Caracas, September 20 (RHC)-- Venezuela's Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez presented a video on Friday in which the Colombian narco-paramilitary Ivan Posso Pedroso explains the links that the opposition lawmaker Juan Guaido has with Los Rastrojos, a paramilitary group operating on the Colombian-Venezuelan border.
Presented at a press conference held in Caracas, the video shows Posso Pedroso providing details of the secret operation which made it possible to transport Guaido from El Vigia city (Venezuela) to Santander Port (Colombia).
After being captured by Venezuelan authorities, the mercenary testified about the veracity of photographs in which Guaido is observed posing with four members of Los Rastrojos, who are well-known at the Colombian border area, where locals accuse them of operating a clandestine house where people are tortured and dismembered.
The Colombian paramilitary assured that he was the one who took the photos in which Guaido appears. He took those photos to have a "guarantee" which would allow Los Rastrojos to get "special benefits" in case at some point in the future the right-wing took power in Venezuela.
Posso Pedroso also said that Guaido traveled through the communities of La Pedrosa, El Quince, La Tendida and La Palmita until he reached El Paraiso. To facilitate the transfer of the Venezuelan politician during the "Operation Padlock", the Colombian paramilitaries established a "curfew" in these locations.
To ensure that the population did not leave their homes, 200 members of the Colombian narco-paramilitary group previously generated disturbances in the area in order to generate fear.
On February 23rd, once U.S.-backed politician Juan Guaido arrived in Colombian territory, he was transferred in a Colombian government's helicopter to Cucuta in order to attend the "Venezuela Aid Live," a concert financed by British billionaire Richard Branson.
However, under that facade, such event was actually organized to pressure Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro to allow the entry of alleged U.S. "Humanitarian aid." Weeks later, the Venezuelan government presented evidence of an ongoing ivestigation, proving that the opposition's humanitarian operations were plagued by corruption scandals. Details emerged of Guaido’s inner circle embezzling large sums that were initially destined for so-called "aid projects."
