Former Venezuelan officials detained in Spain and Venezuela

Two separate incidents involving former Venezuelan officials have been reported. In Spain, the Civil Guard arrested José Rafael Escorihuela Pereira and Kelvin Jesús Matos Pérez at Madrid-Barajas Airport. Escorihuela, a former minister counselor at the Venezuelan Embassy, was found with 50 kilograms of cocaine in his luggage after arriving from the Dominican Republic. Matos Pérez, who is also linked to the Venezuelan diplomatic mission and has family ties to the Maduro family, was also detained. The investigation remains under judicial secrecy.

In Venezuela, Alexander ‘Mimou’ Vargas, a former deputy and sports minister, was detained by the National Guard at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía. During the arrest, Vargas reportedly sought assistance from opposition leader Enrique Márquez, who was present at the terminal. Márquez clarified that he has no personal or political relationship with Vargas and stated that the former official clung to him during a struggle with security forces. This marks Vargas’s second detention in 2026, though the specific motives for this latest arrest have not been officially confirmed.