In Venezuela, individuals involved in Operation Gideon receive prison terms of 21 and 30 years
In the sizzling heart of Caracas, May 25, 2024, a shockwave rippled through the nation - a Venezuelan court handed down sentences to 29 individuals implicated in a 2020 paramilitary coup attack, famously known as "Operation Gideon."
This momentous trial, led by Attorney General Tarek William Saab, resumed this week, following the presentation of closing arguments. The ruling was not a light one, with the country's top court on terrorism affairs dishing out verdicts against the 29 defendants.
Nine crooks received 21-year prison sentences for their criminal association and scheming with a foreign government. The remaining 20 received a brutal 30-year stint, with additional charges for treason, rebellion, arms trafficking, terrorism, and terrorism financing.
Those defendants had been nabbed between 2020 and 2021, joining a long list of previous convictions. Human rights groups within Venezuela have raised concerns over delays in the legal proceedings.
"We're stepping into the light at the end of this grim chapter in our nation's history," Saab tweeted, "a chapter where disloyal Venezuela's collaborated with foreign powers to instigate a mercenary operation, aiming to topple our government."
Saab further disclosed that outstanding arrest warrants remain for other suspects linked to Operation Gideon. "We're relentless in ensuring justice is served for their vile actions," he added.
Flash back to May 2020, when the Venezuelan Armed Forces thwarted two speedboats carrying a 60-strong group, featuring ex-US Green Berets and defecting Venezuelan soldiers. The ensuing firefight left eight mercenaries dead, and several more arrests followed.
TheOperation Gideon's mastermind, Jordan Goudreau, a previous Green Beret, orchestrated the coup from the United States. Retired Venezuelan Major General Cliver Alcalá was reportedly charged with training the deserting soldiers in Colombian camps before leading the forces into Venezuelan waters.
Mere hours after the first boat was intercepted, Goudreau implying the hardline US-backed opposition, led by former self-proclaimed "Interim President" Juan Guaido, failed to fulfill their end of a contract.
Leaked documents, signed by Guaido and his cronies, hired Goudreau's Silvercorp to "plan and execute an operation to capture/detain/remove Nicolas Maduro." Pro-opposition journalist Patricia Poleo also released evidence of a conference call featuring Guaido, Goudreau, and other high-ranking anti-government figures.
While the "interim government" distanced itself from the operation's failure, Goudreau sued Juan José ("JJ") Rendón, a Guaido associate, for breach of contract.
Operation Gideon unveiled numerous revelations in the subsequent months via additional arrests, interviews, and media reports. Goudreau maintained that US officials from the Trump administration encouraged the coup attempt. A Vice News report from 2021 also suggested the CIA had knowledge of the mercenary plot.
Luke Denman and Airan Berry, the two ex-Green Berets captured on Venezuelan soil, were initially handed 20-year sentences in 2020. In March 2022, they were finally returned to US soil as part of a prisoner exchange, freeing Venezuelan government envoy Alex Saab.
As of now, Operation Gideon continues to generate diplomatic tension and legal implications for those involved, casting a stark light on the complexities surrounding private military involvement in foreign affairs.
- Venezuelan court sentenced 29 individuals involved in Operation Gideon paramilitary coup attack to various prison terms, ranging from 21 to 30 years, on charges including treason, rebellion, arms trafficking, terrorism, and terrorism financing.
- The revelations from Operation Gideon, which included leaked documents and media reports, uncovered that the operation was intended to capture, detain, or remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, with alleged encouragement from US officials from the Trump administration and knowledge from the CIA.
- Some of the defendants in Operation Gideon had been arrested between 2020 and 2021, and human rights groups within Venezuela have expressed concern over delays in legal proceedings.
- The political implications of Operation Gideon continue to generate diplomatic tension, with the complexities surrounding private military involvement in foreign affairs prominently highlighted.
