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The director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), John Ratcliffe, traveled to Caracas and held a meeting with the interim president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, and with the head of the Presidential Honor Guard and director of the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM), Gustavo González López, according to sources from the U.S. government cited by CNN.
According to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity, Ratcliffe discussed potential areas of economic collaboration and emphasized that Venezuela "can no longer be a safe haven for America's adversaries, especially drug traffickers."
The meeting aimed to build trust and reflects Ratcliffe's interest in having the CIA take on a “more active” role in the region.
The visit comes at a time when President Donald Trump "has reaffirmed his control over Venezuela" following the capture of Nicolás Maduro in early January.
Since then, Washington "has taken the lead in the transition process" and control over the country's oil production, according to the text.
This meeting marks a strategic shift following the capture of Maduro and the reconfiguration of intelligence services.
The traditional influence of the Cuban intelligence in Caracas is being overshadowed by the direct presence of the CIA in Venezuelan territory.
For more than two decades, the involvement of Cuban advisors in intelligence, counterintelligence, training, and social control has been documented by reports from international bodies and human rights organizations.
The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela noted in its September 2020 report and subsequent updates the existence of a "parallel intelligence structure" in which Cuban officials and advisors allegedly played a technical and operational role within the DGCIM and SEBIN.
A 2018 report from the OAS documented a "Cuban advisory and supervision network" over Venezuelan intelligence agencies, particularly SEBIN and DGCIM.
In this context, Ratcliffe's meeting with Rodríguez and the head of DGCIM is portrayed as a sign that the United States is not only seeking to influence the political direction of Venezuela but also to "redesign its economic and security structure," during a transition under the direct supervision of Washington.
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