Venezuelan Gov't Demonstrates Video Showing Guaido's Meeting With Drug Cartel In Colombia

MEXICO CITY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2019) Venezuelan Communication Minister Jorge Rodriquez demonstrated to President Nicolas Maduro a video that showed leaders of Los Rastrojos drug cartel accompanying Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido and some Colombian officials.

On September 13, the Venezuelan Prosecutor General's Office opened an investigation into suspected links of Guaido to Los Rastrojos, citing the photos, published by the Spanish newspaper El Pais, which showed the opposition leader together with the leaders of the gang. According to prosecutors, it was the drug cartel that helped Guaido to cross the Colombian-Venezuelan border despite the entry ban, imposed on the opposition leader by Caracas. On Friday, Rodriguez said that the Venezuelan authorities had detained a gang member, known as Nandito, who confirmed Los Ratrojos' involvement in transporting Guaido.

"Imagine that the Colombian municipality mayor embraced the people [from Los Rastrojos], known as Menor, Nandito and Poor Boss. They are wanted by the whole world, including the Interpol! These people conveyed Juan Guaido to the escort [of Colombian President] Ivan Duque. They drove up to the presidential helicopter at the stadium in Puerto Santander," Rodriquez said on Friday.

From Maduro's point of view, the idea to use Los Rastrojos for transporting Guaido to the Colombian-Venezuelan border belonged to the Colombian president.

"That was an order of the Colombian government to use Los Rastrojos for relocating Guaido. Hopefully, the Congress and other agencies will launch an investigation into this fact," the Venezuelan president noted.

Last week, Guaido told the Blu radio broadcaster that he had made hundreds of photos with various persons during the humanitarian concert in the Colombian border city of Cucuta and did not know that some of these people had links to Los Rastrojos.

Venezuela has been suffering from severe political crisis since late January when US-backed opposition leader Guaido proclaimed himself interim president in a bid to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from power. Maduro has accused Guaido of being a US puppet, working with Washington to orchestrate a coup so that the United States can control Venezuela's natural resources.

Colombia has been providing Guaido with significant support since the crisis eruption.