Back in 2016, Yazensky Lamas, who was the bodyguard of the first lady of Colombia, Cilia Florez, was arrested and extradited to the United States where he was facing drug charges.
The extradition of Lamas proved important as he testified against Florez and the United States is now preparing to issue charges against the wife of Nicholas Maduro which includes corruption and drug trafficking.
Four people that know details of the investigation told the media that if Washington goes ahead with an indictment, the charges are likely to stem, at least in part, from a thwarted cocaine transaction that has already landed two of Flores’ nephews in a Florida penitentiary.
Jorge Rodriguez, the information minister of Venezuela was talking with Reuters on the subject as he said that the questions about the possible U.S. indictment of Flores were nauseating, slanderous and offensive, without giving any further explanation. On the other hand, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Justice, Nicole Navas did not share any details about possible charges against the first lady of Venezuela.
According to an interview with Reuters, Yazensky Lamas said that Flores was aware of the coke-trafficking racket for which her two nephews were convicted by a U.S. court. She also used her position to reward family members with prominent and well-paid positions in government.
Lamas also said that he is speaking out against Flores because he feels abandoned by the Maduro administration, still ensconced in power even though many of the main players in Venezuela have been accused of crimes.
According to Reuters, in late March, U.S. prosecutors indicted Maduro and over a dozen current and former Venezuelan officials on charges of narco-terrorism and drug smuggling. Maduro, now in his eight-year as Venezuela’s president, has for years sought to flood the U.S. with cocaine, prosecutors alleged, seeking to weaken American society and bolster his position and wealth.
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