Diosdado Cabello, Minister of the Interior of the Chavista regime and one of the most powerful men in Venezuela, is reportedly collaborating with intelligence agencies and the U.S. Attorney's Office, according to a revelation by journalist David Alandete in the Spanish newspaper ABC.
According to anonymous sources linked to U.S. intelligence services cited by Alandete, this collaboration would have started on January 3, 2026, the date when Nicolás Maduro was captured. The information has not been officially confirmed by the Department of Justice or by any public government source.
According to the same publication, Cabello is identified as "CC-1" —co-conspirator number one— in the expanded federal indictment presented on October 8 by a grand jury in New York against Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, which includes charges of drug trafficking, narco-terrorism, torture, and use of weapons. This identification has not received official confirmation either.
The plan designed from Washington would contemplate two scenarios for Cabello: his arrest and extradition to the U.S. if he does not cooperate, or his transfer to a third country if he maintains active collaboration in a political transition.
Alandete specified in his column: «It does not necessarily involve detaining him and bringing him to the United States. If he continues to cooperate, he could be extracted from Venezuela and transferred to a third country. My source mentions two destinations, Turkey or Qatar. And there is a plane».
Sources also suggest the existence of an identified aircraft that has reportedly conducted flights between Turkey and Qatar, which may have already been used to transport individuals from Cabello's circle and resources belonging to him outside of Venezuela.
The newspaper ABC had previously reported on the departure of two of Cabello's children from the country, movements that are interpreted as part of the preparations for a potential evacuation.
Cabello's legal history with the U.S. is extensive. In March 2020, the Department of Justice formally accused him of conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, and related weapons charges, identifying him as the central figure of the so-called "Cartel de los Soles" in coordination with the FARC.
The federal files also accuse him of overseeing torture through SEBIN and the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence, as well as traveling personally to clandestine airstrips controlled by the ELN on the Colombian-Venezuelan border to ensure the trafficking of cocaine. The reward for his capture was raised to 25 million dollars in January 2025 and remained in effect months later.
The revelation comes amidst an unprecedented judicial offensive against the chavista leadership. Since Maduro's capture, the Venezuelan government led by interim president Delcy Rodríguez has handed over at least two individuals linked to the regime to U.S. justice: Alex Saab, transferred to the U.S. in May 2026, who pleaded not guilty to money laundering, and businessman Álvaro Pulido Vargas, accused of fraudulent contracts exceeding 2 billion dollars.
Bloomberg noted this Tuesday that Tareck El Aissami and Maikel Moreno could be the next to be handed over, although there is no official confirmation of dates or specific agreements.
Consulted by Alandete about the judicial future of the figures of the Venezuelan regime, President Donald Trump was straightforward: «Maduro has been charged again. Many people in the Venezuelan regime have been charged. Well, this is going to continue, but he did very bad things. We accomplished something very good in Venezuela».
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