International
National Police raid Peruvian Public Prosecutor’s Office headquarters
November 28 |
The headquarters of Peru’s Public Prosecutor’s Office dawned Monday under raid by the National Police as authorities investigate the head of the agency, Patricia Benavides, who is accused of involvement in an alleged criminal network and influence peddling.
The operation called Valkiria V was coordinated with the Special Team of Prosecutors against Corruption of Power (Eficcop) and the Division of High Complexity Investigations (Diviac).
It was learned that among those under investigation are also three of Benavides’ advisors: Jaime Villanueva Barreto, Miguel Ángel Girao Isidro and Abel Hurtado Espinoza.
Villanueva, one of the advisors, hours before the raid, apparently forewarned of the raid, went to a clinic although his attempt to evade justice was in vain, the doctors determined that there was no significant medical problem and he was arrested.
The arrest was carried out as part of a joint operation between Eficcop and the High Complexity Investigations Division (Diviac).
According to local media, the alleged network “instrumentalized the criminal prosecution” since it had the objective of manipulating the decisions of some congressmen in the removal of the heads of the National Justice Board (JNJ), among them the appointment of the ombudsman, Josué Gutiérrez, and the disqualification of Zoraida Ávalos as Attorney of the Nation.
Ávalos herself in a message published in her X account wrote that “what I had been maintaining all these months about my disqualification, today is evidenced with proofs of the plot that was set up against me”.
“It is evidenced that my disqualification responded to a political issue and that Patricia Benavides and her close environment were behind my disqualification”, added the former official.
Benavides would have filed the complaint against 40 congressmen catalogued as Los Niños, last June 15, in exchange for the fact that five days later, part of them voted in favor of Zoraida Ávalos’ disqualification.
According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office investigation, some of these legislators were considered part of the strategy of the criminal organization led by Benavides.
International
U.S. allows Venezuela to fund Maduro and Cilia Flores’ legal defense
Until now, the U.S. administration had blocked the Venezuelan government from covering the legal fees of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who is also jailed and facing drug trafficking charges, due to international sanctions imposed on Venezuela.
The couple’s legal team had relied on that argument in an attempt to have the indictment dismissed, claiming that preventing a defendant from accessing counsel of their choice violates rights guaranteed under the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
However, the U.S. Treasury Department will now allow “defense attorneys to receive payments from the Government of Venezuela under certain conditions,” New York prosecutor Jay Clayton wrote in a letter dated Friday to Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is overseeing the case.
According to the letter, the funds must have become available after March 5, 2026, and cannot come from Venezuelan oil sales regulated in the United States.
Since Maduro’s removal from power in early January, former Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has served as Venezuela’s interim leader.
The United States effectively controls Venezuelan crude exports, with revenues deposited into special accounts supervised by Washington.
Court documents filed on Friday show that the defense acknowledged the sanctions exemption and, for now, withdrew its motion seeking dismissal of the charges.
International
U.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Fentanyl Trafficking Across India, Guatemala and Mexico
The United States Department of State announced sanctions on Thursday against 23 individuals and companies allegedly linked to an international fentanyl production and smuggling network operating in India, Guatemala and Mexico.
According to the State Department, the network supplied precursor chemicals to the Sinaloa Cartel, which the United States has designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Washington declared fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, a weapon of mass destruction last year due to its role in the ongoing overdose crisis in the United States.
“By targeting the entire supply chain — from chemical suppliers in Asia to logistical intermediaries in Central America and cartel-linked networks in Mexico — the Trump Administration is dismantling networks that destabilize governance across our hemisphere and threaten U.S. security,” the State Department said.
In a separate statement, the Office of Foreign Assets Control detailed sanctions against three Indian chemical and pharmaceutical companies: Sutaria, Agrat and SR Chemicals, along with a sales executive accused of supplying precursor chemicals to contacts in Guatemala and Mexico.
In Guatemala, authorities sanctioned J and C Import and Central Logística de Servicios, as well as intermediary Jaime Augusto Barrientos.
The OFAC also designated several intermediaries and import companies operating in the Mexican state of Sinaloa.
As part of the investigation, U.S. authorities identified Ramiro Baltazar Félix as a member of Los Mayos, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, and Alejandro Reynoso, accused of operating clandestine drug laboratories in Guadalajara.
International
Pope Leo XIV Says Countries Have Border Rights but Migrants Deserve Respect
Pope Leo XIV said Thursday that migrants must be treated with dignity as he addressed the global migration crisis during a press conference aboard the plane returning from his tour of Africa.
The pontiff answered questions from journalists regarding his upcoming trip to Spain, which will include a visit to the Canary Islands, a region heavily affected by migration flows and growing political polarization surrounding the issue.
“Obviously, migration is a very complex issue and affects many countries — not only Spain, not only Europe, but also the United States. It is a global phenomenon,” the pope said.
Pope Leo XIV also questioned the role of developed nations in addressing the crisis.
“My response begins with a question: What is the Global North doing to help the Global South and those countries where young people no longer see a future and dream of going north, even when the North sometimes has no answers to offer?” he asked.
While acknowledging that “a state has the right to establish rules for its borders,” the pope insisted that the debate must go beyond border control and address the structural causes that force people to leave their home countries.
U.S. allows Venezuela to fund Maduro and Cilia Flores’ legal defense
U.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Fentanyl Trafficking Across India, Guatemala and Mexico
Pope Leo XIV Says Countries Have Border Rights but Migrants Deserve Respect
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
International2 days agoIran refuses to reopen strait of Hormuz amid ongoing U.S. Naval blockade
-
International5 days agoFour injured in shooting at Teotihuacán archaeological site in Mexico
-
Central America5 days agoBukele administration surpasses 1,100 homicide-free days amid ongoing crackdown
-
Central America5 days agoU.S. extradites Iranian man over alleged sanctions evasion scheme
-
Central America1 day agoGuatemala Court Voids List of Candidates for Top Prosecutor Position
-
International4 days agoTrump extends Iran ceasefire after Pakistan mediation request
-
International1 day agoPope Leo XIV Says Countries Have Border Rights but Migrants Deserve Respect
-
International5 days agoElon Musk skips French court appearance over X investigation
-
International4 days agoVenezuelan opposition demands election date and minimum wage increase
-
International4 days agoMaradona’s daughter accuses medical team of “horrible manipulation” in court
-
International2 days ago
Authorities Say Teotihuacán Gunman Was Obsessed With Mass Shootings and Extremist Symbolism
-
International22 hours agoU.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Fentanyl Trafficking Across India, Guatemala and Mexico
-
International27 minutes agoU.S. allows Venezuela to fund Maduro and Cilia Flores’ legal defense