El Mundo reports this morning that Hugo Chavez has appointed
Henry Rangel Silva (pictured) as chief of strategic and operational command of Venezuela's army. Rangel Silva was designated in 2008, by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), for
materially assisting the narcotics trafficking activities of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a narco-terrorist organization.
Regarding the decision, Chavez is quoted as having said that Rangel Silva "merited" the promotion, and that he was "his captain" when the Venezuelan caudillo was briefly ousted in April 2002.
Let us see how long will it take to international media, and indeed authorities, to pick up on the appointment to such a position of a collaborator of Colombian narco-terrorists.
3 comments:
Alek:
Here's what I think: This can only mean that Hugo is worried that the shit is close to hitting the fan, and for that matter, The FAN. (sorry, couldn't help myself).
Robert, Chavez's worries are understandable. However what does surprise me, is that he could actually bring back Henry Rangel Silva -how long till Rodriguez Chacin reappears in some ministerial job- mind you, are there not enough less known, fundamentalist radicals aligned with FARC worthy of trust in his circle, that haven't been fingered as collaborators of narco terrorism?
This is one utterly stupid move by Chavez. Imagine the conversation:
chavista: "our supreme leader has been wrongly accused of siding with terrorist groups."
jaimito: "was Henry Rangel Silva not exposed as a collaborator of FARC? Whatever happened to investigations about ETA members employed by Chavez?"
chavista: "yeak, but no, but yeah, but no..."
See, it is because they even HAD to have that conversation that one can surmise the shit is getting closer to the fan.
Rangel Silva is one bad man. Counter-intelligence, rooting out of "unworthy folk" and other nasty talents are his forte.
For Chavez to have weighed Rangel's reputation against the job he wants him to do, and to put him where he did is telling.
Chavez must think that enough of a threat is building inside the FAN that he needs Rangel in the Strategic Operational Command.
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