A US federal agent allegedly made a daring proposal to the chief pilot of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro: to secretly divert the presidential plane to a place where the United States authorities could detain the leader in Caracas, AP writes.
Nicolas Maduro and General Bitner Villegas, the personal pilot of the Venezuelan president/PHOTO:X
Instead, the pilot was to be handsomely rewarded, according to an investigation based on the statements of several current and former US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The negotiation, conducted under conditions of maximum discretion, was conducted by federal agent Edwin Lopez, who for more than a year continued to communicate with the pilot through encrypted applications, even after his retirement from the Department of Homeland Security.
The case — which includes elements of a political thriller — involves luxury private jets, secret meetings in a hangar in the Dominican Republic and an attempted coup against a Maduro confidant. The failed plan illustrates the scale of American efforts to oust the Venezuelan leader, accused by Washington of destroying the country's democracy and providing support to drug traffickers, terrorist groups and communist Cuba.
The operation began under the Biden administration
The operation allegedly began in April 2024 during the Biden administration after an informant contacted the US Embassy in the Dominican Republic claiming to have information about Venezuelan presidential aircraft. Edwin Lopez, then an embassy attaché and agent for Homeland Security Investigations, was assigned to investigate.
The two planes – a Dassault Falcon 2000EX and a Falcon 900EX – were in a hangar in Santo Domingo, and the repairs would have involved the use of American parts, which is prohibited by the sanctions imposed on Venezuela.
As the federal investigation progressed, Lopez obtained approval to question the pilots sent by Maduro to retrieve the aircraft. Among them was General Bitner Villegas, the personal pilot of the Venezuelan president and a member of the presidential guard.
Nicolas Maduro the president of Venezuela/PHOTO:X
The proposal
During the meeting, Lopez allegedly suggested to Villegas that he transport Maduro to a place where the United States could detain him — a US military base or an airport under US jurisdiction. In return, the pilot would have received a substantial reward and been presented as a hero of Venezuela.
Villegas would not give a clear answer, but gave the agent his phone number, a sign that he might be interested in continuing the talks.
After the aircraft were seized by US authorities for violating sanctions, Lopez again tried to convince Villegas. Even after his retirement, the former agent continued to send him messages, including taking advantage of the Trump administration's decision to double the reward offered for Maduro's capture to $50 million.
According to messages verified by The Associated Press, Lopez allegedly wrote to the pilot: “I'm still waiting for your response,” sending a link to the official statement from the Department of Justice.
Villegas would not have responded favorably. In a final conversation, he allegedly accused Lopez of trying to corrupt the Venezuelan military, adding: “We Venezuelans are different. We are not traitors.”
A maneuver to destabilize Maduro
After failing to co-opt the pilot, Lopez and other exiled Venezuelan dissidents reportedly tried to put Maduro on guard. In a post on Platform X, former US official Marshall Billingslea published a photo of Villegas, suggesting that he may have been involved in a plot. The post caused a wave of speculation in the Venezuelan press, and the pilot was not seen for several days.
A few days later, Villegas appeared on state television alongside Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, who dismissed the idea that the Venezuelan military could be “bought” and praised the pilot as “a loyal and steadfast patriot.”
The U.S. State Department and Department of Homeland Security declined to comment, and the Venezuelan government did not respond to AP requests.
