The ringleader of the failed coup, retired Venezuelan General Cliver Alcala, is currently behind bars in the US on narcotics charges.
The AP news agency has quoted several unnamed sources as saying that a group of about 300 “heavily armed volunteers” unsuccessfully tried to topple Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a “private coup” that was allegedly funded by US billionaires.
The sources referred to former Green Beret Jordan Goudreau's alleged involvement in the operation which was reportedly led by Cliver Alcala, ringleader of the Venezuelan military deserters. He is now in prison in the US over drug-related charges.
As for Goudreau, he retired in 2016 and is currently at the helm of Silvercorp USA, a private security firm located near his home on Florida's Space Coast, according to AP. Goudreau declined to comment on the matter, citing “the nature of our work”.
Still, AP reported, US and Colombian authorities “are asking questions” about Goudreau's role in the failed coup that followed developments in late April 2019, when “a cadre of [Venezuelan] soldiers swore loyalty to the South American country's self-proclaimed president Juan Guaido.
According to the sources, the “private coup” stipulated 300 volunteers entering Venezuela “from the northern tip of South America”, raiding the country's military bases and igniting a public revolt that was due to result in…
