Venezuela Seizes Large Explosive Shipment Destined for Far-Right Terrorist Attacks

Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello reported Saturday, August 9, on the seizure of a large shipment of explosives in the city of Maturín, Monagas state, intended for use in terrorist acts by far-right groups in the country.

Among the cargo intercepted by Venezuelan state security forces were 1,137 boxes of various types of shaped charges, totaling 54,000 units; 35 industrial-size rolls of detonating cord, used to activate explosives; 82 secondary charges; 125 electric detonators; and 61 hollow charge tip systems. The authorities informed the public that they have not ruled out the presence on C-4 explosive in the shipment that was not yet completely analyzed due to its size.

Minister Cabello highlighted that these materials possess high destructive power and were found inside containers, camouflaged in warehouses to evade detection in Maturín’s industrial zone. He explained that the explosives are not simple electrical cables, but rather high-risk and lethal components. The combined explosive power of the seized material would cover several hundred meters and they could be detonated through cell phones.

“A few days ago, the Ministry of the Interior reported a very criminal event: an attempt by opposition groups in Venezuela, in a criminal alliance of drug traffickers, conspirators, and gangs, to detonate a bomb with extremely high destructive power in a high-traffic area,” near Plaza Venezuela, Caracas, he said.

Cabello stated that law enforcement agencies were tipped off by citizens about “a strange material” in some warehouses in Maturín. Thereafter, the agencies carried out investigations that led them to the aforementioned warehouse in the industrial zone of the city and another warehouse located in Ugarte Pelayo Avenue.

“What we have found here is alarming because of the extremely high level of destructive power accumulated here,” Cabello added. “We have launched a highly professional investigation. So far, eight people have been arrested, and we are searching for 10 or 12 more individuals suspected by security agencies in the investigation.”

Criminal groups, drug gangs & far-right opposition
“We are combating a criminal alliance of violent opposition groups, drug traffickers, conspirators, and gangs trying to threaten the peace and sovereignty of the Venezuelan people,” Cabello said in his report.

He also pointed to the links between these sectors and far-right figures in Venezuela, specifically mentioning María Corina Machado and groups operating under her direction.

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Venezuela decried that these terrorist actions are primarily financed by Colombian drug trafficking and enjoy the complicity of international mafias, including the Albanian mafia. According to Venezuelan authorities, these groups intend to use Venezuelan territory as a conduit for drug trafficking in order to cover up their illegal operations.

“They are criminals who, lacking the support of the people at the polls, have opted for an alliance with drug trafficking and organized crime to generate violence and chaos in the country,” Minister Cabello said.

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