BTN News: A former Green Beret from the United States, Jordan Goudreau, has been arrested in New York on federal weapons trafficking charges. This news comes nearly four years after he tried and failed to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro with a cross-border raid. The federal indictment from Tampa, Florida, says Goudreau and his Venezuelan partner, Yacsy Álvarez, broke U.S. arms control laws. They allegedly put together and sent AR-style weapons, ammunition, night vision scopes, and other defense gear to Colombia without the needed export licenses.
Goudreau is 48 years old and has received the Bronze Star three times for bravery in Iraq and Afghanistan. He now faces charges including conspiracy, smuggling goods from the United States, and illegal possession of a machine gun. In total, he is facing 14 charges. He is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
Goudreau became known in 2020 when he said he was behind an amphibious raid. This raid involved soldiers trained in secret camps in Colombia. He claimed their mission was to protect Venezuelan democracy. This came after Maduro’s 2018 re-election, which the opposition boycotted and the United States and other countries called undemocratic.
A few days before the raid, The Associated Press published an investigation. It showed how Goudreau had been trying to raise funds for his plan from the Trump administration, Venezuelan opposition figures, and wealthy Americans. These people were interested in Venezuela’s oil industry if Maduro was removed. Opposition leader Juan Guaidó initially liked the idea of the coup. He even signed an agreement with Goudreau’s startup, Silvercorp, based in Florida. But financial support was not enough. The would-be liberators in coastal Colombian camps did not have enough food, weapons, and other supplies.
Despite these problems, the plotters went ahead. The attempt ended in failure and has been compared to the “Bay of Pigs.” Venezuelan security forces quickly stopped the group. They had already infiltrated the operation. Two of Goudreau’s former Green Beret companions spent years in Venezuelan prisons. They were released last year in a prisoner exchange with Americans held by a Maduro ally in the U.S. on money laundering charges.
Goudreau’s arrest comes as Maduro faces new pressure for his increasingly authoritarian actions. Recently, Venezuelan authorities declared Maduro the winner of the presidential elections. However, many Western countries, including the United States, do not recognize the results. They have asked Venezuela to release detailed vote counts. Meanwhile, the opposition says their candidate, Edmundo González, won by a two-to-one margin based on records from 80% of polling stations.
The U.S. prosecutors’ indictment provides detailed information about the failed raid. It includes text messages between the accused discussing their efforts to buy military-related equipment and send it to Colombia. These messages show a network of money transfers, international flights, and large purchases. In a message from November 2019, Goudreau gave a distributor a list of items needed. This list included AR-15 rifles, night vision devices, and ballistic helmets. “We definitely need our weapons,” Goudreau wrote in another message. Álvarez, in a separate text, asked if Goudreau would “carry things” with her on a flight from the U.S. to Colombia.
Earlier this year, another of Goudreau’s coup partners, retired Venezuelan Army General Cliver Alcalá, was sentenced to over two decades in prison by a federal court in Manhattan. He was found guilty of supplying weapons to rebels funded by drug trafficking. Goudreau attended Alcalá’s trial but declined to comment on his role in the raid.
Goudreau’s lawyer, Gustavo J. García-Montes, has said his client is innocent but has not given further comments. The U.S. Department of Justice has also declined to comment. Álvarez’s lawyer, Christopher A. Kerr, said she is seeking asylum in the United States. She has been living peacefully with her family, several of whom are U.S. citizens. Kerr said Álvarez will plead not guilty to the charges. He noted that under the American legal system, these are currently only accusations.
This case shows the risks and consequences of trying to change international politics through illegal actions. The situation is complex, with many players involved and many lives affected.
