We’ll get started with this week’s installment of Venezuela : Down The Rabbit Hole , “The Three Headed Monster” in a minute, but first… DW reports that the former head of Venezuela Military Intelligence, “The Chicken”, who has been on the run for some time now, has been arrested in Spain. He is wanted in the US on drug charges and for questioning on various other investigations.

 The DW story combined with the recent news regarding Sezgin Korkmaz,a Turkish businessman, and Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman, both being held awaiting extradition to the US. We may have action on all three fronts as early as this week. As FDD reports, the cases of Korkman and Saab,and I would throw in “The Chicken” as well, could expose the complicated, interconnected international network between Iran,Turkey, and Venezuela and their illicit financial dealings regarding sanctions evasion and other fraudulent schemes.

 As we have discussed here before, Maduro operated his CLAP food program through Mexico until it came under investigation for fraud and then was quickly shuttered and,strangely enough, new supply lines opened up in Turkey.Saab was instrumental in setting up this scam as well as other Maduro enterprises. It’s not hard to figure out why Maduro has gone to great lengths to block his extradition to the US.  The Maduro regime is also involved in various sanctions evading deals for oil and gold sales with Iran and Turkey among others. Korkman is wanted for money laundering and is currently awaiting extradition to the US from Austria. When you combine these two with the likely treasure trove of information we may uncover when we get inside the head of “The Chicken” Maduro may finally have something to be worried about. Maduro has shown in the past a willingness to do anything to hold on to power when threatened so my advice to anyone even remotely related to these three guys is HIDE! Maduro, as well as the Turks and Iranians will grab anyone they can get their hands on for leverage over these three guys. I’ve said it before…be afraid, be very afraid.

 The CICPC, the so called “scientific police” (where do they get this stuff?), raided the homes of two Venezuelan comedians for a parody they did of Chavistas. They are charged with cyber crime and ‘exhorting hate’, relating to Venezuela’s “Hate Law” passed by the 2017 ANC, the now defunct parallel National Assembly, subsequently replaced by Maduro’s current parallel National Assembly (not to be confused with parallel government “protectors of the people”). The two comedians are currently abroad so they’re out of the hands of “The Three Headed Monster” but it’s a good example of what can happen with hate laws. Hate is in the eye of the beholder. Remember, under the “Hate Law” criticism of a high government official can carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

 In another “Three Headed Monster” related article we have Grunge reporting that in 2018 alone the Maduro regime was responsible for 5,287 extrajudicial killings (other reports put the number over 7,500). These are the official government numbers justified by “resistance to authority” and as we said, the Venezuela Violence Observatory has figures significantly higher. This was accompanied by another Grunge article stating that Maduro’s only accomplishments have been holding on to power and issuing arrest warrants.

 Now might be a good time to head Down The Rabbit Hole ….

 Chapter 14/ The Three Headed Monster

 Fernando Alban,an opposition politician,plunged to his death after only three days in custody.The official cause of death was ruled “suicide”.The first “official report” said the subject appeared despondent, asked the officers watching him to use the bathroom, and threw himself out the bathroom window on the 10th floor of the holding facility. The report was soon revised when they were informed that the bathroom had no windows.

 Captain Rafael Acosta, a Venezuelan naval officer, was wheeled into court for a hearing after about a week in custody. The judge suspended the hearing when Captain Acosta appeared unresponsive and could only weakly utter one word …”help”. He couldn’t move,had swollen hands and feet,many lacerations, bloody fingernails, and presumably other injuries that weren’t visible. He was remanded to the prison medical wing and a day later was dead. The initial “official report” listed suicide as the probable cause of death. The officers said he sustained his injuries when he threw himself off a balcony. Again, the report was soon revised when they were informed that his injuries weren’t consistent with a fall. There were also conflicting reports from Chavista officials that he died in court, he died before being wheeled into court, etc.

 The only thing unusual about these two stories is that there were actually details made public. Similar suspicious circumstances are rumored and reported all the time in Venezuela.The reason investigations either go nowhere or are more or less forgotten is simple,fear. Fear of what… exactly..? That would be the Three Headed Monster. No, I’m not talking about the GNB,PNB, and the ‘colectivos’ (National Guard,National Police, and the government backed gangs on motorcycles) that are infamous for repressing protests. I’m talking about SEBIN, DGCIM, and FAES, the three main government security services. The secret police.

 History is replete with authoritarian regimes using secret police to terrorize and control the population, the most infamous being the Gestapo under Hitler and the Nazis. The Gestapo had nothing on these guys not to mention that the Nazis had one secret police organization (two if you count the SS but there was nothing secret about the SS). Prior to 2017 the Chavistas had two secret police departments, the DGCIM (Military Intelligence) and SEBIN (Government Intelligence).The fact that Maduro felt the need to establish a third speaks volumes about Chavismo in general and Nicolas Maduro in particular.

 To be continued….