Brand-new General-in-Chief has been accused of drug trafficking

[naaman fletcher]

WESTERN HEMISPHERE
After some controversial statements, according to which Major General Henry Rangel Silva, the head of the Strategic Operational Command (SOC), said that the Venezuelan armed forces would not allow an opposition government in Venezuela, President Hugo Chávez ordered the Ministry of Defense to promote him to General-in-Chief, the top military rank in Venezuela.

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In 2008, the new General-in-Chief, was described as "Tier II Kingpin" by the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control for his alleged links to drug trafficking.

"Rangel Silva has materially assisted the narcotics trafficking activities of the FARC," said the US agency, which ordered to freeze the accounts or assets that the Venezuelan general could have in the United States.

Additionally, Major General Henry Rangel Silva allegedly offered help to Venezuelan-US businessman Guido Antonini Wilson, who tried to smuggle USD 800,000 in a suitcase into Argentina. The cash apparently came from state-run oil holding Petróleos de Venezuela (Pvdsa) to finance the presidential campaign of then candidate Cristina de Kirchner.

http://english.eluniversal.com/2010/11/15/en_pol_esp_brand-new-general-in_15A4732331.shtml