Venezuela: Silvercorp, the American company behind the ridiculous aborted coup

Code name: "Operation Gideon". Objective: to invade Venezuela by sea to oust "the dictator Maduro" from power. This paramilitary operation mounted by a former "green beret" of the American army turned into a disaster on May 3. So much so that the Chavista leader calls it the "Bay of Venezuelan Pigs", in reference to the failed operation mounted by Cuban exiles and the CIA in 1961 to overthrow Fidel Castro.

Behind the operation, Jordan Goudreau and his company and private security company, Silvercorp USA. The Venezuelan government accuses him of having signed a $ 212 million contract with the leader of the opposition, Juan Guaido, to organize the "invasion" of the South American country and overthrow Nicolas Maduro, in power since 2013, and whose re-election in 2018 is disputed.

Silvercorp USA: From Protecting Schools to Protecting Trump

Jordan Goudreau's military adventure began in the 1990s in Canada, his country of birth. He is then 43 years old .  He then joined the U.S. Army from 2001 to 2016, with which he was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, according to biographical information provided to AFP by the Pentagon. He has received the Bronze star three times, the fourth highest distinction for bravery, heroism and merit.

After his two military careers, in March 2018 he founded his private security company: Silvercorp USA. The first services that the brand new company is trying to sell are linked to the mass shootings in schools. A few weeks earlier, the Parkland killing had hit the headlines. Seventeen people were killed and 17 others were injured.

In the company's first Instagram posts, Jordan Goudreau offers training to law enforcement and teachers to neutralize shooters. According to information from the Belling Cat investigation site, Silvercorp USA also provided security during meetings of US President Donald Trump.

Jordan Goudreau and Venezuela

The press agency AP, which was the first to reveal this attempt to remove Nicolas Maduro, dates Jordan Goudreau's interest in Venezuela in February 2019. His company is then hired to provide security during the concert in support of Juan Guaidó, Venezuela Aid Live, organized by the British billionaire Richard Branson on the border between Venezuela and Colombia. At the time, he bragged about it on Instagram: "We control the chaos on the border with Venezuela while a dictator watches with apprehension".

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Venezuela Aid Live. Controlling chaos on the Venezuela border where a dictator looks on with apprehension. #riskraider #silvercorpusa #fixer #activeshootertraining #elitesecurity #nutrition #specialforces #activeshooter #harleydavidson #silvercorpagent #fitness #churchsecurity #executiveprotection #concertsecurity #venuesecurity #potussecurity #securityassessmentmanagement #

A post shared by Silvercorp USA (@silvercorpusa) on Feb 26, 2019 at 8:02 am PST

The former green beret then became friends with Cliver Alcala, a former Chavist general who turned against the regime and lives in exile in Colombia. According to the Washington Post, the entourage of Juan Guaido is close to the two men and goes as far as to sign a contract with Silvercorp. Jordan Goudreau's contact was then Juan José Rendon, 56, political adviser and collaborator Juan Guaido, based in Miami.

In an interview with CNN, Juan José Rendon admitted having signed a contract with Silvercorp USA. According to him, the document was "exploratory" to study "the capture and transfer" of Nicolas Maduro and other Venezuelan officials wanted by the American authorities. Juan José Rendon assures that the green light was not given to Goudreau to set in motion the operation.

The links will then be distended between the two parties. Camp Guaido is wary in particular of the involvement of General Alcala, with a dubious past (he is notably accused of having been involved in the drug trade). Money is also cause for contention: while Jordan Goudreau puts the cost of the coup at $ 1.5 million, the opposition does not pay the desired amounts. Not enough to put off the bearded man, who leads men - mainly Venezuelan deserters - to three camps in Colombia in unsanitary conditions.

In an interview with Venezuelan journalist in exile in Miami Patricia Poleo, Jordan Goudreau indicates that he launched the operation because he is a "freedom fighter", although the sums promised "were not paid to him ".

At the end of March, the Goudreau-Alcala partnership had abruptly ended due to the latter's arrest for "narcoterrorism". While he boasted of preparing a military operation against Nicolas Maduro with the help of Americans, a jet chartered by the DEA (the American anti-drug agency) lands in a Colombia in full containment in order to take the general Alcala in the United States to try him.

An operation made public before its execution

The attempted invasion took an incredible turn when, on May 1, the AP news agency published an investigation into "the failed attempt to chase Maduro driven by a former green beret", detailing the project of Jordan Goudreau.

On the evening of May 1, far from giving up on "Operation Gideon", Jordan Goudreau even gave the green light. Two days later, two boats were intercepted in Macuto by the forces of Nicolas Maduro, less than an hour's drive from the capital Caracas. Shots are exchanged. Eight insurgents perish. Two Americans are taken prisoner. Luke Denman, 34, and Airan Berry, 41, charged with "terrorism, conspiracy, trafficking in weapons of arms and association" of criminals, who can be charged with up to 30 years in prison s 'they are found guilty.

Juan Guaido and Donald Trump deny involvement

For the Venezuelan regime, the situation is clear: Nicolas Maduro considers US President Donald Trump as "commander-in-chief of the operation", and sees Juan Guaido as his accomplice.

In an interview with Fox News, the President rejected these accusations. Mocking an operation "visibly not led by General George Washington", he said: "It was not a good attack. I think they were caught before they were even down. If we were to do something thing with Venezuela, we wouldn't do it that way, "he said. A few months earlier, he had said that all the cards were on the table for Venezuela.

US President Trump speaking about Venezuela earlier and operacion Gedeon “I wouldn't send a small group - I would send an army” #Venezuela pic.twitter.com/behtGnTYg3

Earlier, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also said that "there was no direct involvement of the US government in this operation" while vowing to do everything possible to repatriate Luke Denman and Airan Berry , as US nationals.

In Camp Guaido, it is also denied that the self-proclaimed president was aware of this plot against Maduro. His ex-political adviser Juan José Rendon claims to have signed the contract without the opponent being aware of it.

Venezuela has announced its intention to issue an international arrest warrant against him and Jordan Goudreau.

"The outsourcing of the defense policy of the United States, especially in Colombia, is a growing phenomenon in recent decades, especially in the fight against drug trafficking," said Adam Isacson, security expert for the think thank Washington for Latin American Affairs (Wola), at the BBC. "In Latin America, this type of business is more often used for intelligence, but in places like Iraq or Africa, we have seen military operations similar to what Goudreau tried to undertake."

Nicolas Maduro regularly accuses Juan Guaido of being implicated in "plots" against the Venezuelan government, with the help of Colombia and the United States. Paradoxically, while this nickel-plated feet operation aimed to bring it down, the Socialist President came out reinforced by this sequence which brings water to his rhetorical mill against American imperialism.

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