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The United States attempted to recruit the personal pilot of Nicolás Maduro to kidnap the Venezuelan leader during a flight and hand him over to American authorities in exchange for money and protection.
The plot, led by a seasoned federal agent, has revealed the lengths to which Washington has been willing to go to capture Maduro, who is accused of narcoterrorism.
The proposal: "You will get rich"
It was a movie-like offer: Diversion of the presidential plane with Maduro on board to a destination where U.S. agents could capture him.
In return, the pilot would not only gain the protection of Washington but also a fortune.
“I'm still waiting for your response,” wrote Agent Edwin López on August 7 to the pilot, attaching a statement from the Department of Justice, according to a report now released by the agency AP, which has documented in detail how the process unfolded.
The reward for information leading to Maduro has just doubled to 50 million dollars.
The conversation took place in a hangar at La Isabela Airport in Santo Domingo in 2024.
There, López met with General Bitner Villegas, a colonel of the Venezuelan air force and a regular pilot for Maduro.
He was the last of five aviators summoned for "a simple chat." But with Villegas, the agent had a bigger plan.
“You could be a hero to millions of Venezuelans”, López insisted.
The pilot listened, but did not commit.
Nonetheless, in the end, she gave him her cell phone number. A clandestine connection was beginning that would last for 16 months, even after López retired from his position at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The start of the plot: A clue in Santo Domingo
The plan was conceived in April 2024, when an anonymous informant approached the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic, which was still under the presidency of Joe Biden at that time.
He claimed that two private jets used by Maduro were being repaired in Santo Domingo, which likely constituted a violation of U.S. sanctions.
López, a special agent of the DHS and former Army Ranger, was leading investigations into criminal networks in the Caribbean.
He recognized an opportunity: locating the aircraft could lead to Maduro. The jets – a Dassault Falcon 2000EX and a Falcon 900EX – were valuable and vulnerable assets.
After tracking the planes to a hangar in La Isabela, he learned that Maduro had sent a group of pilots to retrieve them. That's when the idea was born: what if one of them collaborated?
Villegas: trust, tension, and silence
Bitner Villegas was no ordinary pilot. He had transported Maduro and previously Chávez. He could be seen in official videos exchanging greetings with Russian pilots from the cockpit, representing an inner circle of presidential loyalty.
In the airport lounge, López struck up an informal conversation. They talked about airplanes, celebrities, and missions. But when the topic of Maduro came up, the atmosphere changed. Villegas began to tense up.
Finally, he confessed: "I have flown with Chávez and with Maduro," and showed photos on his phone with both leaders.
It was then that López made his proposal: to hand over Maduro and secure wealth and protection for himself.
“You choose the location: Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, or Guantánamo,” the agent offered. Villegas didn’t respond with a yes but left the door open.
Covert surveillance and a personal "obsession"
Although Villegas returned to Venezuela, López did not give up. Through messages on WhatsApp and Telegram, he kept in touch with the pilot, trying to convince him. The relationship became a personal project.
Even after his retirement from the DHS in July 2025, López continued. A member of the Venezuelan opposition in exile described him as someone with "an unfinished mission."
"More valuable to us than many of Maduro's greatest opponents within Venezuela," said this opposition figure.
But Villegas kept his distance. The last attempt was in September when López, using a new number, saw a presidential plane making a strange turn shortly after taking off from Caracas. He sent a message:
— "Where are you going?"
"Who is it?" Villegas replied.
López identified himself, and the conversation turned hostile.
"Venezuelans are of a different kind. The last thing we are is traitors," Villegas wrote.
López sent him a photo of his meeting in the hangar. Villegas replied, "Are you crazy?"
"A little...", was the agent's last response before the pilot blocked him.
“Treasure of intelligence” and Venezuelan response
While attempting to recruit the pilot, López was also coordinating the seizure of the planes. One was confiscated in September 2024 and the other in February 2025, during the first international trip of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rubio, at a press conference, praised the operation and described the airplane's contents as "a treasure of intelligence": lists of officers, flight routes, and classified documents.
Venezuela responded with fury. The Maduro government accused Rubio of “blatant theft.”
Trump's Offensive: Troops, Cocaine, and Covert Operations
Since his return to the White House, Donald Trump has taken a tougher stance on Venezuela. This summer, he deployed thousands of soldiers and warships in the Caribbean, resulting in at least 57 deaths in anti-drug operations.
In October, he authorized covert CIA operations within Venezuela and doubled the reward for Maduro, a move that López tried to leverage in his messages.
Frustrated by Villegas's silence, López and his allies targeted another objective: to psychologically undermine Maduro.
On September 19, former national security official Marshall Billingslea posted a birthday message for Villegas on X, accompanied by a photo from the secret meeting, cropping out agent López, alongside another official image of the pilot.
The post coincided with the takeoff of a presidential plane, which unexpectedly returned to the airport minutes later. Venezuelan social media exploded with speculation: had the pilot been arrested?
During several days, there was no word from Villegas. Finally, he reappeared on September 24 on television, in a program hosted by Diosdado Cabello. With a serious expression, flight uniform, and fist raised, Villegas was introduced as "an infallible and tough patriot."
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