Venezuela seizes Colombia-linked paramilitary chief

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Agence France-Presse

Venezuela seizes Colombia-linked paramilitary chief
November 22, 2009 - 7:39AM

Venezuelan police captured a leader of a Colombia-linked paramilitary force, the interior minister announced Saturday amid sky-high military tensions between the South American neighbours.

Magaly Janeth Moreno Vega was captured Thursday by Venezuelan police in Maracaibo near the countries' northern border, said Interior Minister Tareck El Aissami, describing the 39-year-old wanted by Interpol as the "paramilitary chief" of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC)."She is nicknamed... 'The Pearl' within the AUC" and "handles extremely important information," El Aissami said.

~snip~
El Aissami said Moreno Vega was, along with a colleague, in charge of "relations between the AUC and Colombian security forces, that is, the DAS (the Colombian intelligence agency), army and police."

The minister called Moreno Vega a "confidante" of former Colombian attorney general Luis Camilo Osorio Isaza, the current ambassador to Mexico, and said the arrest was evidence of "aggression" against Venezuela.


Read more: http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/venezuela-se...

---

Suspected Colombian paramilitary leader Magaly Moreno captured in Venezuela
November 21, 2009 | 6:39 pm

A woman described by Venezuelan authorities as an important leader of a Colombian paramilitary group has been captured, the justice minister said today.

Interpol had called for the arrest of Magaly Janeth Moreno Vega, who was wanted by Colombian officials on homicide charges, said Venezuelan Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami. He referred to the 39-year-old suspect as a paramilitary chief for the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, or AUC.

Authorities said she was captured Thursday in Maracaibo, Venezuela. El Aissami said Moreno, nicknamed "The Pearl," deals with "extremely important information" for the paramilitary group.

El Aissami, who spoke on state television, accused Colombian President Alvaro Uribe of "institutional and moral decay" for his government's ties to paramilitary groups that "attack our people and threaten peace and order."

Moreno previously worked as an investigator for Colombian prosecutors and was detained with her boss several years ago on accusations of aiding militias, according to news reports. Moreno was convicted on conspiracy charges tied to various crimes after she acknowledged working for paramilitary boss Jorge Ivan Laverde, who has said he participated in the killings of more than 2,000 people, the Associated Press reported.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/laplaza/2009/11/venezue...

[Vidar]

1. Cue the Miami mafia fan club showing up, explaining that Interpol is somehow a Chavez's

puppet organization.

[Joe Chi Minh]

5. Interpol hates freedoms.

[BunkerHill24]

2. No one would believe you...you'all are Chavez supporters here!

[vadawg]

3. supporters or employees, seems like a full time job posting all the pro chav stuff..

[Arctic Dave]

4. The gunz forum, now that a full time job. All hail S&W.

[sudopod]

13. lolz nt

[EFerrari]

16. It could be given that our media is on a crusade against Venezuela.

If anyone can hook me up, I'm bilingual and need the work. lol

[struggle4progress]

6. Suspected Colombian paramilitary leader Magaly Moreno captured in Venezuela

Source: LA Times

November 21, 2009 | 6:39 pm

A woman described by Venezuelan authorities as an important leader of a Colombian paramilitary group has been captured, the justice minister said today.

Interpol had called for the arrest of Magaly Janeth Moreno Vega, who was wanted by Colombian officials on homicide charges, said Venezuelan Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami. He referred to the 39-year-old suspect as a paramilitary chief for the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, or AUC.

Authorities said she was captured Thursday in Maracaibo, Venezuela. El Aissami said Moreno, nicknamed "The Pearl," deals with "extremely important information" for the paramilitary group.

El Aissami, who spoke on state television, accused Colombian President Alvaro Uribe of "institutional and moral decay" for his government's ties to paramilitary groups that "attack our people and threaten peace and order" ...



Read more: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/laplaza/2009/11/venezue...

[Peace Patriot]

7. Very interesting development. From reports so far, it appears that Magaly Janeth Moreno Vega

is a high level DAS (and maybe CIA) spy. I don't know much of her story yet, but she was convicted of murder in Colombia, and somehow escaped, and was wanted by Interpol. She has close connections to some of the worst death squad murderers in Colombia, which in turn have close ties to the Uribe government and the Colombian military (recipients of $6 BILLION in US military booty). The Venezuelan Justice Minister says she deals with "extremely important information" and that could be anything from major drug cartel dealings to assassination plots to war plans. I hope the Venezuelan government finds out what she was up to--in one of their main oil provinces, a region where fascist politicians openly talk of secession--before they extradite her back to Colombia. The best scenario would be that she fesses up to Venezuelan authorities and is granted asylum. Probably won't happen because of the murder conviction--especially if Venezuela wants to repair relations with Colombia-- but I don't care much for her chances of survival in Colombia. Colombia's extremely corrupt government has taken to extraditing some of their death squad convicts to the US to be tried on "drug charges," likely to remove them from the venue of Colombian prosecutors and judges, who have been pursuing the Uribe death squad ties. Maybe that's where she'll end up--here, in tight custody. (I think the Bush Cartel is real dirty in Colombia.)

[naaman fletcher]

8. Interesting..

You never seem to believe "reports" when the news is anti-Chavez, but you not only assume this to be true but go on to make at least 10 different assertions with no evidence whatsoever.

[AlphaCentauri]

10. Most anti-Chavez news are about: Chavez said this Chavez said that

Not something like Chavez did murder someone.

BTW
there are 11 students in a hunger strike in Venezuela they want to liberate "political prisoners" as they said they want the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to visit Venezuela.
Let see how that one develops.

[EFerrari]

15. More than just the Bush Cartel. Our whole national security apparatus

is filthy in Colombia as far as I can tell.

[fascisthunter]

9. interesting....

[YouTakeTheSkyway]

11. If this pans out, it's definitely a positive.

Though (and need I say it?) it appears to strengthen the case that the Chavez govt. is pouring resources into combatting the paramilitaries though turning a blind eye to the Leftist Colombian guerillas.

[EFerrari]

12. That's idiotic. Governments move on threats, not on PR fantasies.

[YouTakeTheSkyway]

17. The FARC don't represent a threat to the people in the areas they're operating in?

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0613/p07s04-woam.html

[EFerrari]

18. FARC and the fallout from that conflict are problems for all of Colombia's neighbors.

But you don't see FARC renting houses in Caracas for their weapons caches.

[YouTakeTheSkyway]

19. They operate out in the open in many areas, exploiting the local population for their own ends.

For some reason this doesn't register as a threat to the Venezuelan people with you? I understand your point, that it's unlikely that the FARC are ever going to make a move against the Venezuelan government (hell, why would they? the government is giving them safe haven and helping funnel weapons to them).

However, if Venezuela wants to be viewed as a neutral actor in this conflict, it needs to start acting like one and enforcing its laws across the board.

[EFerrari]

20. Venezuela is not a neutral actor. Venezuela is defending itself

from US and Colombian sponsored aggression. And I'm so sorry but you're as transparent as possible. Please find someone else to help you derail these threads.

[YouTakeTheSkyway]

21. By allowing the FARC to operate freely on Venezuelan soil

Chavez is opening the door for (and legitimizing) Colombian military action there. Don't you see that? For someone who's supposedly so concerned about Venezuelan sovereignty, you're awfully eager to overlook this little detail.

[AlphaCentauri]

22. There is nothing else that Chavez can do about FARC than what the previous Venezuelan

governments have done, The FARC is a Colombian conflict they have never expand their fight to other countries with capitalist dictators or pro US governments. FARCs were born well before Chavez was in power and have not affect any of the Venezuelan governments, Caldera, Lusinchi, Perez all have live side by side with the colombian conflict.

[YouTakeTheSkyway]

23. Frankly, I'm skeptical of your conclusion

If serious efforts can be made to rein in the paramilitaries who have made their way into Venezuela, it seems reasonable to expect Venezuela to take comparable steps to rein in the FARC who have also made their way into the country.

[AlphaCentauri]

24. if the FARC are not present in Venezuela how they are going to capture them?

the Colombian government looks like is not providing information about FARCs in Venezuela either.

[YouTakeTheSkyway]

29. But they are present in Venezuela.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0613/p07s04-woam.html

[The Magistrate]

36. The Paragraph Everyone Leaves Out Of This Citation, Sir....

'Locals say that the FARC and other Colombian militias, including the smaller National Liberation Army (ELN) and Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia, are operating on Venezuelan soil. The Los Andes Daily, a local newspaper, reported that Venezuelan Gen. Jesus Gregorio Gonzalez said on May 27 that border patrol units under his command had detected the presence of Colombian "irregulars," or rebel groups, in the border states of Zulia and Apure.'

You will note the mention of the A.U.C., the leading gang of right-wing killers in Columbia.

The sources cited for F.A.R.C. 'extortions' are a Catholic priest, an anonymous policeman, and various businessmen; all types who would be likely to desire to deflect blame from the A.U.C., and the sorts who actively co-operate with it.

In any case, Sir, if a matter comes down to a choice between a group extorting cash from businessmen, and a group murdering union organizers and members of peasant collectives, where a left person stands ought to be pretty obvious....

[YouTakeTheSkyway]

37. What does the evidence indicate?

Yes, and? It was never my intention to deny that right wing Colombian groups are operating within Venezuela. My apologies if that wasn't clear.

Secondly, we could play the "so-and-so might possibly have a reason to lie" game in an effort to dismiss these claims, but unless there's evidence that they're lying, it seems unreasonable to do so. After all, this is hardly the only article on the subject and the evidence overwhelmingly points to the fact that the FARC are, in fact, operating within Venezuela (here's another, since you're unsatisfied: http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jan/21/world/fg-venezu... ). With that established, the FARC have long used extortion of business owners to raise money, so I hardly find the claims in the initial article I cited to be radical or unbelievable.

Third, quite frankly, this idea that there's a clear line between the "good guys" and the "bad guys" on this one is a bit ridiculous. Is an organization that slaughters sleeping peasants because it doesn't like the people they're picking coca for really worthy of praise? How about an organization that holds children for ransom? One that kidnaps, tortures, and kills people solely because they heard a rumor on the street? There are a number of people who want to break this conflict down into black and white terms, though it's a huge error to do so.

[The Magistrate]

38. If, Sir, You Could Bring Yourself To Speak Openly Of The A.U.C. And Its Ilk

Your 'no good guys, no bad guys' line might carry better....

The F.A.R.C. is no particular favorite of mine, but the pretense it is something intimately tied with Venezuela, and that this is of great importance, is nonesense. The organization grows out of a civil war commenced openly in Columbia some sixty years ago, during which it was demonstrated that 'above ground' left political action there was suicide. Certainly the F.A.R.C. has become more a 'careerist' than a revolutionary movement, in the sense that there is no practical possibility it will either overthrow the Columbian order entire or establish real 'base area' enclaves on the Maoist model, and so it has become really a way in which people make their livings, and will continue as such indefinitely. It is not a major player in the cocaine trade, nor is it anything like the leading murder gang in Columbia: both the Columbian security agencies and the various rightist killing crews outweigh it solidly in both fields. The F.A.R.C.'s left verneer, however, does lead it to focus its outrages more towards towards the upper echelons of society than otherwise, so it bothers me a bit less, in the context of a society in which repression of the poor and the left is systematic and very brutal, and long pre-dates the F.A.R.C.

In the context of the actual relations between the rightist government of Columbia and Col. Chavez's Venezuela, it is unremarkable that the government in Caracas would see the F.A.R.C. as a body that could be of some use in the borderlands. In the event of a Columbian invasion, an established body of guerrilla fighters in the rear of the enemy would be something of an asset. These are pretty standard moves, after all....

[YouTakeTheSkyway]

39. Some agreement, some disagreement.

Then shoot - what exactly about the AUC is it that you're seeking to discuss?

Secondly, I agree with your overall assessment of the FARC's revolutionary potential in this day and age. It should be noted, however, that while the size of their role in the cocaine trade might be a matter of debate, what isn't a matter of debate is the fact that they use the drug trade as a major source of revenue (often through "taxation").

Third, the FARC tend to kill more people than the security forces, though it's fair to say they're often outdone by the paramilitaries. Even this is not exactly cut and dry, however, as it appears the FARC's targeting of demilitarized paramilitaries has been a contributing factor in the recent restrengthening of some of these paramilitary groups.

And finally, while I can understand the reasoning of your final paragraph, it's also clear that by supporting the FARC, Venezuela is increasing the risk of the very kinds of attacks they're, in theory, backing the FARC in order to stave off.

[The Magistrate]

40. You Engage, Sir, In A Parade Of Horribles For The One; Do So For The Other

Then we could have a reasonable conversation. It should not be hard for you to find examples of atrocious behavior by the A.U.C.

As it is, your grasp of the situation seems to be deficient, to put it mildly. The statement "the FARC tend to kill more people than the security forces, though it's fair to say they're often outdone by the paramilitaries" is risible. First, the Columbian militarty has been documented to have snatched young people up at random, killed them, and passed the corpses off as 'dead guerrillas', to a toll of several thousands from this cause alone. Second, the paramilitary and the official military in Columbia work hand in glove, with the latter providing protection and intelligence to the former, and often share key personnel, so that the idea of separating the tally of one from the other is impossible, and beside the point.

Everyone in Columbia uses the cocaine trade for financing; the sums involved by some estimates have been equal to the entire 'legal' economy for decades. The people who the Columbian government allows to be extradited to the U.S., or shot by our people there, are simply people who have not 'kept up their payments', or are viewed as necessary sacrifices to keep the trade flowing smoothly by someone with more clout than they. Cries that 'F.A.R.C. is drug-dealers!' are simply attempts to appeal to the national psychosis concerning drugs, and create an emotional identification of 'pure evil' in the minds of people who know little or nothing about the situation, that might move some to support U.S. backed Columbian action against Venezuela. The fact is that F.A.R.C. is a far more marginal group in Columbia than the D.A.S. and other police and military authorities, and so necessarily plays a much smaller role in the trade over-all than the officialdom, which provides the real protection and takes the greatest rake-offs.

Your closing comment might have some point, if it were not the case that there is a fixed resolve among 'Cold War' remnants in the U.S. security agencies and rightist policy circles to do whatever they can contrive to discomfit and overthrow Col. Chavez. Their reasons are not anything he does or does not do in the borderlands, but the attempts he is making to alter how the economic pie is split among the inhabitants of Venezuela. Since the fixed resolve exists, the material benefit of an armed body in the enemy's rear is a gain without any real cost.

[YouTakeTheSkyway]

41. Mistaken Intention

For starters, the reason I mention the crimes of the FARC is because while the paramilitaries are regularly condemned on this board for their crimes, the FARC are generally given a free pass. In other words, I do so to bring some much needed perspective to the issue of Colombia's civil war. If you're mistaking it for anything other than, well, that sucks for you.

Secondly, yes, the Colombian security forces have been caught dressing the bodies of civilians up as guerilla fighters in order to increase their bodycount in some instances. However, is there really enough evidence to show that this is taking place on so wide a scale as to render the figures compiled by our State Dept. or by the various human rights organizations on this subject irrelevant? Because that's essentially what you're arguing here. It's clear to me that there isn't - and it also seems clear to HRW and AI, who, though they acknowledge that this kind of activity has taken place in certain instances, still feel the numbers they report are generally accurate as well.

Third, with regard to whether or not one should separate the tallies for the paramilitaries and the security forces, there's arguments to be made on both sides. While you're right in pointing out that there's a degree of cooperation and definite overlap as far as personel is concerned, it's also clear that many of these paramilitary organizations don't always take their marching orders from the Colombian government and that they often arise out of local and not national concerns.

Fourth, while it's true that many of the factions involved in this conflict are funded by drug money (the paramilitaries, segments of the Colombian military, etc.) that doesn't change the fact that the drug trade is a key source of revenue for the FARC - it simply means that we should keep in mind that eliminating the FARC will in no way eliminate the drug trade. With that said, I generally agree with your assessment that the FARC are lesser players in the trade than those who are officially sanctions actors within Colombia - for obvious reasons, none of which have to do with some moral aversion on the part of the FARC.

And finally, while I agree that there are elements that are obsessed with keeping Chavez on the defensive, with the end goal of seeing him removed from power, it seems to me that the military threat to the Chavez government has been relatively minimal since the unsuccessful coup of 2002. Efforts in the last seven years have instead been focused around things like the referendum on term limits vs. armed resistance. This is why I say his current policy of support for the FARC increases the threat of an assault.

[The Magistrate]

42. Nowhere Near Good Enough, Sir

Here, for the record, is the current summary of Amnesty International:

"Since 2003, paramilitary groups, responsible for the vast majority of human rights violations in Colombia for over a decade, have been involved in a government-sponsored "demobilization" process. More than 25,000 paramilitaries have supposedly demobilized under a process which has been criticized by AI and other Colombian and international human rights groups, as well as by the OHCHR and the IACHR. The process is lacking in effective mechanisms for justice and in its inability to ensure that paramilitary members actually cease violent activities."

http://www.amnestyusa.org/all-countries/colombia/page.d...

The fact is that you are engaged in apologetics for the A.U.C. and the Columbian security services. You can attempt to cover this all you please, but it shines through clearly. Let me be blunt: my preference is for victory of the left in the nations of South America. The point holding the most promise for this at present is Venezuela. It is impossible for me, as a man of the left, to give any degree of support or preference for the Uribe government and its armed tools in Colombia. The F.A.R.C. being simply bandits at this point, are not entitled to support from the left, but their opponents on the right in Colombia, being engaged in the murderous suppression left political and union elements under cover of assailing the F.A.R.C., must be opposed from the left.

[YouTakeTheSkyway]

43. That's a wonderful link.

Now perhaps you'd like to explain what portion of my post you think it refutes?

Secondly, nowhere have I engaged in apologetics for the UAC or the Colombian security forces.

Third, this is not a situation where you're forced to side with one vs. the other, the FARC or the paramilitaries. In fact, a reasonable approach would be to condemn the crimes of both sides. Frankly, you've proven more apt to do that than any of the other people who eagerly discuss this topic on this board, which is a plus, though your sudden attempt to paint me as an apologist for the paramilitaries taints that to a center degree.

[Judi Lynn]

25. How did you miss this story?

March 5, 2008
Mainstream Media Ignore FARC's Reference To Barack Obama
If you doubted that terrorists "heart" Obama, think again:

Captured FARC documents name Obama

... Dead terrorist Raul Reyes had information that FARC was meeting "gringos" about Obama.

... The computers captured this past weekend by Colombian soldiers at the campsite of FARC #2 Raul Reyes contained loads of damning information on FARC sympathizers and allies.

... The FARC Terrorists were hoping and expecting that Barack Obama would win the US elections in November because he was most aligned with the Colombian Marxist group.
(The) document was posted at Martha Colmenares (in Spanish) and Free Republic:

More:
http://www.freedomszone.com/archives/2008/03/mainstream...

[AlphaCentauri]

26. After the birth certificate allegations fails Obama links to FARC will be the next

big thing.

[Judi Lynn]

27. Surely! I'll bet that certificate names Raul Reyes as the real father!

[AlphaCentauri]

28. LOL

then limbaugh will change the place of birth to the Amazon in a yanomami hospital

[EFerrari]

32. They both have chins. Pretty suspicious!

lol

[EFerrari]

31. "Obama refuses to admit his links to FARC, Kenyan birth and Bigfoot's last nerve"

[YouTakeTheSkyway]

30. Interesting, definitely, but how significant is this?

[spanza]

34. That's a naive general statement

[EFerrari]

35. The Great Oz has spoken.

[EFerrari]

14. omfg. He said there was a seven page article in a Colombian paper

that details step by step the ties of two former assistants to the now Mexican Ambassador from Colombia to AUC and between them and the highest levels of the Colombian government.

[DU GrovelBot]

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