Diosdado released an organizational chart at a press conference revealing politicians and officials involved in drug trafficking, corruption, and planning terrorist acts. Photo: teleSUR 

​​​​​​ An international network plotting attacks against health centers, diplomatic missions, and high-profile political leaders has been dismantled

Caracas, July 2 (RHC)-- Venezuela's Minister of the Interior, Justice, and Peace, Diosdado Cabello, denounced this Tuesday, during a press conference, the existence of an international terrorist network transporting weapons of war from Colombian territory to Venezuela to carry out simultaneous attacks against healthcare infrastructure, diplomatic missions, and representatives of Chavismo and the opposition.

Cabello provided compelling evidence of the conspiracy, with connections from Colombia, led by María Corina Machado and the former presidents of the neighboring country, Álvaro Uribe and Iván Duque, who coordinated operations with narco-paramilitary gangs and criminal cells specializing in international arms trafficking, all with destabilizing purposes.

“This is a united plot; here, the Venezuelan right-wing politics have completely lost their shame, their scruples, there are no scruples. They use drug trafficking money to buy weapons, explosives, hitmen, bandits, and terrorists,” Cabello said.

The minister recalled that Venezuelan authorities have been carrying out this security operation and dismantling the conspiracy since December 2024, a period in which criminal elements and mercenaries from other countries were captured and brought to justice, as well as a group of mayors, SENIAT officials, police officers, and personnel working at various customs offices.

In this regard, he stated that in the coastal town of Güiria, Sucre state, security forces dismantled a terrorist cell made up of four individuals, including Trinidadian citizen Kendall Jerome Giggs, identified as the main transporter of weapons to Venezuelan territory.

The members of the terrorist cell attempted to take refuge in Zulia state, where they were intercepted by security forces on the bridge over Lake Maracaibo. Among those detained were other Venezuelan citizens, such as Armando José García Miragaya, a chemistry teacher. This individual was allegedly presented as an authorized source to support a false information about the location of alleged Iranian missiles in Venezuelan territory.

This information was allegedly "sold" to the U.S. with the intention of provoking an attack by the US against Venezuela.

Cabello denounced that this operation sought to give substance to Marina Corina Machado's rhetoric, "to find someone to validate her accusations, thus justifying the intervention against Venezuela."

According to Cabello, all of this is intended to try to find some internal traitor to the country who will speak out, in order to obtain US intervention by any means necessary. As part of the recent operation, the Minister of the Interior, Justice, and Peace stated that more than 500 different types of rifles were initially seized, and that on this occasion, various other weapons were seized, including ten assault rifles, grenade launchers, GPS systems, radio communication equipment, cell phones with compromising information, and a .50-caliber machine gun, capable of piercing steel.

He reported that this weapon was going to be "used as anti-aircraft fire, to shoot down planes," he explained, asserting that this type of weaponry demonstrates the sophistication and lethality of terrorist plots.

He revealed that this gang, apparently dedicated to drug trafficking, had been reconfigured to carry out specific terrorist attacks. Cabello clarified that the seized weapons were not intended for drug trafficking, but rather for carrying out attacks with high political impact.

As part of this extensive dismantling operation, Colombian citizens, an Argentine named Germán Gugliani, and a Serbian citizen, Antun Dersa, were also arrested. They coordinated the supply of weapons from vessels in international waters.

Cabello confirmed that these two individuals held clandestine meetings on vessels to plan drug trafficking and the flow of weapons to Venezuela, specifically destined for Marco José Balbuena Rodríguez, who maintains direct ties to radical opposition groups.

"That Argentine, Germán Gugliani, meets with Antun Dersa, the Serbian. They meet on a boat. "They are holding a meeting to plan drug trafficking and the flow of arms to Venezuela," the Minister of the Interior, Justice, and Peace explained during the press conference.

Operations in Caracas against hospitals and embassies

The investigation led authorities to Los Ruices, in Caracas, where two women and a criminal known as "alias Zacarías" were captured, all directly linked to the terrorist organization. In this operation, additional rifles and grenade launcher components were seized, confirming the existence of "sleeper" cells in the Venezuelan capital, prepared to carry out the planned attacks.

Cabello explained that the recovered cell phones contain crucial information that allows for tracing communications between different levels of the criminal organization, from transporters to political coordinators.

Venezuelan authorities confirmed the existence of specific alerts regarding the use of explosives against hospitals, embassies, public service facilities, and attacks against leaders of both Chavismo and the opposition.

The Minister of the Interior, Justice, and Peace reaffirmed the government's commitment to guaranteeing security and completely dismantling these criminal networks, warning that investigations will continue until all those responsible for these operations and the terrorist plots of the Venezuelan far-right are identified.

He asserted that the extremist right was planning to carry out terrorist plots during the recent gubernatorial and congressional elections, but these plots were dismantled thanks to the work of intelligence agencies and State Security Forces.

The Venezuelan official emphasized that the right continues to plot to try to fill the country with chaos and violence for the municipal elections on July 27.

"They were planning to attack during the gubernatorial elections, but they couldn't.  They are preparing for the mayoral elections.  I'll tell you in advance; we have a surprise for you, and you won't like it," he asserted.

He also stated that security protocols remain in place in the border regions, particularly in the eastern states where the existence of sleeper cells linked to this criminal organization is suspected.

[ SOURCE:  teleSUR ]