Federal Officials’ Bold Proposal Involving Venezuelan President’s Pilot
A federal official allegedly made a surprising offer to the personal pilot of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, suggesting he could be financially rewarded for secretly transporting Maduro to a location where U.S. authorities could apprehend him.
Edwin López, a 50-year-old former employee of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), proposed his plan during a meeting with several U.S. officials in the Dominican Republic. This operation spanned over 16 months and involved coded communications vetted by the agency, as well as attempts to sway the pilot concerning his loyalty to Maduro. Details of this plot have since been corroborated by various officials and an opposition lawmaker from Venezuela.
In April 2024, a source indicated that two of Maduro’s planes were undergoing repairs. López aimed to seize these aircraft knowing that the necessary parts were U.S.-made and thus subject to sanctions against Venezuela. Authorities in the Dominican Republic permitted López to interrogate five Venezuelan pilots who had been sent to retrieve the plane. He was reportedly the last person to interact with Colonel Bitner Villegas, believed to be Maduro’s official pilot.
During their conversation, López questioned Villegas about Maduro’s travels, which allegedly made the pilot visibly anxious. Witnesses noted that Villegas even displayed a photo of both Maduro and former president Hugo Chávez, and a colleague of López supposedly recorded this interaction covertly.
Sources revealed that López told Villegas that Maduro could face extradition to authorities in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, or Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Though the pilot ultimately left without taking action, he did share his phone number with López.
Reportedly, none of the pilots underwent proper security checks and they left for Venezuela without their aircraft. Even after retiring in July, López continued to reach out to Villegas via WhatsApp and Telegram over the following months. Following a mention of a $50 million bounty on Maduro in August, the pilot ceased responding to López’s messages.
According to reports, their last communication took place in September when López pressed Villegas about a prior discussion. The pilot responded, “We Venezuelans are a different breed. We must never be traitors.”
Opponents of the ousted president urged López to maintain the pursuit of Maduro, claiming he was “more valuable to us than many of Maduro’s biggest opponents inside Venezuela.”
López and others worked to influence Maduro, according to those familiar with the situation. Venezuelan opposition ally Marshall Billingsley shared an image that purportedly depicts Villegas being questioned just before a plane supposedly operated by Maduro took off from Caracas. This aircraft reportedly returned to the airport shortly thereafter.
After being missing for several days, the pilot appeared on Venezuelan state television, raising his fist as he was called a “steadfast, great patriot” by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello.
Since then, authorities have confiscated both aircraft involved in the scheme while they were in the Dominican Republic, with one being seized in September 2024 and the other in February. The DHS, the U.S. State Department, and the Venezuelan government have not commented on the matter.
