Following the seizure of 1.3 tons of cocaine in Paris (2013), Maduro told Cabello and Carvajal to stop using Maiquetía Airport. Later, authorized the arrest of junior military officers to divert public scrutiny from his own involvement.2009 – 2013Cabello and CarvajalCoordination of mass shipments: coordinated the shipment of 5.6 tons of cocaine on a DC-9 jet from Maiquetía, Venezuela, to Mexico (2006).2006Cabello RondónDirect delivery of weapons: personally participated in the delivery of machine guns, ammunition, and rocket launchers to the FARC as partial payment for the received cocaine.2015Chávez/PDVSA (Agreement with Marín Arango)Use of state funds: agreed with Marín Arango (Iván Márquez) to use funds from the state oil company PDVSA to support FARC’s drug trafficking operations and terrorism.2008Relatives of Maduro (Campo Flores and Flores de Freitas)Use of presidential infrastructure: agreed to dispatch cocaine shipments from Maduro’s presidential hangar at Maiquetía Airport.2015Hernández Solarte (Jesús Santrich)Ground operations and trafficking: received USD 300,000 to help establish a cocaine processing camp for the FARC near Apure, Venezuela. Later agreed to provide several tons of cocaine to confidential sources of the DEA for importation to the U.S.2003 – 2017Maduro and CabelloGovernment pressure: pressured the Dutch government and Aruba for the release of Carvajal Barrios following his provisional arrest (2014).
Watch on Sin Filtros “Venezuela, the main threat in the region”:
Consulted sources:
1) Caracol. (April 1, 2008). “Venezuela does not recognize the documents from ‘Raúl Reyes’ computer.” Available at: https://caracol.com.co/radio/2008/04/01/nacional/1207057560_571126.html?outputType=amp
2) Military Logistics Agency. (June 12, 2008). “Interpol’s report leaves no doubt about the authenticity of the contents of Raúl Reyes’s computer.” Available at: https://www.agencialogistica.gov.co/informe-de-interpol-no-deja-duda-sobre-autenticidad-de-los-contenidos-de-computador-de-raul-reyes/
3) U.S. Department of Justice. (March 26, 2020). “Nicolás Maduro Moros and 14 Current and Former Venezuelan Officials Charged with Narco-Terrorism, Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Criminal Charges.” Available at: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/nicol-s-maduro-moros-and-14-current-and-former-venezuelan-officials-charged-narco-terrorism