Man Wanted by Interpol Arrested at Opposition Barricades in Venezuela

Merida, 3^rd April 2014 (Venezuelanalysis.com) – One of the ten people most wanted by Interpol in Spain was arrested yesterday in San Cristobal, while leading disturbances there, according to National Bolivarian Police (PNB) state coordinator, Yolmar Garcia.

Garcia said that the man, Gabriel Reyes, 24, Venezuelan, was detained in Avenue Carabobo, San Cristobal, when police were clearing the roads.

Reyes was charged with drug smuggling, criminal association, closing roads, and civil disorder in Court 3 of the public prosecutor and the 5^th Control Tribunal.

Internal affairs minister Miguel Rodriguez said the arrest of Reyes “reveals the relationship between drug smuggling, and other organised crime with the violent protests”.

Head of Strategic Operational Command (CEO) of the army, Vladimir Padrino also reported that during the same operation, authorities arrested fourteen other people. Padrino alleged that the men, armed with various types of guns, were paramilitaries, and said that one man was “shot down” during the arrests.

On Tuesday thirty people were detained in Caracas after attacks in Santa Fe and Las Mercedes. Violent barricaders set fire to five floors of the housing mission head offices and a police station in Santa Fe. Rodriguez said that two men were arrested in Santa Fe with an armoured vehicle, tear gas, explosives, pistols, gas masks, night vision goggles, satellite phones, bullet proof vests, tanks of petrol, knives and gloves.

The vehicle was “equipped with special compartments in order to spread caltrops [spiked hoses to puncture tires] … and petrol onto public roads, which is a type of terrorism that we have seen in recent days,” said Rodriguez.