News Daily Spot: "Whistles" to drug traffickers and obstructing investigations amid allegations against former directors of ONA

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"Whistles" to drug traffickers and obstructing investigations amid allegations against former directors of ONA

Two senior Venezuelan officials who are charged with drug trafficking in the United States were accused of receiving payments from drug traffickers and alert them to drug raids, according to a person familiar with the case.

Nate Raymond / Reuters

Nestor Reverol, head of the National Guard of Venezuela, and Edylberto Molina, who served as deputy director of Venezuela's anti-drug agency ONA and currently is a military attache at the Embassy of Venezuela in Germany, are mentioned in a complaint that prosecutors are preparing to publicize, they told Reuters people close to the case.



In addition to alerting the drug traffickers in raids, both officials have been accused of taking other measures to block drug research, he said the person told Reuters on Wednesday.

Reverol, former head of the Drug Enforcement Agency Venezuela would be one of the highest-ranking Venezuelan officials who would be facing drug charges in the United States. The official could not be reached for comment.

Reverol had rejected US accusations that Venezuela has failed to curb illicit drug shipments and has promoted the government's success in cracking down on the flow of cocaine from neighboring Colombia.

Venezuela's embassy in Berlin did not respond to an email requesting contact information for Molina. The diplomat served as general in the National Guard, the branch of the Venezuelan armed forces that control the borders.

An official of the National Guard could not be reached for comment. Meanwhile, an official from the Ministry of Information said that the ministry had no comment on Reverol.

The complaint, which must be ratified in federal court in Brooklyn in New York, comes at a time when the United States is investigating the alleged involvement of senior members of the Venezuelans in the cocaine trade.

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