Inside DEA Covert Ops In Venezuela

About this video

A former DEA agent recounts his deployment to Venezuela from 2010-2012 as a country attaché during the Hugo Chávez era. He describes operating alone in a hostile environment where the government viewed DEA as spies, conducting covert operations against high-value targets including members of the Cartel de los Soles (a cartel allegedly run by Venezuelan government and military officials). The agent details dangerous solo missions, surveillance by Cuban and Venezuelan intelligence, multiple threats on his life, and the challenges of working in what he calls a “denied area” without local government cooperation.

Key takeaways

• The guest describes Venezuela under Hugo Chávez as hostile to DEA operations, with the government expelling most agents and viewing remaining personnel as spies while allegedly running the Cartel de los Soles to flood the US with cocaine
• The agent recounts operating largely alone with minimal backup, conducting covert meetings while under surveillance by Cuban and Venezuelan intelligence, and having contingency escape plans for each operation
• The guest details a particularly dangerous operation where he posed as an informant wearing a mask, which nearly turned violent when his contact deviated from the plan, forcing him to draw his weapon
• After Venezuela, the agent was assigned to work as an embedded liaison with the CIA for three years, which he describes as involving different operational methods between law enforcement and intelligence agencies

Episode details: published January 9, 2026 · 24.6K views · 26:03 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

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