Boat crews accused of being narco-terrorists have a more nuanced truth
14 days ago
- #US Military
- #Venezuela
- #Drug Trafficking
- Trump administration accuses Venezuelan boat crews of being narco-terrorists, but AP investigation reveals more nuanced reality.
- Four identified victims include a fisherman, a career criminal, a former military cadet, and a bus driver, all from Venezuela's northeastern coast.
- Most victims were first-time or second-time drug runners, earning about $500 per trip, not high-level cartel members.
- U.S. military has destroyed 17 vessels, killing over 60 people, with some boats departing from Venezuela.
- Relatives and residents express anger over lack of due process, as past practices involved interdiction and federal charges.
- Venezuelan government denies drug trafficking operations and has not acknowledged any citizen deaths in the strikes.
- Trump administration justifies strikes by labeling drug cartels as 'unlawful combatants' in an 'armed conflict'.
- Victims' families struggle to get information due to repression by gangs and the Venezuelan government.
- Fisherman Robert Sánchez, 42, took up drug running to afford a boat engine, leaving behind four children.
- Local crime boss Luis 'Che' Martínez was killed in the first strike; he had a history of smuggling people and drugs.
- Former cadet Dushak Milovcic and bus driver Juan Carlos Fuentes turned to drug running due to financial hardships.