In the streets of Caracas, groups of armed motorcyclists are on the lookout for individuals supporting Donald Trump and his military endeavors in Venezuela, aided by at least one prominent government figure.
These bikers belong to the Colectivos, paramilitary groups still loyal to ousted leader Nicolas Maduro. They have been conducting vehicle inspections at checkpoints throughout the city.
Masked and equipped with Kalashnikov rifles, the motorcyclists scrutinize phones and cars for signs of support for Trump’s actions, acting as unofficial state enforcers in the capital.
Following Maduro’s detainment, the Venezuelan government declared a 90-day state of emergency, instructing law enforcement to “promptly initiate a nationwide hunt for individuals involved in endorsing or assisting the U.S.-led assault.”
According to The Telegraph, authorities have already detained 14 journalists, with 11 being foreign nationals, while some remain unaccounted for.
Members of the Colectivos have been spotted alongside Diosdado Cabello, Maduro’s Minister of Interior, Justice, and Peace, who remains steadfast in his belief that Maduro is the legitimate president.
‘Here, the unity of the revolutionary force is more than guaranteed, and here there is only one president, whose name is Nicolas Maduro Moros. Let no one fall for the enemy’s provocations,’ Cabello said in a statement through the United Socialist Party of Venezuela.
A video of Cabello – who has a bounty of $50million on his head in the US for drug trafficking – with the militia members that has circulated on social media sees them chanting a slogan that translates to: ‘Always loyal, never traitors.’
Gangs of armed men on motorcycles are patrolling the streets of Caracas, looking for supporters of Donald Trump and his military operation in Venezuela with the support of at least one key government official
The Colectivos are a group of paramilitary militias that still support deposed leader Nicolas Maduro and have been searching vehicles at checkpoints
Other videos show them calling Americans and supporters of Trump ‘pigs’ who will steal the nation’s resources.
Their presence has many frightened to leave their homes, with one anonymous anti-Maduro citizen saying they’re scared she could have their phone searched and imprisoned for going against the government.
Nobel Peace Prize winner and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado told Fox News Monday that the Colectivos are ‘really alarming.’
Interim President Delcy Rodriguez, who served as Maduro’s vice president, had struck a more conciliatory tone in a statement on Sunday.
‘We extend an invitation to the US government to work together on a cooperation agenda, aimed at shared development, within the framework of international law, and to strengthen lasting community coexistence,’ she said in her statement.
On Tuesday, Trump announced a deal with the Venezuelan regime to give the United States 30 to 50 million barrels of oil which could be worth up to $2billion.
The president has openly stated that the military operation to depose leader Nicolas Maduro this past weekend was, in part, an attempt to extract some of oil-rich Venezuela’s stock.
‘I am pleased to announce that the Interim Authorities in Venezuela will be turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION Barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil, to the United States of America,’ he posted to Truth Social.
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The bikers, many of them masked and armed with Kalashnikovs, have searched phones and cars looking for evidence of people backing Trump’s action in Caracas as an unofficial tool of the state
Members of the Colectivos, guard the entrance to a neighborhood in Caracas
Other videos show them calling Americans and supporters of Trump ‘pigs’ who will steal the nation’s resources
Colectivos members guard the entrance to a Caracas supermarket
In addition to the vice presidency, Rodriguez previously served as Maduro’s Minister of Petroleum and Hydrocarbons.
Trump also announced that he will be in control of the money made off sales – which at market price, could be worth up to $2billion according to Reuters – of the oil.
‘This Oil will be sold at its Market Price, and that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!’
Trump has placed Energy Secretary Chris Wright in charge of executing the plan which is scheduled to begin immediately.
‘It will be taken by storage ships, and brought directly to unloading docks in the United States,’ he wrote.
Separately, the White House is organizing an Oval Office meeting Friday with oil company executives regarding Venezuela, with representatives of Exxon, Chevron and ConocoPhillips expected to attend, according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss the plans.
Trump said Monday it will cost ‘a lot of money’ to rebuild the South American country’s energy infrastructure but thinks the US can do it ahead of that 18 month timeline.
However, he added that the American taxpayers may be on the hook for it, as the oil companies may receive assistance to do so.
A member of the militia group known as ‘Colectivos’ takes part in a march calling for release of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro
Many of the members of Colectivos have been seen posing with Maduro’s Interior, Justice and Peace Minister Diosdado Cabello (pictured), who still clings tight to the notion that Maduro is the nation’s lawful president
Many have led marches to free deposed leader Nicolas Maduro
Interim President Delcy Rodriguez, who served as Maduro’s vice president, had struck a more conciliatory tone in a statement on Sunday
‘I think we can do it in less time than that, but it’ll be a lot of money,’ he told NBC News.
‘A tremendous amount of money will have to be spent and the oil companies will spend it, and then they’ll get reimbursed by us or through revenue.’
When asked if Trump’s ‘America First’ base would stand for nation-building overseas, the president backed himself to maintain the support of his voters.
‘MAGA loves it. MAGA loves what I’m doing. MAGA loves everything I do. MAGA is me. MAGA loves everything I do, and I love everything I do, too,’ he said.
Trump also told NBC News that the project could take the next 18 months before Venezuelans elect a new president.
‘We have to fix the country first. You can’t have an election. There’s no way the people could even vote,’ Trump said.
‘No, it’s going to take a period of time. We have — we have to nurse the country back to health.’
