 Campo (second from left) and Flores (third from right) following their arrest. | |
| Date | 10 November 2015 |
|---|---|
| Location | Port-au-Prince, Haiti |
| Suspects | Efraín Antonio Campo Flores, Francisco Flores, Roberto de Jesus Soto Garcia and others. |
TheNarcosobrinos affair (Spanish fordrug-nephews) is the situation of events that surrounded two nephews of Venezuelan PresidentNicolás Maduro and his wifeCilia Flores who were arrested for narcotics trafficking. The nephews,Efraín Antonio Campo Flores andFrancisco Flores de Freitas, were arrested on 10 November 2015 by theUnited States Drug Enforcement Administration inPort-au-Prince,Haiti after attempting to transport 800 kilograms (1,800 lb) ofcocaine into theUnited States.[1][2] A year later on 18 November 2016, the two nephews were found guilty, with the cash allegedly destined to "help their family stay in power".[3] On 14 December 2017, the two weresentenced to 18 years of imprisonment.[4]
In October 2022 Campos and Flores were released and sent to Venezuela as aprisoner swap reached with United States in exchange of five Venezuelan-American directors of the oil refinery corporationCITGO (part of theCitgo Six) imprisoned in Venezuela.[5]
The wordNarcosobrinos is the wordnarco, meaning "drug dealer", followed bysobrinos, which translates to "nephews". Its translation could therefore be "drug dealer nephews". The term derived from the media which focused on the relation of drug dealing charges to President Maduro's nephews.[6][7][8][9][10][11]
According toJackson Diehl, Deputy Editorial Page Editor ofThe Washington Post, the Bolivarian government of Venezuela shelters "one of the world's biggest drug cartels". There have been allegations of former presidentHugo Chávez being involved with drug trafficking.[12] In May 2015,The Wall Street Journal reported from United States officials that drug trafficking in Venezuela increased significantly with Colombian drug traffickers moving from Colombia to Venezuela due to pressure from law enforcement.[13] OneUnited States Department of Justice official described the higher ranks of the Venezuelan government and military as "a criminal organization", with high ranking Venezuelan officials being accused of drug trafficking.[13] Those involved with investigations stated that Venezuelan government defectors and former traffickers had given information to investigators and that details of those involved in government drug trafficking were increasing.[13] Anti-drug authorities have also accused some Venezuelan officials of working withMexican drug cartels.[14]
At a presentation at the XXXII International Conference on Drugs in 2015, commander of theUnited States Southern Command GeneralJohn Kelly stated that though relations with other Latin American nations countering drug trafficking has been good, Venezuela was not as cooperative and that "there's a lot of cocaine leaving Venezuela to the world market". General Kelly also stated that almost all shipments of cocaine using aircraft comes out of Venezuela and that since 2013 to early-2014, the route of drug trafficking aircraft has changed from heading to Central America to primarily traveling through Caribbean islands.[15] TheNarcosobrinos 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 PresidentDiosdado Cabello, and Governor of Aragua StateTarek El Aissami.[17]
Campo Flores and Flores de Freitas were involved in illicit activities such as drug trafficking and possibly financially assisted President Maduro's presidential campaign in the2013 Venezuelan presidential election and potentially for the2015 Venezuelan parliamentary elections.[17][18] One informant stated that the two would often fly out of Terminal 4 ofSimon Bolivar Airport, a terminal reserved for the president.[17][18]
The nephews and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) informants met on multiple occasions in Haiti, Honduras and Venezuela while every meeting "produced an audio recording plus three to seven videos".[19] Campo and Flores planned to ship cocaine supplied by theRevolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to the United States and sought for assistance with their plans.[20] On 3 October 2015, a confidential DEA informant known as CW-1 and his employee "El Flaco" were contacted by a Venezuelan contact known as "Hamudi" who introduced Campo and Flores to the informant.[21][22]
The next day on 4 October 2015, the two flew from Venezuela toSan Pedro Sula,Honduras, with nephews stating that they would use their connections to send narcotics on legal flights fromCaracas, Venezuela toRoatán, Honduras, knowing that their relation to the president "would open doors for the smuggling operation".[2][19]
In late-October, CS-1, who presented himself as a Mexican drug boss and CS-2, presenting himself as an associate of CS-1, flew to Caracas, Venezuela to meet with the nephews.[2] Around 23 October 2015, CS-1 and CS-2 met with the nephews, with Campo stating that he was "the one in charge" and that "we're at war with the United States ... with Colombia ... with the opposition".[2] Campo also reassured the two informants that the cocaine shipments would not be tracked by law enforcement because the plane would "depart from here as if ... some from our family were on the plane".[2] Days later on 26 October 2015, Campo stated that the two were to ship cocaine and were seeking to raise about $20 million, explaining that CW-1 would be paid about $900,000 to receive the cocaine in Honduras.[2] The next day on 27 October 2015, Campo and Flores presented a kilogram of cocaine to CS-1 and CS-2 to show its purity, with the informants believing that the purity was between 95%-97%.[2] On 5 November 2015, informant CS-3 met with co-defendant Roberto de Jesus Soto Garcia to plan on how to receive the cocaine in Honduras.[2] Soto explained the schedule at theJuan Manuel Gálvez International Airport in Roatán, Honduras and stated that the load of cocaine would then be "arranged with all of those inside of the airport".[2]
On 10 November 2015, Campo Flores and Flores de Freites were flown intoPort-au-Prince,Haiti by two Venezuelan military personnel accompanied by two presidential honor guards carrying more than 800 kilograms (1,800 lb) ofcocaine destined forNew York City.[19][1][16][23][24] The jet was aCessna Citation 500 that belonged to Lebanese Venezuelan businessmen Majed and Khaled Khalil Majzoun, who were linked to old projects of theHugo Chávez government and close to high ranking Venezuelan politicianDiosdado Cabello.[25] CS-1 met with the nephews at a restaurant of a hotel nearToussaint Louverture International Airport and was supposed to pay them $5 million for the cocaine.[2][19] CS-1 then left into the bathroom and the HaitianBrigade de Lutte contre le Trafic de Stupéfiants (BLTS) and DEA agents raided the restaurant after identifying themselves, apprehending the nephews.[2][19] The BLTS personnel wore fatigues and vests that read "POLICE" so they would be able to be identified as well.[2] Campos and Flores were later turned over to the DEA and read theirMiranda rights after boarding the DEA plane, being flown directly toWestchester County Airport inWhite Plains, New York in order to face an immediate trial.[2][19][16][23][24]
The two were interviewed separately on the DEA plane.[19] Campo stated on the DEA plane that he was the adoptedstep son of President Maduro and that he grew up in the Maduro household while being raised by Flores.[16][24] He was also shown a picture of a man with a kilo package of cocaine replying "That's me" and when asked what was in the package he said "You know what it is".[19] The two men possessed Venezuelan diplomatic passports but did not havediplomatic immunity according to former head of DEA international operations Michael Vigil.[18][23] A later raid of Efraín Antonio Campo Flores' "Casa de Campo" mansion and yacht in the Dominican Republic revealed an additional 280 lb (130 kg) of cocaine and 22 lb (10 kg) of heroin, with 176 lb (80 kg) of the drugs found in the home while the remainder was discovered in his yacht.[26]
Due to the extradition process, New York courts could not apprehend those who assisted the nephews on their way to Haiti,[18] though a pilot was later arrested. It was also stated by those close to the case that there are more sealed warrants linked to the incident.[27]
On 28 October 2016, a Honduran man, Roberto de Jesús Soto García, was arrested in Honduras and extradited to the United States. According to authorities, Soto García was responsible for transporting drug shipments fromJuan Manuel Gálvez International Airport. Soto García provided information about the port and was supposed to take the drugs from the nephews into the United States.[28]
In June 2016, Yazenky Antonio Lamas Rondón, the pilot of the plane which transported the cocaine and the two nephews, was arrested at theEl Dorado International Airport inBogota, Colombia after the DEA andInterpol put out awarrant for his arrest. According to the DEA, Lamas Rondón piloted over 100 flights over the span of a decade from Venezuela which trafficked various drugs throughout Latin America. He is also believed to be involved with theCartel of the Suns, a group of corrupt drug trafficking Venezuelan officials.[29]
The nephews originally plead not guilty to the charges of conspiring to transport cocaine into the United States,[30] with the two facing up tolife in prison.[31] In trial papers filed on 1 July 2016, the nephews stated that they were notinformed of their rights when detained, attempting to suppress their statements that they made to DEA agents after their arrest.[31] However, on 22 July 2016, their statements made to DEA agents were filed asexhibit by theUnited States Attorney Office in Manhattan, with the two men confessing to their conspiracy to traffic cocaine into the United States that was supposed to be supplied by the Colombian guerilla group, theRevolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).[20] The pair hoped to make $20 million through multiple drug shipments.[20] A confidential informant posing as a leader of the Sinaloa cartel confessions testified that Efrain Campo planned to finance Cilia Flores' congressional campaign.[32]
On 18 November 2016, the jury reached a verdict finding the two nephews guilty of attempting to traffic drugs into the United States.[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.[21] Two weeks before the nephews were arrested, the Venezuelan known as "Hamudi" who introduced the nephews to CW-1 was murdered by FARC suppliers.[21] Weeks after the arrests in December 2015, CW-1 was murdered as well.[21]
It is thought to be that the nephews were not "the brains" of the trafficking attempt but were working under theCartel of the Suns. The murdering of informants was a possible way to cover possible involvement by Venezuelan officials. In the United States, the punishment for killing a witness is afederal offense punishable by up to life in prison or execution.[21]
In October 2022 Campos and Flores were released and sent to Venezuela as a settlement reached with the USA government in exchange of five Venezuelan-American directors of the oil refinery corporationCITGO (part of theCitgo Six), who were held in prison in Venezuela, accused of signing an agreement that was "unfavorable" for the Venezuelan subsidiary.[5]
International media focused on the events surrounding the nephews and their trial while Venezuelan media was largely censored from revealing that the two were related to the President Maduro and his wife.[33] Venezuelan media organizations likeGlobovisión andÚltimas Noticias only mentioned that "two Venezuelans" were charged with drug trafficking without showing any relation to the president's family, raising accusations of self-censorship.[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.[33]
According to drug trafficking expert,Bruce Bagley of theUniversity of Miami, "The nephews are just the tip of the iceberg ... Corruption is rampant in power circles in Venezuela. 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 ... They made a mistake because when the DEA heard their names they targeted them."[36]
After Maduro's nephews were apprehended by the DEA for the illegal distribution of cocaine on 10 November 2015, Maduro posted a statement on Twitter criticizing "attacks and imperialist ambushes" which was viewed by many media outlets as being directed towards the United States.[37][38] President Maduro's wife, Cilia Flores, accused the United States of kidnapping her nephews and said that she had proof that they were kidnapped by the DEA.[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 PresidentTareck El Aissami.[41]
Following the arrest of the nephews,Associated Press correspondentHannah Dreier was detained bySEBIN agents. She was then interrogated, being threatened with being beheaded in a way likeISIL did toJames Foley, saying they would release her for a kiss. They later stated that they wanted to exchange Dreier for President Maduro's nephews.[42]
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