Trump’s friends are plundering Venezuela

Max Blumenthal’s analysis of the Maduro kidnapping and the questionable charges

In early January 2026, the US military operation to kidnap Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro shocked the world. US special forces abducted Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from Caracas and brought them to New York, where Maduro was put on trial. President Donald Trump announced that the US would now “rule” Venezuela and exploit its oil reserves.

In an interview with Judge Andrew Napolitano, investigative journalist Max Blumenthal analyses the US Department of Justice’s indictment as a politically motivated construct full of exaggerations and loopholes. He sees it not only as an attack on Venezuela, but as a deliberate plundering by Trump’s and Marco Rubio’s allies – above all, the billionaire Paul Singer.

The dubious charge: A political pamphlet instead of evidence

Blumenthal dismantles the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) indictment as a “political rant.” It accuses Maduro and his co-defendants – including Cilia Flores, his son, and close allies like Diosdado Cabello – of running a “narco-terrorism” network that smuggled thousands of tons of cocaine into the United States. The allegations date back to 1999, when Hugo Chávez was elected.

However, the evidence is weak:

• Many of the cocaine flights mentioned went to Mexico, not to the USA – i.e., outside of US jurisdiction.
• A flight in 2013 was uncovered by Venezuelan authorities themselves; 25 officials were arrested, international criminals (British) were convicted – no Venezuelans under Maduro.
• A flight from 2006 suggests CIA involvement: The aircraft belonged to US companies with links to Jeb Bush and possible CIA shell companies.

The so-called “Cartel de los Soles” (Cartel of the Suns), allegedly a military-backed drug network, is mentioned only twice in the new indictment and downplayed as a “loose network” – in contrast to the 2020 version, which portrayed it as a “cohesive syndicate.” Blumenthal emphasizes that this cartel does not exist as such; the term originates from the Reagan era and was even used by the CIA for its own drug operations.

Maduro appeared confidently in court – despite his wife’s injuries – and declared: “I am the president of Venezuela, innocent and a decent person.” The trial is taking place in the Southern District of New York before 92-year-old Judge Alvin Hellerstein, a civil rights liberal who is, however, considered tough in drug cases.

Blumenthal warns that the prosecution is ignoring international jurisprudence, such as the International Court of Justice ruling in Congo v. Belgium, which grants immunity to heads of state. The kidnapping violates the UN Charter and the Geneva Conventions.

The coerced state witness: Hugo “El Pollo” Carvajal

The prosecution’s key witness is Hugo Carvajal, former head of military intelligence under Chávez and Maduro. He is quoted seven times, but made a secret deal with the DOJ: In June 2025, he pleaded guilty to drug offenses in order to receive a lighter sentence – he faced up to 50 years in prison.

Carvajal was once a loyal Chavista and involved in the 1992 coup attempt. In 2017, he broke with Maduro, fled, and was extradited in 2019. Even then, Marco Rubio announced that Carvajal would “reveal everything about Maduro.” Blumenthal sees him as a blackmailed witness who says what US wants to hear.

Carvajal is himself a convicted drug trafficker and compromised by the suspicious flight of 2006. His statements were allegedly obtained under duress – a classic pattern of coerced testimony.

The real winners: Trump, Rubio, and Paul Singer

Blumenthal emphasizes the economic core of the operation: It’s about plundering Venezuela. CITGO, the most profitable foreign subsidiary of the state-owned oil company PDVSA, with refineries, pipelines, and gas stations, was sold in November 2025 to Paul Singer’s Elliott Investment Management for $5.9 billion, far below its estimated value of $13 to $18 billion.

Singer, a multi-billionaire “vulture fund” investor with assets of approximately $6.7 billion, is close to Netanyahu and a longtime major donor to Marco Rubio. Trump described him as a “strong ally” in 2024. Sanctions and embargoes have devalued CITGO; now Singer is profiting massively from Maduro’s removal. Appeals against the sale are likely to fail.

Rubio, Trump’s Secretary of State, is a key driver of this agenda. As a representative of the so-called “Gusano Industrial Complex” – Cuban-Venezuelan exile circles in Florida – he is fighting Chavismo ideologically and culturally. Interim President Delcy Rodríguez spoke of “Zionist undertones” to the attack – an allusion to Singer’s role.

Blumenthal emphasizes: This is not about fighting drugs, but about blatant exploitation.

Dangers to freedom and international order

Napolitano and Blumenthal warn against the normalization of state-sponsored kidnappings, as seen in the case of Israel. This threatens global stability. Even in the US itself, freedoms are being eroded; protesters are increasingly being arrested arbitrarily.

Blumenthal points out that the trial could expose the CIA if the defence demands access to information about past US drug operations. However, the political context – as in previous Venezuelan trials – could still put Maduro at a disadvantage.

Conclusion: Plunder instead of justice

Max Blumenthal exposes the indictment against Maduro as a weak, politically motivated construct based on coerced witness testimony and old CIA evidence. Behind the operation lies the systematic plundering of Venezuela by Trump’s and Rubio’s associates – above all Paul Singer, who profits by billions.

This is not an act of justice, but the “law of the jungle”: raw capitalism, Zionism, and imperialism. The Global South and freedom defenders worldwide should be vigilant – Venezuela is just the beginning.

 

yogaesoteric
January 11, 2026