Armed motorcycle mobs hunt Trump supporters in Venezuelan streets as regime crackdown escalates
CARACAS, VENEZUELA: In the fallout from Nicolás Maduro’s capture by US forces, armed paramilitary groups loyal to the longtime strongman have fanned out across Venezuela, launching an aggressive campaign to clamp down on dissent.
Motorcycle-riding mobs of armed civilians known as 'colectivos' have taken to the streets, setting up checkpoints, stopping residents, and conducting searches to identify anyone suspected of supporting Maduro’s removal from power, according to Reuters.
Journalists detained, fear on the streets
Often armed with assault rifles, the 'colectivos' are acting as an unofficial enforcement arm for regime loyalists as Venezuela’s future hangs in the balance.
Residents told media outlets they fear leaving their homes, worried that armed forces could stop them, seize their phones, and search for any sign of dissent. The Telegraph reported that the atmosphere has grown so tense that daily life has effectively frozen in parts of the country.
The crackdown has not spared the press. The National Union of Press Workers of Venezuela said that 14 journalists were briefly detained on Monday during the induction ceremony of Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who was sworn in as the country’s interim leader following Maduro’s removal.
“The future is uncertain, the Colectivos have weapons, the Colombian guerrilla is already here in Venezuela, so we don’t know what’s going to happen, time will tell,” Oswaldo, a 69-year-old Venezuelan shop owner, told The Telegraph.
Diosdado Cabello emerges as a power broker
At the center of the growing unrest is Venezuela’s Minister of Interior, Justice, and Peace, Diosdado Cabello, one of Maduro’s closest allies and the man widely believed to control the 'colectivos'. Cabello has long been associated with suppressing opposition and overseeing domestic surveillance.
The US State Department has placed a $25 million bounty on Cabello, largely for his alleged role in corruption and drug trafficking. His influence over the armed militias has raised alarm among analysts, who see him as the most dangerous figure left standing in the regime’s inner circle.
“The focus is now on Diosdado Cabello,” Venezuelan military strategist Jose Garcia told Reuters. “Because he is the most ideological, violent, and unpredictable element of the Venezuelan regime.”
Reuters also reported that the former military officer was recently spotted patrolling Venezuelan streets alongside security forces.
State of emergency order calls for nationwide hunt
The crackdown appears to be backed by formal government orders. According to Reuters, a state of emergency decree published Monday instructed police to 'immediately begin the national search and capture of everyone involved in the promotion or support of the armed attack by the United States.'
Cabello, who oversees state-run domestic espionage through a web of surveillance and counterintelligence agencies, remains a key figure driving that effort. Reuters described him as 'a major, unpredictable, and dangerous' force in the aftermath of Maduro’s capture.
In recent weeks, Cabello has made multiple public appearances reinforcing the hardline stance. Footage shared by the Venezuelan government on social media reportedly showed him posing with a crowd of armed militia members as they chanted, “Always loyal, never traitors.”
Reuters added that Cabello was also seen on television ordering Venezuela’s military counterintelligence agency to 'go and get the terrorists' and warning, 'whoever strays, we will know.'
He reportedly repeated the same rhetoric during a state television appearance Saturday, wearing a flak jacket and helmet while surrounded by heavily armed guards.
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