The revelation that chavista leaders have been using Costa Rica to receive in cash the money from mexican cartels –hidden in containers of food shipped to the food bag program of the regime of Nicolás Maduro, as payment for drug shipments made from Venezuela to Mexico and the united States, illustrates well the fear in Washington that the chavez can consolidate their criminal operations in this country of Central america.
Hugo Chavez was able to involve in their illegal business in Nicaragua and El Salvador, through a network of companies created around the oil company of venezuela, PDVSA, or from the initiative of the ALBA, and for a while had easy entry into the Honduras of Manuel Zelaya. But Costa Rica always resisted the approaches of chavismo , in an area of Central america that is essential for the transfer of the shipments of cocaine out of Colombia and, in passing many by Venezuela, are directed toward the united States.
Without being able to replicate in Costa Rica a business structure an accomplice made available by the Frente Sandinista (Nicaragua) or Frente Farabundo Martí (El Salvador) , the chavismo has put the hand there of Aluminums National S. A. (Alunasa), a company of local implementation but to state capital of venezuela.
"Cocaine inside of the aluminum bars"
The company belonged before to the multinational Reynolds, which by its weight was able to obtain certain logistical advantages of the that has seized the number two of the regime chavez, Diosdado Cabello, that has taken Alunasa as cover for their business.
With headquarters in the area of Puerto Caldera, on the Pacific coast, Alunasa account also with a terminal's own on the Atlantic coast, in Puerto Limon.
"That gives you ease to Alunasa to move cargo from one place to another, to introduce the cocaine into the aluminium bars and despacharlas then down the West Coast of the united States", says a collaborator of the research carried out about it from Washington.
something that is covered by the u.s. Treasury Department when in its complaint last year against Hair mentioned operations of Alunasa . In the document it is highlighted the close relationship between Hair and who was governor of the state of Bolivar, where the main mineral deposits of Venezuela and is home to the state Venezuelan Aluminum (Venalum), which depends on Alunasa.
money LaunderingThe Treasury accusing them, without any further specifications, having used both companies to "launder money in Costa Rica and Russia." "Venalum used boats to move minerals and launder money through Alunasa. Hair ordered the venezuelan military to place several employees in Alunasa, in Costa Rica, to continue the operation. In addition, Hair bleached capital through (s) from Venalum, sending them to Russia", stated the document of the Treasury.
as has been revealed now ABC, part of the operations had been to receive cash payments of the mexican cartels, in ships that went from Mexico to Venezuela, carrying the food to the bags of the Local Committees of Supply and Production (CLAP), and made a stop "technical" not declared in Puerto Limon. Seem the money came into the banking system of Costa Rica and allegedly ended up in accounts that Hair and that Tareck el Aissami , another of the main chavista leaders, have in Russian banks.
After such a denunciation of the Treasury, formalized in may 2018, the National Bank of Costa Rica closed the current accounts that the directors of Alunasa had there. However, the authorities costarricenceses not have carried out more actions against the company.
Fear of losing jobsDuring the presidency of Hugo Chavez, this threatened with the closure of Alunasa when the former costa rican Oscar Arias, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was especially critical of him. Given the interest of the country for the jobs that involves the activity of Alunasa, Arias lowered then the tone of their criticisms.
Some commentators have highlighted that also now Costa Rica has downgraded its stance on the regime of Maduro, as in the vote on the implementation of the inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (TIAR) , he chose to apply a proposal of its own, distinct from that driven by the countries most critical of Maduro, asking you to expressly eliminate the use of force against Venezuela.
Although Costa Rica has been historically a role of active moderation in international conflicts, it is also true that it has generally been placed on the side of the democratic aspirations of neighbouring countries, as did giving shelter to those who faced off first against the dictatorship of Somoza and then the sandinista. Just before the threat from the sandinista invasion as punishment for that posture, Costa Rica invoked the TIAR and as a country without an Army, and enlisted the help of aviation venezuelan sent by the president Carlos Andrés Pérez.
Date Of Update: 17 September 2019, 17:01
