Man with $25 million bounty on his head seen blocking American rescue teams in Venezuela - Watch video
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Man with $25 million bounty on his head seen blocking American rescue teams in Venezuela - Watch video")
Venezuela earthquakes have killed more than 1,700 people Photograph: (AFP)
Venezuela’s interior minister, Diosdado Cabello, has been slammed for blocking American rescue teams. A video shows him standing in front of rescue teams, pointing them in some other direction, instead of letting them save people in a particular area.
A viral video shows Venezuela’s interior minister, Diosdado Cabello, blocking American rescue teams from doing their job of saving the survivors. Notably, he is a wanted man in the United States with a bounty of $25 million on his head. He has been slammed as a "thug" by social media users who are shocked to see his behaviour. The death toll from the twin earthquakes has surged above 1,700, but rescue teams have also pulled out several people alive from the rubble.
US Marines and civilian search and rescue teams have been working around the clock to find survivors. Despite their efforts, Diosdado Cabello appears to be shouting at a group of American rescuers. He is wanted on charges of narco-terrorism, cocaine importation and using and carrying machine guns.
Cabello is waving his arms at them, to which an American rescuer says, “But there’s someone right over there that we’re trying to help. You don’t want us to help them?” He is being slammed for becoming a hindrance to rescue efforts being carried out by the teams. Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez (R-Fla.) has called for him to be arrested and bring him to justice. “While the US increases its presence in #Venezuela, we should pick-up thug Diosdado Cabello and bring him to justice so he can stop impeding the distribution of aid to those impacted by the earthquake,” Gimenez wrote on X.
Cabello is accused of leading the Cartel of the Suns drug trafficking network in Venezuela, with high-ranking officials and military officers also being reportedly involved. The 63-year-old has served as Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace since 2024. Despite President Nicolás Maduro being captured by US forces, Cabello has held onto his position.
Nearly 5,000 people are injured in the Venezuela tragedy, and 23,000 are impacted, according to authorities. Rescue teams have saved people from the rubble in the last few days. Members of the elite USA-01 team pulled out a nine-month-old baby and her mother alive from a collapsed building after nearly three days.
