Video of a Venezuelan official wanted by the US for “narco-terrorism” obstructing a US Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Team from reaching earthquake victims has ignited a political firestorm in the US, with lawmakers demanding his arrest. It also threatens to turn an international humanitarian effort into an international incident.
The man at the center of this controversy is Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello. He has been indicted by the US, alongside Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and others, in what US prosecutors say was a “Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy.”
Maduro was captured by US forces in January and is jailed in New York awaiting trial. Cabello has remained at large in Venezuela despite a $25 million reward offered by the US.
That Cabello feels secure enough to openly appear in public, despite the presence of nearly 1,000 members of the US military now in his country in response to the twin earthquakes that have killed more than 2,000 people, and is emboldened enough to confront US rescue workers, is infuriating many in Venezuela and the US.
The rescue worker confronted by Cabello is holding a helmet marked “VA-TF1” indicating he is a member of Virginia USAR Task Force 1. Rescuers from that Task Force have been digging through rubble in La Guaira, Venezuela, for days and have pulled five people (including a baby and a child) out alive so far.
Officers of agencies under Interior Minister Cabello’s command have been seen digging through earthquake rubble for apparently different reasons. The images below are screengrabs from video taken by La Guaira residents who confronted a federal police officer holding several US hundred-dollar bills they believe he removed from the rubble of their neighbors’ homes.
That officer was wearing a CICPC uniform, a national Venezuelan police agency that the US Treasury Department has accused of committing “systematic human rights abuses.”
The video provoked widespread outrage among Venezuelans online, as well as the arrests of four CICPC officers accused of looting. But it is the video of Interior Minister Cabello interfering in rescue efforts that is producing the most blowback.
Senator Rick Scott of Florida (home to the largest Venezuelan population in the United States) issued a statement declaring that “Anyone who gets in the way of (US and international rescue workers), including Diosdado Cabello, will be held accountable and face consequences.”
There is also a growing chorus of US lawmakers calling for Diosdado Cabello to be arrested in Venezuela and brought to the US to face the charges against him:
“It's time for Diosdado Cabello to be extradited from Venezuela to face justice for his crimes.” -US Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart
“While the US increases its presence in Venezuela, we should pick up thug Diosdado Cabello and bring him to justice so he can stop impeding the distribution of aid to those impacted by the earthquake.” -US Congressman Carlos A. Gimenez
However, so far, the Trump Administration has not responded to those calls to arrest Cabello, who only days before was at the same table with acting Venezuelan President Delcy Eloína Rodríguez and US military officials discussing earthquake relief operations.
Should the US arrest Diosdado Cabello while we have 1,000 troops in that country?
Share your opinion in a comment to this story!
Abrazos,
Jack Beavers
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It's tempting to just name him like the criminal he is, but I think it would just be distracting from the larger and more important mission of providing relief to these poor victims.
Great story/good coverage, as always! Tip of the hat!