Macuto Bay Raid
This Century’s Bay of Pigs?
Key Actors:
- Nicolás Maduro; Disputed President of Venezuela
- Juan Guaidó; Disputed President of Venezuela
- Jordan Goudreau; Founder of Silvercorp USA
- Clíver Alcalá; Former Major General of Venezuelan Army
History
The presidency of Nicolás Maduro has been disputed since January 2019 when he won a potentially fraudulent election. After this, the United States and several other countries instead recognised the president of the National Assembly—Juan Guaido—as the country’s leader. Despite a large national and international call to remove Maduro from power, he still has the support of the country’s military, as well as the governments of Russia, China, and Cuba, meaning there is a risk of aggression should any country try. In March 2020, the U.S. charged Maduro and several other senior government members with Narco-Terrorism and Corruption among other crimes, stating that they have used their power to assist and protect the flow of drugs into the United States for years.
Operation Gideon – Planning
There have been several failed attempts to remove Maduro from power. This one began with a meeting between Jordan Goudreau, a former U.S. Special Forces Sergeant who has since opened the private security firm of Silvercorp USA, and Clíver Alcalá, a former Major General in the Venezuelan Army who defected. At the meeting, which took place in February 2019 after Goudreau provided protection for the Venezuela Aid Live concert in Colombia, Alcalá informed Goudreau that he, along with some other defectors, were going to raid Caracas and Maracaibo—Venezuela’s largest and second largest cities respectively—as well as remove Maduro from power. Goudreau was interested and said he could offer the strength needed for the operation through his connections from previous jobs, especially from the United States as he provided protection at a Trump rally in North Carolina a few months earlier. Later, Goudreau sought out investment from multiple sources, eventually reaching a tentative agreement with a committee (formed by Guaidó and led by vocal Venezuelan critic of Maduro J.J. Rendón) totalling US$214 million. In addition to Goudreau and Rendón signing, Guaidó’s signature is also on the agreement, although he has denied any involvement with the plan and raid itself. In the following months however, the plan began to crumble as several things went wrong. Goudreau could not prove that he could find the rest of the funding, leading to the deal’s collapse and drastically reducing the group’s potential numbers. Suspicion also grew amongst the members that there were double-agents who were reporting back to the Venezuelan government, and the structure of the operation was rearranged, diminishing the numbers even further. To complicate matters even more, Alcalá was one of the people who the U.S. charged with Narco-Terrorism along with Maduro due to his actions while he was still in the military.
Operation Gideon – Invasion and Aftermath
The mission, titled Operation Gideon, finally commenced on May 1, even if the group had neither the man nor firepower for the job, with only 60 men—including Alcalá—going instead of the originally planned 300 or potentially 800 under the agreement. Among the 60 were two former U.S. Special Forces whom Goudreau recruited. Goudreau himself was not among them, instead remaining at a separate location to broadcast about the raid as it progressed. The mission was to have two boats land in the small town of Macuto, which lies only a dozen kilometers north of the capital Caracas. Between the poor preparation, the boisterous, premature announcements, and the Venezuelan government likely knowing of the plan beforehand, the mission utterly failed. At least eight were killed and 13, including the two Americans, were captured. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that the government will do their best to have them returned. Maduro mocked the execution of the operation and accused the U.S. and Guaidó of organising it, with several government members, Guaidó, and even some of the other potential investors denying any relation to the raid. While there is no evidence that the American government was involved, others have not been so lucky. Guaidó has his signature on the agreement and Rendón, who has since quit the committee, is confirmed to have met with Goudreau. This once energetic and ambitious raid attempt has now become a fumble tied to those who may not have had any association and resulted in Maduro’s riding high on as a success against his opponents.
Bibliography
“Nicolás Maduro Moros and 14 Current and Former Venezuelan Officials Charged with Narco-Terrorism, Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Criminal Charges.” The United States Department of Justice, The United States Department of Justice, 27 Mar. 2020, www.justice.gov/opa/pr/nicol-s-maduro-moros-and-14-current-and-former-venezuelan-officials-charged-narco-terrorism.
Phillips, Tom. “Venezuela Detains 40 Suspects after Failed Maduro ‘Kidnap Attempt’.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 12 May 2020, www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/12/venezuela-arrests-botched-maduro-kidnap-attempt.
Rashbaum, William K., et al. “Venezuelan Leader Maduro Is Charged in the U.S. With Drug Trafficking.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 26 Mar. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/03/26/nyregion/venezuela-president-drug-trafficking-nicolas-maduro.html.
Ward, Alex. “The ‘Ridiculous’ Failed Coup Attempt in Venezuela, Explained.” Vox, Vox, 11 May 2020, www.vox.com/2020/5/11/21249203/venezuela-coup-jordan-goudreau-maduro-guaido-explain.
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