Who are the 15 Venezuelans accused of corruption, money laundering and drug terrorism by the US government?

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USA accuses Maduro of narcoterrorism 10:00

(CNN Spanish) - Nicolás Maduro and Diosdado Cabello have been accused of drug terrorism by the American justice. The president of the Supreme Court, Maikel Moreno, of receiving millions of dollars in bribes and money laundering; while Interior and Justice Minister Néstor Reverol and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López were indicted on charges related to drug trafficking.

In total, there are 15 Venezuelans who make up the list presented this Thursday by the United States Attorney General, William Barr.

Find out who they are and what they are accused of:

Nicolás Maduro Moros, questioned president of Venezuela

Clíver Antonio Alcalá Cordones, retired major general of the Bolivarian National Armed Force

Hugo Armando "El Pollo" Carvajal Barrios, former director of Military Intelligence and official deputy in the National Assembly

Diosdado Cabello Rondón, President of the National Constituent Assembly

Maduro, Cabello, Carvajal and Alcalá were accused of participating in a narcoterrorist conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States; as well as using and transporting machine guns and destructive devices to promote and support drug trafficking and cocaine import conspiracies.

The sentences they could receive if found guilty range from 30 years in prison to life in prison.

Maduro called the accusation "extremist, vulgar and miserable."

From his Twitter account, Cabello retweeted Maduro's response.

Alcalá Cordones denied the accusations and said he was willing to turn himself in to the Colombian justice system, while Venezuela's attorney general, Tarek William Saab, requested arrest warrants against him.

However, he decided not to fight the US extradition request. and the same Friday he left for New York

Carvajal has defended his innocence on previous occasions.

Vladimir Padrino López, Minister of Defense and General-in-Chief of the Armed Forces

According to the indictment reported in the District of Columbia, from March 2014 to May 2019, Padrino López conspired with others to distribute cocaine aboard a US-registered plane.

Through his Twitter account, the general ruled out the veracity of the complaint

Coarse hoax cooked in the darkest corner of his miseries that shout that something is wrong in his electoral race for reelection. As they think about their next elections we will think about saving our next generations. https://t.co/JxPmkcrfcA

- Vladimir Padrino L. (@vladimirpadrino) March 27, 2020

The Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB) also published a message of support for the accused.

Maikel José Moreno Pérez, President of the Supreme Court of Justice

He was charged, in a criminal complaint in the Southern District of Florida, with conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering in connection with the alleged receipt of tens of millions of dollars in bribes to illegally settle dozens of civil and criminal cases in Venezuela.

The indictment mentions that Moreno authorized the confiscation and sale of a General Motors automotive plant in the country, with an estimated value of US $ 100 million, in exchange for a commission.

Similarly, the lawsuit alleges that Moreno received bribes to authorize the dismissal of charges or the release of Venezuelans, including one charged in a multi-million dollar fraud conspiracy against state oil company Petróleos de Venezuela.

Moreno published a tweet in which he evidences his position before the accusation:

Let us maintain the glory of our liberators, let us not allow our country to be conquered by nations that claim to be empires, by traitors who want to extinguish the dream of Bolívar, Sucre and all those who sacrificed and gave their lives for the freedom of our America pic. twitter.com/BST8iaBBdj

- Maikel Moreno (@MaikelMorenoTSJ) March 27, 2020

Tareck el Aissami, Minister of Industries and National Production and former Vice President of Venezuela

Joselit Ramírez Camacho, superintendent of Cryptoactive and Related Activities

Samark López Bello, businessman

El Aissami, Ramírez and López Bello are accused of trying to evade the sanctions imposed on Maduro by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

The document alleges that, between February 2017 and March 2019, El Aissami and Ramírez Camacho worked with Americans and US-based entities. to provide private flight services to benefit Maduro's 2018 presidential campaign.

El Aissami published in response a poem by Tomás Borge called “My personal revenge” and retweeted several of Maduro Camacho's messages; Ramírez also echoed other spokespersons. López had previously defended his innocence on previous occasions.

Our resolution is VICTORY !! Let's be like CHÁVEZ !!
INDEPENDENCE and SOCIALIST COUNTRY !! pic.twitter.com/fQvx4zEr7W

- Tareck El Aissami (@TareckPSUV) March 26, 2020

Luis Motta Domínguez, former Minister of Electric Power

According to the Southern District of Florida indictment, Motta reportedly received bribes for the award of contracts from the national electric company, Corpoelec, to several US companies.

In his Instagram and Twitter accounts, Motta published a message in which he assures that Maduro "stands firm before the empire" and refers to a photo in which the image of Uncle Sam is seen lying on an operating table.

Comrades! Compatriots!
How it hurts that our CMDTE PDNTE. nicolasmaduro has not bowed and stands firm against the Empire.
How it hurts that our ANC PDNTE, dcabellor has publicly unveiled… https://t.co/2PqrlZSaBK

- LUIS MOTTA DOMINGUEZ (@LMOTTAD) March 26, 2020

Néstor Reverol Torres, Minister of the Interior and Justice. It is major general

Edylberto José Molina Molina, former deputy director of ONA and Venezuelan military attache in Germany. He is currently deputy minister of the Integrated Police System.

Reverol and Molina were indicted by the New York Eastern District Attorney's Office for participating in an international cocaine distribution conspiracy, in which they allegedly helped drug traffickers import the drug into the United States.

Neither Reverol nor Molina responded on social media.

Vassyly Kotosky Villarroel Ramírez, alias “Mauro” and “Ángel”, retired captain of the Bolivarian National Guard

Rafael Antonio Villasana Fernández, retired captain of the Bolivarian National Guard

According to documents presented this Thursday, Kotosky and Villasana used official vehicles to transport more than 7 tons of cocaine from the Colombian border to various airports and seaports in Venezuela for final shipment to the United States.

On both weighed deprivation of freedom. No contact has been made with them or their lawyers.

Nervis Gerardo Villalobos Cárdenas, former Deputy Minister of Electric Energy

Accused in the Southern District of Texas of more than 20 charges for his alleged role in an international money laundering scheme, which would involve bribes paid by owners of US-based companies. several Venezuelan government officials to secure energy contracts and priority payment on outstanding bills.

He had already defended himself on previous occasions, denying the accusations.

Oscar Rafael Colmenares Villalobos, retired officer of the Bolivarian Military Aviation

Accused in the District of Arizona of violations of the Arms Export Control Act. He allegedly conspired with others, including some individuals associated with an aviation company in Arizona, to smuggle in from the U.S. T-76 military aircraft engines, used in OV-10 Bronco aircraft, to various people in Venezuela.

A statement or his lawyers could not be accessed.

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