Exclusive: Secret US op spied on Venezuelan officials to build drug cases apnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from apnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A secret memo obtained by The Associated Press details a covert operation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration that sent undercover operatives into Venezuela to surreptitiously record and build drug-trafficking cases against the country’s leadership – a plan the U.S. acknowledged from the start was arguably a violation of international law. The 2018 memo outlines “Operation Money Badger,” a yearslong investigation that authorities said targeted dozens of people, including Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The revelation comes at a fraught moment in US-Venezuela relations and offers a rare window into the lengths the DEA was willing to go in a country that banned U.S. drug agents nearly two decades ago.