30 Years, Venezuelan General Cleaver Alcala – Conflict and Drug Trafficking – Sentence Requested by US Justice for Justice

In an 18-page document known to EL TIEMPO, a United States judge asked the Federal Court in the Southern District of New York that Venezuelan Gen. Cleaver Alcala, former right-hand man of Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro and who defected from the regime in Caracas, serving 30 years in prison for drug trafficking and arms delivery to the disappeared FARC, particularly ‘Ivan Marquez’, now head of the ‘Segunda Marquetalia’ faction.(You may also be interested in: Court’s warning to woman who insists on seeking judgment in favor of abortion).In his defense, the court demanded a six-year jail sentence.

A hearing is scheduled for the afternoon of January 18th to determine what sentence the United States will impose on the former Chavista general. Cleaver alkali lacesWHO He pleaded guilty to two charges before a New York court.

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According to the prosecutor in the case, Alcala A “A powerful general in Venezuela’s Bolivarian armed forces who has supported the FARC for years”, What he describes as “a violent organization responsible for the production and distribution of most of the cocaine that reaches the United States”.

As the head of “thousands of armed soldiers,” Alcala protected the FARC and its partners from interference by the military and the Venezuelan justice system, and he delivered military materials to the guerrillas, the document obtained by this newspaper adds; But, that he conspired to ensure that this drug There was no interference in the FARC leaving Maiketia. “Largest airport in Venezuela.” “In return, Alcala received millions of dollars in bribes,” the request says.

The ex-military man was extradited from Colombia to the United States in 2020 and on June 29 last year pleaded guilty to “providing, aiding and abetting the provision of material support or resources” to the FARC and “Acquiring and transferring arms and ammunition, knowing reasonable grounds to believe that such arms and ammunition will be used for the federal offense of terrorism; and“

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In June 2023, at a hearing before a judge Alvin Hellerstein, the defendant, admitted that he provided arms and support to the FARC, a guerrilla group that he also allowed to move freely through Venezuela. According to himself.

According to his written confession, which he read at the hearing, since 2006, when he served As a general of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces of Venezuela, he provided support to the FARC.

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The judge asked him if he “prevented FARC members and their associates from being arrested by Venezuelan law enforcement agents.” Alcala said yes, adding that he also avoided contact between the Venezuelan armed forces and the FARC, so as not to persecute the guerrillas.

Likewise, Alcala affirmed that he had delivered weapons to the FARC, iwhich included 20 grenades and 3.5 grenade launchers, and said “half (went) to Mr. Luciano Marin Arango, And the other half belonged to Mr. Londo, to Timochenko, who at the time was “FARC’s number one and number two in the region corresponding to me in Venezuela.”

The blows of this matter

The harsh sentence requested by the Department of Justice – which relies directly on the White House – represents a wake-up call for the Maduro regime, the Venezuelan president who has also been prosecuted in the case and about whom the government The US has retained the million-dollar prize despite a relative diplomatic standoff between Washington and Caracas in recent months.

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The Justice Department says Alcala took bribes 150 thousand dollars for each shipment that leaves its area of ​​control, Especially in the state of Valencia.

The document reiterates that the so-called ‘Cartel of the Sun’, known as a criminal organization led by high-ranking members of the military and regime, “It was headed by the late President Hugo Chávez” and the colonel was replaced by Nicolás Maduro Moros.

The US These occupations, he says, arose in the middle of the Caguan negotiations, when the FARC and Chávez agreed to move camps and Drug trafficking ‘kitchens’ operate unimpeded in Venezuelan territory “and coca floods the north of the continent”.

The writing documents how Cleaver Alcala might have called it 2008 directly to the head of the Venezuelan National Guard to allow convoys to move across that country’s territory.And he was carrying at least a ton of FARC drugs and was detained at a checkpoint.

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The US Says Alcala received at least $2 million to $3 million in cash bribes. Also, Te Alcalá was arrested by the Venezuelan police in an operation that found 35 tons of cocaine in seven military trucks in Falcon state.. “Near the truck, police found the accused, who identified himself as a high-ranking military officer in the region.” “When an attempt was made to arrest him, the defendant told the police that they were interfering in a military matter and that there would be consequences.”

After he made some calls, they arrived at the scene. 80 members of the National Guard and a helicopter and police were ordered to erase all records of the incident. Apart from this, his computer and radio were also seized.“

Defense asks for 6 years

The defense of the Venezuelan general suggested to the authority that he should grant a reduction which Six years imprisonment due to four convictions. Among them he was limited to preventive detention, and the time of his arrest had to be taken into account. Imprisonment during Covid-19.

Regarding this, the judge suggested that “A sentence of 72 months on this basis would be grossly inappropriateand is dramatically out of step with the leniency accorded in other cases with defendants similarly incarcerated during the pandemic.”

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Moreover, he should be considered because of his age – 62 years – to which they replied He is in good healthHence such an argument is irrelevant.

“Third, defendant argues that the following variance is justified because ․ You will spend time in immigration detention until you can get asylum to a safe country, or ‘in the worst case, imprisonment and possibly torture and/or death after deportation to Venezuela,'” the decision reads.

The answer was that as a respondent you have the possibility to present a case to the immigration authorities regarding the corresponding asylum.

Finally, the fourth argument relates to the fact that Alcala stated that since he had family and friends, this was a factor taken into account in imposing the sentence for his defense. However, for authority At the time those family ties “did not prevent the defendants from providing material support to terrorists.”, including weapons of war. This argument urges the court to consider the family and friends of the accused rather than the many victims of the FARC.”

In conclusion, the statement that he should be sentenced to 72 months imprisonment “is completely offline with other cases of physical basis, and not taking into account all the seriousness of the situation of the accused.

@JusticiaET
Justice@elltiempo.com

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