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Venezuela’s new VP’s Hezbollah connection UPDATED

Emili Blasco, author of Boomerang Chavez: The Fraud That Led to Venezuela’s Collapse, reports that Nicolás Maduro’s new vice-president is none other than Tarek El Aissami, who, as you may recall has been tied to the Cartel of the Suns and to Islamic networks. El Aissmi was a key figure as Hugo Chávez allowed Hezbollah, Hamas and al-Qaeda to use Venezuela as a bridge to other Latin American countries.

Blasco asserts that El Aissami’s ascension blows the pretense of dialogue with the opposition (link in Spanish), and that

“El cambio sitúa a El Aissami como número dos del Gobierno, restando poder a Diosdado Cabello, quien, aunque fuera del Ejecutivo, se venía considerando como el segundo hombre fuerte del chavismo.”
[my translation: The change places El Aissami as number two in the government, subtracting power from Diosdado Cabello, who, even not in the Executive branch, was regarded as chavismo’s second strongman.]

There’s also the issue of succession, as the country becomes more unstable,

“Con este nombramiento, el exministro de Justicia e Interior y hasta ahora gobernador de Aragua se coloca en excelente posición para la sucesión de Maduro en el caso de que en el chavismo se produjera un relevo. Si debido a la crisis económica y humanitaria de Venezuela, Maduro se viera forzado a dejar el poder, su vicepresidente le sustituiría hasta las elecciones presidenciales de finales de 2018.”
[my translation: With this nomination, the former Minister of Justice and Interior and current governor of Aragua is in an excellent position as Maduro’s successor would chavismo need an heir. If Maduro was forced to leave office due to Venezuela’s economic and humanitarian crisis, his vice-president would serve until the 2018 presidential elections.]

The WSJ explains:

The governor takes the vice presidency amid a push by the opposition to oust Mr. Maduro through a recall referendum, which polls show the highly unpopular president would likely lose if it were to take place.

Mr. El Aissami would assume the presidency if a referendum takes place and Mr. Maduro were to lose, although the proposed vote is tied up in courts amid government allegations that the opposition used fraudulent signatures in its petition.

El Aissami is not the only cabinet member who the U.S. is investigating on drug charges. Hugo’s brother, Adán Chávez, was named Minister of Culture, and Néstor Reverol, the current interior minister, last year was indicted on drug-smuggling charges by the U.S., highlighting, in Blasco’s opinion, Venezuela’s emergence as a narcostate.

UPDATE
Essential listening on El Aissami (h/t The Tower):

Update 2
Must-read: Venezuela’s New VP is a Suspected Drug Smuggler with Ties to Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah

The Wall Street Journal reported in 2014 that while El Aissami was its governor, Aragua was home to the explosives company Parchin Chemical Industries and the drone-makers Qods Aviation, two companies owned by Iran’s military and sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council for their involvement in the Islamic Republic’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

After Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif visited Venezuela last August, Emanuele Ottolenghi, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, speculated that one of the reasons for the trip was to shore up Iran’s ballistic missile program. Ottolenghi cited a recently-discovered contract between the two countries to jointly produce solid rocket fuel.

RELATED:
From Nov. 2014: The Iran-Cuba-Venezuela NexusThe West underestimates the growing threat from radical Islam in the Americas.
From August 2016: [Iran’s foreign minister] Zarif Leveraging Latin America Trip to Boost Iran’s Ballistic Missile Program

Cross-posted at WoW! Magazine.



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Venezuela: Border open, FARC in UPDATED

Emili Blasco, author of Boomerang Chavez: The Fraud That Led to Venezuela’s Collapse (which I highly recommend), writes at Spain’s ABC, Abierta la frontera porque las FARC ya prepararon su retaguardia [Border opened since FARC has its backup ready] (my translation),

√ Maduro’s decision to open the crossings with Colombia shows that the peace accord announcement is ready

√ The guerrilla could have used the “border truce” to leave men and weapons in Venezuela

√ The verification of the existence of cocaine labs in Venezuela shows that the guerrilla wants to keep its business

Until recently, cocaine was not processed in Venezuela, but the DEA confirmed that now it is. Blasco also writes that the above information was later confirmed by an on-location report from journalist Dámaso Jiménez, writing at Vértice, who quotes indigenous people’s testimony regarding the Venezuelan military’s activities in the Sierra de Perijá:

“We  fear that, following the signing of the Colombian peace agreement, much of Venezuela’s land may be occupied by FARC and ELN militants with the support of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces.”

In other Venezuelan news, Carlos Eire found that the New York Times has some unkind things to say about Cubazuela, namely, A Looming Clash in Venezuela,

Venezuela’s electoral commission signaled last week that a referendum that could oust President Nicolás Maduro will not be held before the end of the year. That was hardly a surprise, but it puts Venezuela on a dangerous — and avoidable — collision course.

It may be avoidable, if the government was interested in hearing what the people have to say.

But it is not.

Instead, any acts of civil disobedience will be punished with more repression.

UPDATE
Venezuela News & Views had reported on the FARC-Vz corridor in 2012, The building up of a FARC/drug corridor in Venezuela and 2013 Nelson Bocaranda confirms what this blog wrote in November 2012. Must-read each.



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Mexico: El Chapo’s notes from underground, VIDEO

Penn first met in person with El Chapo’s son under Chavista Cartel de los Soles protection in Venezuela’s Margarita Island.

El Chapo snuck out of the house during the Mexican Marines’ raid through a tunnel, bring us today’s Capt. Louis Renault moment:
‘El Chapo’ Nearly Foiled Capture With Another Tunnel. Mexican Marines took nearly 90 minutes to find the drug lord’s tunnel

Video published Monday by Mexican broadcaster Televisa revealed details of the secret tunnel used by Mr. Guzmán to slip away from marines as they stormed a house he was using in the coastal city of Los Mochis. He was arrested hours later trying to leave the city in a stolen car.

The tunnel was hidden behind a closet mirror, featured a secret switch hidden in the ceiling, and had electricity and wooden planks covering the walls, the images showed. Marines took nearly 90 minutes to find the tunnel and open the access, giving him a big head start.

Mr. Guzmán, the world’s most notorious drug lord and leader of the Sinaloa cartel, has a long history with tunnels. He is widely credited with pioneering the use of tunnels to ferry drugs across the U.S.-Mexico border, and used tunnels in recent years to elude capture as Mexico’s most-wanted criminal. He then famously used a mile-long tunnel to escape from prison last July.

Were he living, Dosto may have something to say on Chapo’s underground tendencies.

By now, shouldn’t Chapo (Shorty) be named El Topo (Mole)?

But I digress.

Here’s Televisa‘s coverage (in Spanish). Here’s the video from the Marines’ unit commander’s go-pro camera.

Anonymous Mexico released an embeddable version,

While the house was raided,

[El Chapo] fled through a secret door concealed by a mirror. He hid in a tunnel, until rainwater forced him out. An armed Guzman then stole a car, before finally being arrested.

As for Sean Penn’s October movie deal with El Chapo under the guise of an interview,

Penn agreed that El Chapo

would have the final edit of the resulting story.Penn also agreed not to alert authorities to the killer’s whereabouts

And it all comes down to this: Sean Penn Perpetuates Narco-Worship in a Blood-Stained Country

The main reason for the bloodshed in Mexico since the early part of 2000‘s comes from Guzman’s efforts to take control of the entire Northern Mexican border with the United States. While the expansion has been partly successful, the land-grab has resulted in thousands of deaths as rival cartels and former allies have at different times taken arms to protect their turf.

El Chapo’s attempt to take Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, led that massive drug trafficking corridor to become the Murder Capital of the world. The violence came when El Chapo’s forces clashed with the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes Organization, also known as the Juarez Cartel.

Even before Juarez, El Chapo and his then allied the Beltran Leyva cartel had unsuccessfully tried to take over the Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. That effort was met with a violent response from the Gulf Cartel and their enforcers Los Zetas. Gruesome executions and fierce clashes between convoys of gunmen became a regular sight.

Some maintain that, If Stupidity Were a Crime, Sean Penn Would Be the Fugitive. But see for yourself: you can read the interview (all nine thousand words) here. (Related: The Trouble With Sean Penn’s Chapo Interview)

But back to the underground,

I don’t agree with the stupidity part; Penn reportedly first met in person with El Chapo’s son under Chavista protection in Venezuela’s Ranchos de Chana resort at Margarita Island, according to Spanish journalist Emili Blasco (in Spanish), The meeting allegedly was sponsored by former chief of intelligence general Hugo Carvajal (a.k.a. El Pollo), who was indicted in the U.S. District Court accusing Carvajal of coordinating the transport of 5,600 kilos (6.17 tons) of cocaine from Venezuela to Mexico. Carvajal is a member of Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles, which sells drugs to the Sinaloa Cartel.

As I mentioned in July 2014,

Spanish journalist Emili Blasco reports that Carvajal allegedly “was in charge of procuring the drugs from the FARC and controlled the distribution process in the U.S. and Europe, along with laundering the drug money through PDVSA,” the government-owned oil company. Carvajal also is under investigation for his role on the attacks to the Colombian consulate and the Jewish center in Caracas.

Blasco reported in yesterday’s ABC that Venezuela security sources conveyed the information regarding the presence of El Chapo’s children to U.S. authorities, and that the Mexican government also would have been told.

Blasco mentions that DEA sources claim that El Chapo had visited Venezuela in August/September last year.

Right now El Chapo is back at the prison where he escaped from last year; According to Mexican officials, El Chapo’s extradition process could take at least a year.

Linked to by Ed Morrissey. Thank you!

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Venezuela: Let’s not get too carried away with the celebrations

It is now official:

Venezuelan electoral authorities have confirmed that the opposition has won a key two-thirds majority, enabling it to challenge President Nicolas Maduro.

Democratic Unity coalition won the necessary 112 of 167 congressional seats to gain a two-thirds supermajority.

There are positive reactions, Venezuela Awakens From Its 17-Year Socialist Nightmare, which it has. John Hinderaker said, HASTA LA VISTA, SOCIALISM!

As you may know, I am delighted that the opposition won decisively and overwhelmingly over the chavista‘s PSUV. I just can’t join Hinderaker in bidding socialism good-bye yet.

For instance, there’s the talk,

You talk in order to maintain the illusion a conversation is still possible. The voters in Venezuela, after 17 years of voting Chavismo into power, believe they can vote Maduro out of office. The opposition may now have 113 seats in a 167-member assembly, a two thirds majority.  Maduro gone, right?  Well not necessarily. As the Chavista president reminded the voters: voting out socialism is no ordinary matter. Whatever you do, you can’t stop the revolution.

Maduro’s arguments are another way of asserting what we hear from time to time. When the “gains” of  a messianic system become too great to reverse, they become too important to ever be given back. Other projects of equal weight, like the formation of the European Union, are of such importance that they adhere to the principle of “vote until you get it right.” For example,Ireland and Denmark were put through two referendums until they accepted the desired result. In the things that really matter, the moral arc of history — not uninformed public opinion — gets the last word.

The tweet,
“Here we are, the children of Bolívar and Chávez, [standing] Firm!!! #WithOurMoraleIntact”
The poster reads [my translation],


“No crying in defeat”

It was precisely that aspect of Lenin’s activity which allowed him to build an army of soldiers committed to the end to our cause, and confident in its strength.
Josef Stalin’s speech to Kremlin army cadets

[Note: I could not verify that the quote is authentic, but the message is clear.]

The chavistas are not happily riding into the sunset, there are plenty of foreign actors involved in Venezuela (Cuba, the FARC, Iran and its proxy Hezbollah), the opposition is not a uniform lot, and the people are impatient for results.

A lot can happen between now and the new National Assembly’s January 5th inauguration.

Bonus, in Spanish,
Emili Basco: El chavismo quiso romper el proceso electoral y posponerlo. Una operación opositora colocó inhibidores de señal en 1.600 centros; eso bloqueó las comunicaciones de los activistas del PSUV para el fraude



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Venezuela issuing passports, voter registrations, to Hezbollah & Syrians

The alarm clock keeps ringing:

When you think of large scale Muslim immigration population explosions, most people think of Europe. Here are two items pertaining Muslims in Venezuela.

First item:

Back in 2003, Rahaman Alan Hazil Muhamaad, apparently from Syria, was arrested at London’s Gatwick Airport for carrying a grenade in his luggage. Now he turns up as a registered voter in Venezuela:

“Hazil Muhammad Rahaman jailed terrorist in London, carried Venezuelan diplomatic passport, and votes in Aragua”

Second item:

Venezuela Sold Immigration Documents to Hezbollah Terrorists. Frances Martel reports,

A Venezuelan diplomat in hiding is accusing the socialist government of President Nicolás Maduro of selling visas, passports, and even falsified birth certificates out of its embassy in Baghdad to an estimated thousands of Middle Eastern citizens, including at least one confirmed Hezbollah terrorist.

A man identifying himself as Misael López Soto, advisor working out of the Venezuelan embassy in Baghdad, says in a video uploaded to YouTube Wednesday evening that he has had to flee his official position following multiple death threats, after attempting to alert the government in Caracas that its satellite in Baghdad had become a marketplace for falsified documents.

Here’s the video, in Spanish,

(emphasis added)

López also tells the story of a Venezuelan female national who appealed for help from the embassy after her partner, an Iraqi national, beat her physically and attempted to take her to a Sharia court to deprive her of custody over her child. The partner, López says, “had multiple Venezuelan aliases and known ties to drug trafficking.” López says she was rescued and placed on a plane back to Venezuela thanks to his efforts, but the embassy refused to help her. The Venezuelan site Periodista Internacional has identified her as 19-year-old Genesis Torres. The site adds also that, having reached out to López, he estimated that up to 50,000 Middle Eastern nationals have managed to receive counterfeit Venezuelan documentation.

As with the Rahaman Alan Hazil Muhamaad case, they are allegedly registered to vote in the upcoming election,

Most alarmingly for Venezuelan citizens given the upcoming December 6 election, López claims those handed counterfeit Venezuelan documents are registered to vote in Venezuela. “Venezuelan embassies in the Middle East are used to document people that have nothing to do with Venezuela, in mny cases are tied to terrorist organizations,” he says. “Thousands of Arab citizens… have been documented as Venezuelans and are voters within the Venezuelan political system… manipulated by the current government at their convenience.”

I’ve been saying all along this will not be a “clean” election; just this week opposition candidate Luis Manuel Diaz was shot dead during a rally that was also attended by Lilian Tintori, the wife of jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez.

Martel mentions Nicolas Maduro’s deals with Hezbollah for training camps in Venezuela, a subject readers of this blog are familiar with, especially if you have read Emili Blasco’s book, Bumerán Chávez: Los fraudes que llevaron al colapso de Venezuela .

Again, we should be asking the question, SHOULD VENEZUELA BE ON THE LIST OF TERRORIST STATES?

The alarm clock keeps ringing.

UPDATE:
Linked to by Babalu blog. Thank you!

Linked to by Blue Brain. Thank you!

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