{"id":1079,"date":"2020-03-26T22:00:23","date_gmt":"2020-03-26T22:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/?p=1079"},"modified":"2020-05-06T14:40:16","modified_gmt":"2020-05-06T14:40:16","slug":"the-noriega-remix-new-way-of-staging-a-coup-in-venezuela-us-narcotrafficking-charges-against-maduro-straight-out-of-panama-playbook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/the-noriega-remix-new-way-of-staging-a-coup-in-venezuela-us-narcotrafficking-charges-against-maduro-straight-out-of-panama-playbook\/","title":{"rendered":"The Noriega remix new way of staging a coup in Venezuela\u2019: US narcotrafficking charges against Maduro straight out of Panama playbook"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Washington\u2019s decision to indict Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on drug charges is \u201ca new form of coup d\u2019etat,\u201d as well as a move to win over hispanic voters in Florida, Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza has claimed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The US Justice Department \nunsealed indictments against Maduro and more than a dozen Venezuelan \npolitical and military leaders on Thursday, accusing them of \u201cnarco-terrorism,\u201d <\/em>and implicating them in a plot to \u201cflood the United States with cocaine.\u201d <\/em>Additionally,\n the State Department announced a $15 million reward for information \nleading to the arrest of the Venezuelan leader, and rewards of up to $10\n million for each of his co-defendants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Responding later on Thursday, Arreaza said that the indictments show the \u201cdesperation\u201d <\/em>of the \u201cWashington elite<\/em>,\u201d and their \u201cobsession\u201d <\/em>with the Latin American country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Trump administration does not consider Maduro\u2019s government \nlegitimate, and has recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as \nVenezuela\u2019s \u201cinterim president\u201d <\/em>since his attempted coup last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However,\n efforts to dislodge Maduro from power \u2013 which ranged from economic \nsanctions to an international campaign to promote Guaido\u2019s legitimacy, \nto veiled threats of military action \u2013 have thus far failed. According \nto Arreaza, the drug charges are simply \u201ca new form of coup d\u2019etat.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arreaza added on Thursday that he believes the Justice Department\u2019s real aim with the latest indictments is to reap \u201celectoral returns\u201d <\/em>for Trump in the state of Florida. Southern Florida has the highest population of Venezuelans in the United States, at more than 100,000. The state is also home to more than a million Cuban-Americans, many of whom fled their home country during the rule of Fidel Castro, and hold an unfavorable view of Maduro, an ally of Cuba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maduro himself has not yet responded to the charges, but his \nsupporters in the region have condemned Washington for the move. Former \nBolivian President Evo Morales \u2013 himself removed from power in a coup \nlast year \u2013 called<\/a> the indictments an attempt to \u201cintimidate the legal and legitimate government of Venezuela,\u201d<\/em> with the goal of getting American hands on the country\u2019s vast oil reserves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa was more colloquial in his condemnation. \u201cTrump really is nuts, or just looking to distract attention from his lousy handling of the health crisis,\u201d <\/em>the ex-leader tweeted<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Washington\u2019s decision to indict Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on drug charges is \u201ca new form of coup d\u2019etat,\u201d as well as a move to win […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101012,"featured_media":1080,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us-aggression","category-venezuela"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8693,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/what-is-the-unitedstates-doingin-venezuela\/","url_meta":{"origin":1079,"position":0},"title":"What is the UnitedStates doingin Venezuela?","author":"Editorial Team","date":"January 7, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Helen Yaffe,\u00a0Professor of Latin American Political Economy at the University of Glasgow, addresses the context and possible consequences of Maduro\u2019s kidnapping. Venezuela enters 2026 under the onslaught of US military operations to enforce regime change against socialist president Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and the Bolivarian Revolution he leads. This follows a quarter-century\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "US Aggression"","block_context":{"text":"US Aggression","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/usa\/us-aggression\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2026-01-07-at-22.56.19.png?fit=765%2C502&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2026-01-07-at-22.56.19.png?fit=765%2C502&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2026-01-07-at-22.56.19.png?fit=765%2C502&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2026-01-07-at-22.56.19.png?fit=765%2C502&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":860,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/revolutionary-government-declaration-aggression-against-venezuela-must-cease\/","url_meta":{"origin":1079,"position":1},"title":"Revolutionary Government Declaration: Aggression against Venezuela must cease","author":"Editorial Team","date":"February 3, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Cuba condemns and energetically rejects the attempt to impose a coup d\u2019etat, a puppet government at the service of the United States, in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and expresses its unwavering solidarity with the government of Constitutional President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro Moros. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "US Aggression"","block_context":{"text":"US Aggression","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/usa\/us-aggression\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/trump-and-venezuela.jpg?fit=660%2C440&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/trump-and-venezuela.jpg?fit=660%2C440&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/trump-and-venezuela.jpg?fit=660%2C440&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1032,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/us-ramps-up-sanctions-devastating-venezuelas-health-sector-as-coronavirus-spreads\/","url_meta":{"origin":1079,"position":2},"title":"US ramps up sanctions devastating Venezuela\u2019s health sector as coronavirus spreads","author":"Editorial Team","date":"March 20, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Promising to \u201csmash\u201d Venezuela\u2019s government during a \u201cmaximum pressure March,\u201d Trump has imposed crushing sanctions that force Venezuela to spend three times as much as non-sanctioned countries on coronavirus testing kits. By Leonardo Flores During his State of the Union address this February, President Trump promised to \u201csmash\u201d and destroy\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "US Aggression"","block_context":{"text":"US Aggression","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/usa\/us-aggression\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/trump-and-bolsonaro.jpg?fit=845%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/trump-and-bolsonaro.jpg?fit=845%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/trump-and-bolsonaro.jpg?fit=845%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/trump-and-bolsonaro.jpg?fit=845%2C450&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8697,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/the-lies-behind-the-uss-next-forever-war\/","url_meta":{"origin":1079,"position":3},"title":"The Lies Behind the US\u2019s Next Forever War","author":"Editorial Team","date":"January 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"ByFreddy BrewsterVeronica Riccobene Donald Trump is leaning heavily on drug-trafficking accusations to justify his recent kidnapping of Nicol\u00e1s Maduro. But a new congressional report has found that the vast majority of illegal drugs come to the US via Mexico and China, not Venezuela. A new congressional research\u00a0report has found that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/news\/featured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2026-01-07-at-23.32.10.png?fit=510%2C345&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2984,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/the-war-on-cuba-and-venezuela\/","url_meta":{"origin":1079,"position":4},"title":"The War on Cuba and Venezuela","author":"Editorial Team","date":"October 21, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"BY\u00a0LEE SCHLENKER Why are Havana\u2019s food markets so empty? For the Cuban people, the U.S. War on Venezuela stands out as a clear culprit contributing to these daily frustrations and hardships. \u201cRight now fewer trucks are coming in. Less merchandise too. And the quality isn\u2019t the same because a lot\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "US Aggression"","block_context":{"text":"US Aggression","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/usa\/us-aggression\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-21-at-21.27.40.png?fit=613%2C309&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-21-at-21.27.40.png?fit=613%2C309&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-21-at-21.27.40.png?fit=613%2C309&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2711,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/the-2019-un-vote-against-the-u-s-blockade-of-cuba\/","url_meta":{"origin":1079,"position":5},"title":"The 2019 UN vote against the U.S. blockade of Cuba","author":"Editorial Team","date":"December 10, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Trump\u2019s Washington Remains Cornered The United States government does not have the least moral authority to criticize Cuba or anyone else in the area of \u200b\u200bhuman rights. We reject the repeated manipulation of this issue for political purposes and the double standards that characterize its use. \u2014 Cuban Foreign Minister\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/news\/featured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/26th-july.jpeg?fit=474%2C346&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3xdTY-hp","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Maduro-charged-narco-terrorism-by-US.png?fit=1616%2C914&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/101012"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1079"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1079\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1080"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}