The intermediary informed his customer about a connection within the political party and military officials, referred to as the “Suns,” who could ensure the safe transfer of a cocaine-filled container onto a ship at a Venezuelan port for a fee. The 32-kilogram cocaine shipment concealed in electrical generators was intended for Libya. The intermediary, known as Luisito, reassured the client, known as Julio, that the Venezuelan military personnel would not steal the cargo or money, as per wiretap transcripts obtained by CBC News.
According to the intercepted phone conversation, Julio expressed the need for a guarantee, to which Luisito mentioned that the military officers at the port would handle the transfer without issues. The wiretaps, part of a successful two-year Colombian federal police operation targeting a multinational drug trafficking network based in Colombia, unveiled the organization’s trafficking routes to the U.S., Europe, Asia, and northern Africa via air and sea channels.
The investigation, led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and concluded in 2016, revealed discussions between the group members and Venezuelan military authorities overseeing the Guarano International Port in Falcón state. The Venezuelan government has denied any involvement in drug trafficking, and no government officials were implicated in the wiretaps.
In the recorded conversations, Luisito repeatedly referred to high-ranking Venezuelan military officers as “the Suns” and associated them with the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) by mentioning the color red. The former Colombian anti-narcotics agent involved in the case highlighted the influence and control the “Cartel of the Suns” wielded over drug shipments in Venezuela, implicating high-ranking generals in the illicit trade.
The former agent disclosed information about secret airstrips used for drug transportation and the regime’s significant ties to narco-trafficking, suggesting a connection to the U.S. federal case against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on narco-terrorism and cocaine importation charges. The indictment described the Cartel of the Suns as a system where elites profit from drug trafficking activities.
The wiretap transcripts from April 2016 detailed Julio’s plan to transport cocaine using fake Venezuelan IDs and a local company, concealed within generators, to be shipped by sea to Libya via Brazil. Luisito, claiming previous successful drug shipments, mentioned his familial ties to the PSUV and connections within the military overseeing the port’s operations.
Despite Julio’s concerns about potential theft, Luisito assured him of the military’s control over the port and their interest in financial gains rather than local currency. The intermediary advised Julio to ensure proper documentation for customs clearance, emphasizing the military’s focus on anti-narcotics screening. Ultimately, the shipment reached Libya, but both Luisito and Julio were apprehended, tried, and incarcerated, as confirmed by the former Colombian federal police drug agent.