Top US commander warns Maduro 'mafia' poses threat beyond Venezuela

NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, Fla. — The ongoing crisis in Venezuela is boiling over and aggravating security concerns throughout the Western Hemisphere, according to the top U.S. military commander for South America, Central America and the Caribbean.

Navy Adm. Craig Faller, head of U.S. Southern Command (Southcom), told The Hill this week that he views embattled Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's influence in the region as a "significant threat" to democracy and stability.

"I don't think I'd even call them a regime — it's a mafia. It's an illicit business that he's running with his 2,000 corrupt generals. It's ruining the country," Faller said in an interview Tuesday.

"And the effects of that are compounding every other security problem in our neighborhood. Every security problem is made worse by Venezuela," he added.

As head of Southcom, Faller oversees U.S. military forces in Latin America and the Caribbean, with the exception of Mexico, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Bahamas.

https://thehill.com/policy/international/445127-top-us-commander-says-maduro-mafia-poses-threat-beyond-venezuela

Oh boy! Let's gin up another useless war.