The New Herald
US authorities arrested a godson of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and a nephew of the wife of the president, Cilia Flores, when they tried to sell 800 kilos of cocaine to undercover officers who ended up being DEA sources close to the situation said.
The two young men, Efrain Antonio Campos Flores (godson Maduro) and Francisco Flores of Freites (nephew of Cilia), were arrested in Haiti over the weekend and will face drug trafficking charges in the Southern District of New York Federal Court.
The arrests were made after young people enter into negotiations for the sale of drugs to undercover agents of the US Drug Enforcement Agency.
"This was a sting operation. Began to sell 800 kilos and if they gave silver, they sent the drug, "said one source.
The sources added that Efrain Campos has a close relationship to Flores and Maduro, since it was raised as if he were a child of the couple. In fact, according to information from the Associated Press, Campos was identified as a son of Flores and Maduro stepson at arrest.
According to sources, the youth tried to evade arrest argued that enjoyed diplomatic immunity, but whether traveling with diplomatic passports.
Both are already in custody in the United States and are scheduled to appear Thursday before a judge in the Southern District Court of New York.
The arrests came after young people traveling to Central America to try to negotiate the placement of 800 kilos of drugs, but the group that made contact had been infiltrated by the DEA and some of the talks were recorded on video, said one sources.
"The first contact was made in Honduras, where most of the negotiations were conducted," said the source.
Then the youth received in Venezuela one of the prospective buyers to check the quality of the goods, and later agreed to make delivery in Haiti, where they were expected to be arrested.
"The seized in Port au Prince and moved here," said another source. "They have them all engraved with what they did. In Honduras, recorded with hidden cameras and are already the indictments that will be presented tomorrow "
The arrest is the first time that people close to Maduro are directly involved in drug trafficking, although other senior leaders of Chavez are being investigated for their alleged participation in the Cartel of the Suns, criminal organization monopolizing drug trafficking in Venezuela.
US authorities are currently investigating the president of the National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, and Aragua state governor Tarek El Aissami, on suspicion that they who are in control of the cartel.
The cases against El Aissami and Cabello are based on multiple near both claimed traveling to America to collaborate with justice partners.
About Maduro, the only suspect had so far was that he had used drug money to finance his presidential campaign in 2013, according to testimony that they had collected the authorities.
ABC Spain
USA captures a godson of Maduro for drug trafficking
The United States has arrested a godson Nicolas Maduro raised by his wife, Cilia Flores, and a nephew of this, when performing an important transport drugs targeting US Efrain Antonio Campo Flores, who grew up in the home of Mature-Flores and Francisco Flores of Freites have been made available to the US Justice accused of drug trafficking. The two young men were arrested Tuesday in Haiti in an undercover operation coordinated by the DEA, the US Drug Enforcement Agency The Attorney for the Southern District of New York has filed charges against them.
The steps taken by godson and nephew in the preparations for the operation could be filmed, which has strengthened the evidence for the prosecution. When the plane carrying the cocaine shipment, slightly below a ton, arrived in Port-au-Prince both were arrested and handed over to the DEA, which is responsible for taking them to New York, according to sources familiar with the case. Apparently, at the time of the arrest the youth claimed diplomatic immunity argument was not accepted them for lack of foundation.
In his first statement to the DEA stated that they would transport drugs was made in connection with Diosdado Cabello, president of the National Assembly, and Tarek el Aissami, the governor of Aragua and former Minister of Interior. Hair and El Aissami, who several US prosecutors are also investigating, they have facilitated the shipment of drugs.
It is not the first time that children of Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores are related to drug trafficking. In their statements as witnesses in the United States, Leamsy Salazar, who was chief of security Hugo Chavez and Diosdado Cabello, said that Walter Jacob Gavidia Flores, son of the "First Fighter" and also raised in the home formed by this and Maduro, He is using small aircraft of the national oil company PDVSA to transport drugs in collaboration with Nicolasito Maduro, known as the president's son.
NTN24
Version circulates pointing to two nephews assumptions Cilia Flores accused of drug trafficking in US
Wednesday circulated in social networks and some information portals a version according to which two relatives of the First Lady of Venezuela, Cilia Flores, were involved in a drug trafficking case in the United States.
Efrain Flores Antonio Campos who grew up in the home Maduro - Flores and Francisco Flores of Freites Franqui, nephew of the First Lady have been caught trafficking 800 kilos of cocaine in Haiti and were accused by the Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
According to review Spain's ABC newspaper, the steps taken by both defendants while preparing the operation was filmed, which would strengthen the prosecution evidence.
For its part, El Nuevo Herald, the arrests were made after the youth entered negotiations for the sale of a drug with whom undercover agents of the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
In his confessions to the DEA they would have linked to Diosdado Cabello, president of the Venezuelan parliament, Tarek El Aissami and former Minister of Interior. According to the review of the ABC, the two top leaders of Chavez would have facilitated the shipment of drugs.