Please find attached some articles that refer to the military police of Venezuela. These refer to the force's participation in the seizure of cocaine at a customs post, the capture of two exiles at an airport, and the temporary capture of the head of the military police by rebelling soldiers in January 1993. References to a specific tactical unit of the military police could not be found among the sources currently available to the DIRB.

One of the attached reports describes the chief of the military police as an army colonel who was "in charge of one of three sites where prisoners from the November [1992] coup [were] being imprisoned" (AP 12 Jan. 1993). He was briefly held hostage by the prisoners, and was rescued by military police who used tear gas to free him (Chicago Tribune 13 Jan. 1993). Another source which states that the colonel was in charge of a military police garrison, adds that "military police engineers" were also held (Venezolana de Televisión 12 Jan. 1993). The same document, however, refers to the latter elsewhere as a delegation of military engineers, without indicating their affiliation to the military police. The incident took place at Fort Tiuna, which is described by one article as "the most important military facility in Venezuela" (DPA 12 Jan. 1993).

Please find attached for your reference some additional articles that describe military and other intelligence activities in which military police units might have participated, such as raids on illegal arsenals and drug operations.

This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

References

The Associated Press (AP). 12 January 1993. PM Cycle. "Coup Detainees Seize Military Police Chief in Caracas." (NEXIS)

Chicago Tribune. 13 January 1993. Final edition. "Venezuelan Military Aide Rescued After Being Detained." (NEXIS)

Deutsche Press Agentur (DPA) [Hamburg, in Spanish]. 12 January 1993. "Spokesman Confirms Sentences, More Trials." (FBIS-LAT-93-008 13 Jan. 1993, p. 30)

Venezolana de Televisión [Caracas, in Spanish]. 12 January 1993. "OCI Minister Comments on Tiuna Incident." (FBIS-LAT-93-008 13 Jan. 1993, p. 29)

Attachments

Agence France Presse (AFP). 24 May 1991. "Venezuelan Authorities Seize More Than 600 Kilos of Cocaine." (NEXIS)

The Associated Press (AP). 12 January 1993. PM Cycle. "Coup Detainees Seize Military Police Chief in Caracas." (NEXIS)

BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. 14 january 1993. "Venezuela: Military Police Director Taken Captive by Alleged Coup Plotters." (NEXIS)

Chicago Tribune. 13 January 1993. Final edition. "Venezuelan Military Aide Rescued After Being Detained." (NEXIS)

El Globo [Caracas, in Spanish]. 19 November 1993. Paola Badracco. "Defense Minister on Missing Weapons, Bracamonte Case." (FBIS-LAT-93-223 22 Nov. 1993, pp. 57-58)

El Nacional [Caracas, in Spanish]. 6 May 1994. Alonso Zambrano. "Drug Traffickers Flood Currency Market." (FBIS-LAT-94-091 11 May 1994, p. 60)

_____. 16 November 1993. Eduardo Brando. "Authorities Arrest 10 in Raids for Stolen Weapons." (FBIS-LAT-93-223 22 Nov. 1993, pp. 56-57)

_____. 12 November 1993. Jesus Eduardo Brandao. "[Defense Minister] Alerts High Command to Possible Conspiracy." (FBIS-LAT-93-218 15 Nov. 1993, pp. 67-68)

Newsday [New York]. 3 January 1989. Home Edition. "Massacre Survivors." (NEXIS)

Panorama [Maracaibo, in Spanish]. 9 May 1994. Juan Carlos Guillen. "Intelligence Service Dismantles Drug Trafficking Operation." (FBIS-LAT-94-091 11 May 1994, pp. 59-60)

El Universal [Caracas, in Spanish]. 12 November 1993. Berenice Gomez Velasquez. "Authorities Arrest Liaison Between Officers, Coupists." (FBIS-LAT-93-218 15 Nov. 1993, pp. 68-69)

Venezolana de Televisión [Caracas, in Spanish]. 12 January 1993. "OCI Minister Comments on Tiuna Incident." (FBIS-LAT-93-008 13 Jan. 1993, p. 29)