Venezuelan authorities arrested several mercenaries after a beach raid on March 8th. Among those arrested were two U.S. citizens. I.D. cards of the former U.S. special forces men were found in Caracas. The mercenary group was attempting to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. According to the Miraflores Palace presidential press office via AP., Venezuelan authorities stopped the plot. The Final Call Newspaper article reported that Jordan Goudreau, a former American Green Beret and Iraq war veteran was named as the organizer of the mercenary ” rag tag” army .
The U.S. lead mercenary army gathered in secret camps in northern Colombia where they hatched the plan to carry out Operation Gideon. The hairbrained scheme was also referred to as ” The Bay of Piglets,” for its bloody toll and failure. Several of the mercenaries ended up dead and two special forces were arrested in Caracas. There was never a real chance of its succeeding as President Maduro’’s military are loyal and experienced in handling infiltrators.
A few Venezuelan military deserters were implicated. Several people were charged with providing “advice and logistical support to an illegal armed group” according to the article in FinalCall.com. “I apologize to the Colombian government” said a National Guard Major. In the plea agreement, the U.S. was blamed for endorsing the voolent coup in Venezuela.
Yacsy Alvarez was charged with arms trafficking and attemping to help smuggle weapons to the mercenaries. She reportedly transported “26 assault rifles and tactical equipment” on route to the rebels in the La Guajira peninsula .between Colombia and Venezuela. Gen.Alcala, took responsibility for coordinating the weapons and he turned humself in to authorities to face U.S. drug charges. Gen. Alcala, who is now awaiting trial in New York “accused opposition leader Juan Guaido, of betraying a contract” with “American advisers” to remove President Maduro.
NNV News Blog Writer Sister Rose Morris
