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U.S. NEWS Monday 3 october 2022
Venezuela releases 7 jailed Americans; U.S. frees 2 prisoners

By ERIC TUCKER and JOSH- urgency after sanctions believes are held hostage
UA GOODMAN on Russia put pressure on abroad or wrongfully de-
Associated Press global energy prices. tained by hostile foreign
WASHINGTON (AP) — In The transfer took place in a governments. While much
a rare softening of hostile country between the U.S. of the focus is on Russia,
relations, the White House and Venezuela after the where the U.S. has so far
said Saturday that Venezu- men in the deal arrived in tried unsuccessfully to se-
ela freed seven Americans separate planes, the Biden cure the release of WNBA
imprisoned in the South administration said. star Brittney Griner and
American country and the Those freed include five another American, Paul
United States released two employees of Houston- Whelan, Venezuela has
nephews of President Nich- based Citgo — Tomeu Va- been holding the largest
olas Maduro's wife who dell, Jose Luis Zambrano, contingent of Americans
had been jailed for years Alirio Zambrano, Jorge suspected of being used as
on drug smuggling convic- Toledo and Jose Pereira bargaining chips.
tions. — who were lured to Ven- At least four other Ameri-
The swap of the Americans, ezuela right before Thanks- cans remain detained in
including five oil executives giving in 2017 to attend a Venezuela, including two
held for nearly five years, meeting at the headquar- former Green Berets in-
is the largest trade of de- ters of the company's par- volved in a slapdash at-
tained citizens ever carried ent, state-run-oil giant PD- tempt to oust Maduro in This undated file photo posted on Twitter on June 18, 2020,
out by the Biden adminis- VSA. 2019, and two other men by Venezuela's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, shows CITGO
oil executives Jose Angel Pereira, from left to right, Gustavo
tration. Once there, they were who, like Khan, were de- Cardenas, Jorge Toledo, Jose Luis Zambrano, Tomeu Vadell and
"These individuals will soon hauled away by masked tained for allegedly enter- Alirio Jose Zambrano, standing outside the Bolivarian National
be reunited with their fami- security agents who busted ing the country illegally from Intelligence Service, in Caracas, Venezuela.
lies and back in the arms into a Caracas conference neighboring Colombia.q Associated Press
of their loved ones where room.
they belong," President Joe "I can't believe it," said Va-
Biden said in a statement. dell's daughter, Cristina,
"Today, after years of be- when contacted in Hous-
ing wrongfully detained in ton by The Associated
Venezuela, we are bring- Press. Holding back tears of
ing home" the seven men, joy on her 31st birthday, she
whom the president cited said: "This is the best birth-
by name. "We celebrate day present ever. I'm just so
that seven families will be happy."
whole once more." Also released was Matthew
The White House said Biden Heath, a former U.S. Marine
had spoken with the fami- corporal from Tennessee
lies and that the men were who was arrested in 2020
in stable health and have at a roadblock in Venezu-
been offered a range of ela on what the State De-
support services, including partment has called "spe-
medical care. cious" weapons charges,
Maduro's government said and Florida man, Osman
in a statement that it was Khan, who was arrested in
releasing the American January.
citizens as a humanitar- The United States freed
ian gesture. It praised the Franqui Flores and his
diplomacy that resulted cousin Efrain Campo neph-
in the freeing of the two ews of "First Combatant"
"unjustly imprisoned" Ven- Cilia Flores, as Maduro has
ezuelans imprisoned in the called his wife. The men
United States and said it were arrested in Haiti in a
"hopes for the preservation Drug Enforcement Admin-
of peace and harmony istration sting in 2015 and
with all the nations of our immediately taken to New
region and the world." York to face trial.
The exchange amounts They were convicted the
to an unusual gesture of following year in a highly
goodwill by Maduro as the charged case that cast a
socialist leader looks to re- hard look at U.S. accusa-
build relations with the U.S. tions of drug trafficking at
after vanquishing most of the highest levels of Madu-
his domestic opponents. ro's administration.
The deal follows months of Both men were granted
back channel diplomacy clemency by Biden before
by Washington's top hos- the release.
tage negotiator and other The Biden administration
U.S. officials — secretive has been under pressure
talks with a major oil pro- to do more to bring home
ducer that took on greater the roughly 60 Americans it