Chicago, IL – While the U.S. Navy aggressively patrols their coast, another U.S.-inspired attack on Venezuela failed during the morning of May 3. Venezuelan military and police captured two, and killed eight, armed mercenaries during the confrontation. Traveling by speedboat from Colombia, the invaders’ plan was to join local accomplices near the port of La Guairá. La Guairá is next to Venezuela’s international airport and only 20 miles from Caracas.

According to those captured, the invaders planned to initiate terror attacks, including assassinations of government officials. They mistakenly thought they could gather forces as they moved towards Caracas. One of the captured claimed to be an asset for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Since banning the DEA from their country, drug shipments from Venezuela dropped significantly.

During the operation police seized weapons and communications equipment brought in on the boat, as well as a makeshift armored car built by accomplices in Venezuela. High-caliber rifles, uniforms and satellite phones were among the items seized.

This follows the March 26 attempt to invade Venezuela from Colombia by a former major general of the Venezuelan Army, Cliver Alcala. Alcala shared his plans with the Colombian government, and as his vehicles were transporting an arsenal of weapons to the Venezuelan border, Colombian officials seized them.

In response, U.S. authorities acted quickly and whisked Alcala away to New York, where he is cooperating with them. Colombian authorities refused to hand Alcala over to Venezuela to face justice despite Alcala’s plan to violently overthrow Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro.

Among the dead mercenaries in La Guairá was a notorious traitor, the former Captain Robert Levid Colina, known as “Pantera.” Alcalá publicly identified Pantera as one of his accomplices in the March failure. Pantera was also tied to the failed U.S.-backed coup against President Maduro on April 30 last year. Right-wing opposition politicians Juan Guaidó and Leopoldo López led that fiasco.

President Trump and the U.S. government continue to enforce harmful sanctions against Venezuela during the coronavirus pandemic. Combined with President Trump ordering warlike U.S. Navy patrols, it gives the green light to mercenaries and opportunists to launch attacks. These attacks backfire though, as Venezuelans rally around their elected president Nicolas Maduro. The right-wing attacks, sponsored by the U.S., strengthen the grip of the Bolivarian Revolution as the people practice defending their country.

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