U.S. and Venezuela Tussle for Whistleblowing Kingpin

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos is scheduled to host his Venezuelan counterpart in Cartegena on Saturday and, while economic issues may be at the top of their agenda, they’ll also discuss the fate of Walid Makled. Arrested in Colombia in August 2010, the alleged drug kingpin faces charges in the United States and his native Venezuela. Meanwhile, Bogota faces a tug of war when it comes to deciding where to send Makled, also know as “the Turk”. On March 25, Colombia’s Supreme Court cleared the way for his extradition. Santos, who has sought to smooth over rough relations with Caracas, suggested in November that Makled would be sent to Venezuela. But pressure from Washington and the Turk’s pledge to offer U.S. prosecutors evidence of drug corruption among senior Venezuelan may complicate that decision.

The Colombian government will release its final decision by April 15. Between now and then, Santos is not just meeting with Chávez but also traveling to the United States for a UN Security Council meeting and to deliver remarks at Brown University And Makled could also be a subject matter during his U.S. stop. Last week, Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) urged Santos to send Makled to New York, where a federal court issued the warrant acted upon at the point of his arres. “Makled possesses important information which could aid the United States and a host of other countries in their joint war against drug trafficking,” said Lugar. The U.S. Treasury Department labeled Makled a kingpin in 2009 for running a billion-dollar drug trafficking empire. Lugar and other U.S. legislators say that the chance to gather this information would be lost if Makled gets sent to Venezuela.

In an interview with Univision over the weekend, Makled discussed payoffs made to 40 top-level members of Venezuela’s military for the purpose of trafficking cocaine. He said he hadn’t sought the help of the officials but that “it was more like they recruited me.” He also says he has hours worth of video containing “extremely compromising” evidence, that the military operates cocaine labs in some parts of the country, and that he can link Venezuelan officials to Colombian guerillas and Middle Eastern terrorist groups.

Caracas says Makled, who indicated he has no evidence of Chávez’s direct involvement, is running a smear campaign against Venezuelan officials. Moreover, Venezuela requested his extradition first and in connection to what is considered a more serious crime—homicide (He is wanted for the murder of journalist Orel Zembrano.). This places pressure on Santos, who managed to rebuild diplomatic ties with the country shortly after he took office and after sparring between his predecessor Álvaro Uribe and Chávez left relations—and trade links—in tatters. While Colombia continues to wait for the Obama administration to send a bilateral free-trade pact to U.S. Congress for approval, Santos and Chávez are moving toward inking commercial and antinarcotics pacts.

Still, rumors have begun to swirl that there may be movement on the U.S.-Colombia trade deal this month. As Santos seeks to keep ties positive with both Washington and Caracas, the question remains: Where will Makled get shipped to?

Learn more:

• Univision interview with alleged kingpin Walid Makled.
• U.S. Treasury Department lost indicating Makled’s status of a narcotics trafficker under the Kingpins Act.
• Letter by Senator Lugar urging Makled’s extradition to New York.
• Coverage of bilateral commercial and antinarcotics pacts between Venezuela and Colombia.