NC Based Airline Implicated In Shipping Arms To “Rebels” In Venezuela
By Brandon Turbeville
ActivistPost.com
FEBRUARY 26, 2019
While the United States has done everything in its power to turn Syria into Libya 2.0, it appears the U.S. is now attempting to turn Venezuela into Libya 3.0. Using many of the same tactics utilized in Syria and Libya, the US is utilizing political pressure, sanctions, and the establishment of a parallel government to weaken and overthrow the Maduro government in Venezuela. Now, however, there is evidence that the U.S. is going further and adding the arming of “rebels” to its toolkit in South America.
According to a report by McClatchy, a North Carolina-based freight company has been implicated in an arms smuggling operation to Venezuela. After McClatchy’s report was published, the company halted flights to the country.
This revelation comes after Venezuelan authorities claimed to have discovered 19 assault weapons, 118 ammunition cartridges, and 90 military-grade radio antennas on board a U.S.-owned plane that had flown into Valencia from Miami. The Boeing 767 is owned by 21 Air which is based in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Interestingly enough, the plane made around 40 round-trip flights between Miami and various locations in Venezuela and Colombia since January 11, the day after Maduro was sworn in to a second term as President. However, the flights abruptly ended after McClatchy first reported on them.
In a surprisingly coherent interview, Democracy Now! talked to Tim Johnson, the McClatchy reporter who broke the story. The transcript of that interview is below:
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: We turn now to Venezuela. A North Carolina-based air freight company has halted flights to that country following a report by McClatchy linking it to possible arms smuggling. Last week, Venezuelan authorities claimed they uncovered 19 assault weapons, 118 ammunition cartridges and 90 military-grade radio antennas on board a U.S.-owned plane that had flown from Miami into Valencia, Venezuela’s third-largest city. The Boeing 767 is owned by a company called 21 Air based in Greensboro, North Carolina. The plane had made nearly 40 round-trip flights between Miami and spots in Venezuela and Colombia since January 11th, which is the day after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was sworn in to a second term. The flights ended after McClatchy first reported on them. Venezuela accused the U.S. government of sending the arms as part of its attempt to topple the Maduro government. Bolivarian National Guard General Endes Palencia Ortiz said, “This materiel was destined for criminal groups and terrorist actions in the country, financed by the fascist extreme right and the government of the United States.”
AMY GOODMAN: 21 Air has denied knowledge of the arms shipment, saying the flight had been chartered by another company called GPS-Air, which also denied sending arms. While no definitive links between 21 Air and the U.S. government have been established, McClatchy reports the chairman of 21 Air, Adolfo Moreno, as well as another employee at the company have ties to Gemini Air Cargo, which was involved in the CIA’s rendition program during the administration of George W. Bush. In 2006, Amnesty International identified Gemini as a front company that had authorization to land on U.S. military bases worldwide.
The Rest…HERE
