PLOT THICKENS

Ex-Venezuelan General: CIA Was in on the Plan to Overthrow Maduro

Cliver Alcalá, a longtime critic of Maduro, made the claim in court filings in a drug trafficking operation case.

A former Venezuelan general who allegedly tried to transport hoards of cocaine into the U.S. with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said he couldn’t have possibly done it—because he tried to overthrow Maduro with the CIA’s help. The disclosure came in a court filing Friday by Cliver Alcalá, who was charged in early 2020 for the drug trafficking operation. His lawyers said officials “at the highest levels of a number of U.S. government agencies” knew of the plot, including those at the Treasury and Justice Departments. Alcalá has attacked Maduro’s policies since the socialist took the post in 2013, but it didn’t stop federal prosecutors from charging him, Maduro, and a host of other top leaders in a plot to smuggle cocaine into the U.S. with the help of Colombian rebels. The CIA did not respond to the Associated Press’ request for comment. Two former Green Berets have been imprisoned for their role in the outlandish attempt to overthrow Maduro.