In the criminal structure of the Cartel de los Soles, Ramón Rodríguez Chacín plays a critical role as a link between the terrorist guerrillas of the FARC, the ELN, and the Chavista regime, initially led by the late Hugo Chávez and subsequently by his successor, the ousted dictator, Nicolás Maduro Moros.
This is highlighted in accusations made in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against Nicolás Maduro Moros and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were captured on January 3, 2026, by U.S. law enforcement following requests from the justice system of that country.
Rodríguez Chacín is part of the group that includes the aforementioned— the ex-dictator and his wife—alongside Nicolás Ernesto Maduro Guerra, known as “Nicolasito,” and Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, known as “Niño Guerrero.” All of these individuals are key figures in the Cartel de los Soles, designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the U.S. government and accused of narcoterrorism.
Who is Ramón Rodríguez Chacín?
Ramón Rodríguez Chacín is a Venezuelan politician and former member of the Armed Forces who served as Minister of Interior and Justice from 2002 to 2008 and is a fundamental part of the criminal structure of the Cartel de los Soles. He also served as governor of Guárico state.
Born in Santa Ana, Anzoátegui state, on November 9, 1951, Rodríguez Chacín attended the Naval School of Venezuela, graduating with a degree in Naval Sciences and the rank of Ensign. He holds a master’s degree in National Security and Defense and a doctorate in Political Science. At the time of his retirement from the National Armed Forces, he held the rank of Captain of the Ship. During his military career, he earned the nickname “Rambo” Rodríguez Chacín. He is a founding member of the V Republic Movement (MVR) and the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).
In 1988, he was part of the José Antonio Páez Specific Command (CEJAP) of the FANB, an entity that, alongside the then Technical Judicial Police—now the Scientific, Penal, and Criminal Investigations Corps (CICPC)—and the Intelligence and Prevention Services Directorate (formerly DISIP), was involved in the infamous “Amparo massacre” in October 1988.
Hugo Chávez appointed him as Minister of Interior and Justice twice between 2002 and 2008. From this position, he coordinated “Operation Emmanuel,” which led to the release of hostages held by the FARC, including notable figures Clara Rojas and Consuelo González. He was elected governor of Guárico state in 2012 and served as a witness during the exploratory phase of the Peace Process in Colombia. Under Nicolás Maduro’s regime, he was elevated in 2013 to the rank of Rear Admiral while already retired.
The El Amparo Massacre: A Sad Role
On October 29, 1988, the town of El Amparo, located in the Páez municipality of Apure state, bordering Colombia, witnessed one of the most tragic events in Venezuelan history. That day, fourteen individuals were killed, initially identified as guerrillas, but later revealed to be a group of fishermen.
Ramón Rodríguez Chacín—currently identified as a significant figure in the Cartel de los Soles and a mediator with Colombian terrorist groups—was among the perpetrators, as he was part of CEJAP engaged in combating Colombian subversive groups.
Two men survived the incident, bringing the total to 16. They were Wolmer Gregorio Pinilla and José Augusto Arias, who were processed and sentenced in military justice as accused of military rebellion, under the laws of the time, due to being considered subversives. After a long process, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled their innocence in 1995, ordering compensation and investigations into the perpetrators. This never occurred, and Rodríguez Chacín, having been identified as one of the intellectual authors of the event, remains unpunished to this day alongside the other responsible.
Coup Plotter in 1992
Ramón Rodríguez Chacín was part of the group of military personnel involved in the second coup attempt of 1992 against then-President Carlos Andrés Pérez. As a result of these events, he was imprisoned after being processed and sentenced. However, during Rafael Caldera’s administration, he was released in 1994 along with the other involved military personnel, including the leader, Hugo Chávez.
From Coup Plotter to Minister of Interior and Justice and Governor
Once Hugo Chávez came to power, he appointed Ramón Rodríguez Chacín as Minister of Interior and Justice after Luis Miquilena resigned from the position in 2002 following the events of April 11 that left Chávez out of the presidency for three days. He held this position until May of that year but returned to office for a second term from January 5, 2008, to September 10, 2008, when he resigned for “strict personal reasons,” leading to Tareck El Aissami’s succession.
Ramón Rodríguez Chacín won the governorship of Guárico state on December 16, 2012.
Mediator with Colombian Terrorist Guerrillas
A reflection of the role described in his accusations in NY as a link with Colombian terrorist groups can be seen in the mediation role Hugo Chávez assigned him. Firstly, he worked on the release of the Venezuelan businessman kidnapped by Colombian paramilitaries, Richard Boulton; secondly, as the special coordinator of Operation Emmanuel in December 2007, which facilitated the delivery of the child of politician Clara Rojas, who was kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
In July 2021, the NGO Fundaredes requested the Venezuelan prosecutor’s office to investigate former Interior Minister and Guárico Governor Ramón Rodríguez Chacín and his wife, Carola de Rodríguez, due to their alleged ties with the ELN guerrilla. The request for investigation was based on the supposed existence of safehouses in Barinas for ELN leaders and dissidents from the FARC. Some of these houses are claimed to be owned by Rodríguez Chacín.
Sanctioned by OFAC
On September 11, 2008, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of Treasury imposed sanctions on Ramón Rodríguez Chacín, along with Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios, head of the Military Intelligence Directorate, and Henry de Jesús Rangel Silva, director of the Venezuelan secret police, for their support of FARC’s narcotrafficking activities.
The Accusation in New York Against the Cartel de los Soles
A Grand Jury in the Southern District of New York filed formal charges detailing a criminal conspiracy orchestrated by members of the Cartel de los Soles, a foreign terrorist organization comprising members of Nicolás Maduro’s regime.
Among the accused is Ramón Rodríguez Chacín, who since 1999, along with Maduro Moros and Diosdado Cabello Rondón, has maintained ties with narcoterrorists from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the National Liberation Army (ELN), the Sinaloa Cartel, Los Zetas, and the Aragua Train (TDA), led by his associate Héctor Rustenford Guerrero Flores, alias “Niño Guerrero,” who is also under indictment.
These defendants have worked for decades with highly violent drug traffickers and narcoterrorists to distribute tons of cocaine to the United States, according to the accusation.
During his tenure as governor of Guárico from 2012 to 2017, as well as during his time in the Ministry of Interior and Justice, Ramón Rodríguez Chacín reportedly facilitated “the empowerment and growth of violent narcoterrorist groups funded by cocaine profits.”
In 2008, Ramón Rodríguez Chacín maintained an extensive ranch in Barinas state, which housed about 200 FARC members. This site is said to have served both as a camp and as a training school for the Colombian terrorist group. For this reason, Rodríguez Chacín allegedly paid tens of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for protection from drug traffickers and to avoid arrest and extradition. During meetings with these traffickers between 2008 and 2010, Rodríguez Chacín discussed the trafficking of tons of cocaine with various officials, including Hugo Carvajal Barrios.
The indictment also states that between 2018 and 2019, Rodríguez Chacín traveled multiple times from Barinas state to Caracas with a key FARC leader to meet with Nicolás Maduro Moros. The latter appointed him as protector of the FARC and the ELN. The meetings occurred in the Miraflores government palace, at Fuerte Tiuna, and at the Ministry of Defense headquarters.
Rodríguez Chacín faces charges of Conspiracy of Narcoterrorism, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machine Guns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machine Guns and Destructive Devices.