Venezuela-Cuba Military Cooperation and the Narco-Terrorist Connection

Venezuela-Cuba Military Cooperation and the Narco-Terrorist Connection

Key Figures at the Head of the Oppressive Alliance

March 18, 2014 at 1:52 pm

By Pedro Roig



The rebellion of the Venezuelan youth, demanding the end of Nicolás

Maduro's presidency, has brought into the forefront the nature of a

regime that can be defined as a highly corrupt narco-terrorist state

supported by Cuban military forces and Colombian drug cartels.



Venezuela, a country of 29 million people, is blessed with a good

climate, rich land, the largest oil reserve in the world and access to

major industrial markets. It has every expectation of prospering and

becoming a modern, wealthy state. Yet the ruling oligarchy, led by the

late-Hugo Chávez and now Nicolás Maduro, understood their revolutionary

goal as a right to pillage the national wealth, turning the country into

a decrepit caricature of Cuba's Marxist failure and a secure route for

Colombia's narco-guerrilla to smuggle cocaine to the international markets.



The Cuban Connection



First and foremost, the Maduro government hold to power depends to a

large extent on Cuba's special forces of the Ministry of the Interior

(MININT) estimated at over 7,000. This is not counting medical and other

support personnel (over 30,000) deployed throughout Venezuela.



In addition, Cubans helped train several thousand trusted Chavistas.

Called collectivos, these motorcycle gangs can be seen in the videos and

pictures helping the National Guard repress peaceful protests and

shooting unarmed students (presently, more than 25 students have been

murdered and over 300 hundred wounded).



Currently, General Raul Castro has several high ranking officers

providing tactical and strategic advice to the Venezuelans, including

General Leonardo Ramón Andollo, second chief of the general staff of the

Ministry of the Armed Forces (MINFAR), Comandante Ramiro Valdés, former

head of Cuba's MININT, and General Carlos Fernández Gondin, second in

command of the Ministry of Interior. The first two have spent extended

periods of time in Venezuela organizing Cuba's support for Venezuela's

repressive apparatus:



"Comandante Histórico" Ramiro Valdés was trained by the efficient and

brutal East-German intelligence agency (STASI). Valdes was the first

chief of Cuba's repressive intelligence force (G-2). He is now Vice

President of the Council of State and member of Cuba's Communist Party

Politburo. Valdes has remained in Venezuela for extended periods

analyzing intelligence information on Venezuelan military, active and

potential opposition officers and retaliatory tactics to be enforced.

Ramón Andollo is a highly trusted link between Colombia's narco-guerilla

FARC and Venezuela's Armed Forces officers. For over 15 years, General

Andollo has been the principal liaison between the Colombian and

Venezuelan drug cartels. He has spent extended periods of time in

Venezuela. It is reported by MININT defectors that General Andollo has

met with Colombian guerrilla leaders in safe areas controlled by the

Venezuelan Cartel de los Soles.

Second in Command of Cuba's Ministry of Interior (MININT), General

Fernández Gondin and his staff officers are in overall command of

MININT's Special Forces (over 7,000) deployed in Venezuela.

In February of 1991, the documentary Cuba and Cocaine exposed Cuba's

involvement in narcotics trafficking. The production featured interviews

with Reinaldo Ruiz, a Cuban who admitted in US courts his involvement in

drug trafficking, Carlos Ledher, one of the founding members of the

Medellín Cartel, General Rafael del Piño, Cuba's highest ranking officer

who defected to the United States, and US Coast Guard Lieutenant

Commander Jeff Karonis, among others.



Following is the statement of Jeff Karonis in Cuba and Cocaine:



The scenario would be for a small twin-engine airplane with maybe 1,000

to 2,000 pounds of cocaine, fly over Cuba, drop the drugs to a

pre-designated rendezvous point to several boats.… many times it would

be under the eyes or at least a Cuban military vessel would be in the

immediate vicinity, right on scene with them.



After the fall of the Soviet Union, the Castro regime was in dire need

of cash that would replace the Soviet subsidies. During this period,

drug trafficking routes involving Nicaragua and Panama became prime

operational areas. These drug trafficking links surfaced in the

indictment against Carlos Lehder who admitted meeting with Raul Castro

to coordinate drug shipments. Lehder also testified in the Southern

District of Florida that Cuba controlled cocaine trafficking in Nicaragua.



The Cuba-Venezuela Drug-Trafficking Connection



In 1999, Hugo Chávez's rise to power in Venezuela changed the Castro

brother's focus to South America. The Cuban government became not only

interested in the large subsidies provided to them by Chávez's

government but also on the profitable drug trafficking routes already

existent on the Colombia-Venezuela border. Cuba's prior involvement in

narcotics trafficking proved to be a valuable component in a growing

partnership between Colombian and Venezuelan drug cartels, including

these two figures:



General Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios "El Pollo" is the director of

military counterintelligence of Venezuela. On September 12, 2008 the US

Department of the Treasury stated that General Armando Carvajal assisted

the Colombian narco-guerrilla (FARC) in smuggling drugs and weaponry. He

has been one of the most important links between Colombian drug cartels

and the Venezuelan Cartel de los Soles. He has used military vehicles,

aircraft, and watercraft for shipping drugs to Europe, Mexico, and the

United States.

Vassyly Kotosky Villarroel Ramírez is a former captain of Venezuela's

National Guard. In 2013, the US Department of the Treasury identified

Villarroel Ramiroz as aiding Mexican drug cartels and facilitating the

transportation of cocaine through Venezuelan territory. According to the

report, Villarroel Ramírez "provided security and protection when

cocaine loads and the proceeds from Mexico were smuggled from or into

Venezuela's Maiquetía International Airport via commercial or private

aircraft. He facilitated the cocaine loads from Colombia through

Venezuela in partnership with known drug traffickers.… The cocaine

shipments benefited Mexican drug trafficking organizations, specifically

the Sinaloa Cartel, Los Zetas, and the Beltran Leyva Organization."

Conclusion



During the past decade, Cuba and Venezuela have forged a close political

and military alliance. On the Cuban side, the Castro regime provides

Venezuela with military and security support. Several thousand Cuban

military personnel and advisers are now in the country. Several thousand

Cuban doctors are also in Venezuela as part of Castro's expanding

international medical programs. In addition, the Cuban military helped

establish a relationship between the Venezuelan military and the

Colombian narco-guerrilla, making Venezuela a major drug transshipment

point toward the United States and Europe.



According to economist Carmelo Mesa-Lago, Venezuela is providing an

estimated US$13 billion in yearly aid to Cuba, including 80,000-100,000

barrels of petroleum daily. The Maduro regime has also invested in

rebuilding the old Russian refinery of Cienfuegos.



Cuba has a major stake in Venezuela and in protecting these subsidies.

The recent increase in Cuban troops sent to Venezuela highlights the

Castros' commitment to the survival of the Chavista regime and their

concern with the growing violence in the country.



The most troubling aspects of this relationship are the growing drug

trafficking and the continuous opposition to US policies. The inclusion

of Iran in rounding out this triumvirate, has added a dimension of

strategic importance. The proximity of Cuba and Venezuela to the United

States makes the two countries ideal platforms for anti-American

activities, specifically in the event of a US conflict with Iran. These

two allies may be called upon to support Iranian policies and objectives.



This is an abridged version of the article "Venezuela-Cuba Military

Cooperation and the Narco-Terrorist Connection" by Pedro Roig.



Pedro Roig is senior research associate and lecturer at the Institute

for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies, University of Miami. Dr. Roig has

taught Cuban history courses at various institutions, and is the former

director of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB) – Radio & TV Marti. He

holds a Masters of Arts degree from University of Miami and a Juris

Doctor Degree from St. Thomas University. He has written several books

including The Death of a Dream: A History of Cuba and Marti: The Cuban

Struggle for Freedom. He is a veteran of the Brigade 2506.



Source: Venezuela-Cuba Military Cooperation and the Narco-Terrorist

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