Overview
- Associated Press reporting identifies the agent as Homeland Security Investigations attaché Edwin Lopez, who pitched the plan at a Santo Domingo executive airport in May 2024.
- Lopez urged pilot Bitner Villegas to divert Nicolás Maduro’s aircraft to a location for arrest, proposing destinations such as the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico or Guantanamo Bay and promising riches and public acclaim.
- Encrypted messages reviewed by AP show ongoing outreach through August 2025, after which Villegas later appeared on Venezuelan state television on September 24 in uniform, signaling loyalty.
- The disclosure comes as President Trump doubles the reward for Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, authorizes CIA covert actions inside Venezuela, and deploys naval and other forces to the Caribbean.
- AP reports the U.S. military has conducted 10 anti-smuggling strikes this year that killed at least 43 people, and documents an opposition-aligned social media push, including a post by Marshall Billingslea that coincided with an unexpected aircraft’s return to Caracas.