Jesus Daniel Romero and William Acosta from Miami Strategic Intelligence Institute for Poder & Dinero and FinGurú
Executive Summary
The Chavista regime faces its largest internal fracture in years. The growing clash between Diosdado Cabello and the Rodríguez brothers has triggered a series of political purges, selective arrests, and surveillance maneuvers that reveal the decomposition of the Bolivarian power core. This struggle responds directly to the sustained pressure of U.S. sanctions, which have reconfigured the internal chessboard of Chavismo, forcing its leaders to seek new allies under a climate of extreme distrust.
1. Reconfiguration of Power: Diosdado Cabello Regains Repressive Control
On August 27, 2024, Nicolás Maduro appointed Diosdado Cabello as Minister of the Interior and Vice President of Citizen Security, returning him to direct control of the state’s repressive organs (Diario de Cuba, 2024). This measure responded to the political wear and tear of the Rodríguez brothers, especially after Maduro's electoral defeat in July —a campaign led by Jorge Rodríguez— which weakened their influence within Chavismo (Wikipedia, 2025). Cabello capitalized on the moment to position trusted figures, such as his cousin Alexis Rodríguez Cabello, at the helm of SEBIN.
2. The Oil Purge: The Fall of Pedro Tellechea
The imprisonment of Pedro Tellechea, then president of PDVSA and close ally of Delcy Rodríguez, marked the first major blow from the Cabello faction to the Rodríguez economic apparatus (Diario de Cuba, 2024). His arrest on charges of treason weakened one of the vice president’s main financing networks and consolidated Cabello as the dominant figure in managing state resources.
3. Surveillance and Control: Daniela Cabello as a Political Oversight Tool
Daniela Cabello, daughter of Diosdado and president of the Export Agency and Country Brand, has been sent to accompany Delcy Rodríguez on official tours to China, India, Turkey, and Qatar. According to journalistic and audiovisual reports, Daniela acts as a direct political supervisor, monitoring every move of the vice president, limiting her maneuvering space, and reporting any deviation from her father's interests (Infobae, 2025; YouTube, 2025; EVTV Miami, 2025). This dynamic of surveillance evidences the growing paranoia within the Chavista elite.
In the face of the risk of international sanctions, such as those imposed against Daniela herself by the U.S., immediate return operations have been activated to protect her from arrests outside the country (Fogade, 2025; Elflacowill, 2025).
4. Diplomacy Under Supervision: Delcy Rodríguez's Trips in April 2025
During her official visit to China (April 23 to 29), Delcy Rodríguez held 17 diplomatic meetings, including one with Vice Premier Han Zheng. More than 600 bilateral agreements were updated in strategic sectors such as energy, technology, infrastructure, and health, and negotiations were finalized with CNPC to secure investments in Venezuelan crude oil (Venezuelanalysis, 2025). She also visited companies like Lenovo and Westwell to explore the use of artificial intelligence in social and oil programs.
Subsequently, in Doha (Qatar), Rodríguez met with Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Minister of Energy Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi, with whom she discussed bilateral cooperation in key areas such as energy, health, and artificial intelligence (Venezuelanalysis, 2025). In both tours, Daniela Cabello played a prominent role in the delegation (Infobae, 2025), confirming her role as a guarantor of the Cabello faction.
5. U.S. Sanctions as a Catalyst for Internal Conflict
Since 2017, U.S. sanctions have affected more than 150 individuals and 100 entities linked to the regime, including Nicolás Maduro, Delcy Rodríguez, Jorge Rodríguez, and Diosdado Cabello himself (El País, 2024). These measures have restricted the government’s access to international markets, causing a 71% contraction in per capita GDP (Cepr.net, 2025; Telesur, 2024).
The reactivation of sanctions in April 2024, following the exclusion of opposition leaders from elections, increased pressure on the regime (El País, 2024). The response has been twofold: on one hand, to strengthen internal repression through strategic purges; on the other, to seek new international partners —China, India, and Qatar— to circumvent the restrictions imposed by Washington (Lisa News, 2025; Fogade, 2025).
6. Parallel Operators and Sanction Evasion Networks: The Case of Alex Saab
In the context of international pressure and internal fracture, the Maduro regime has activated parallel channels to maintain the flow of capital and strategic negotiations. In this scheme, the figure of Alex Saab gains new relevance.
Saab, currently undergoing judicial proceedings in the U.S. following his extradition from Cabo Verde, was for over a decade the principal financial operator of Chavismo. He was the architect of sanction evasion networks that involved the triangulation of gold, food, oil, and cryptocurrencies, using intermediaries in Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, and Russia.
According to various journalistic investigations and financial intelligence reports, there is credible evidence that Saab —despite his legal situation— continues to operate behind the scenes through substitute operators and ghost business structures, some of which are still active in Dubai, Hong Kong, and Istanbul. These networks could be facilitating new energy and technology negotiations with China, India, and Qatar (Venezuelanalysis, 2025; Infobae, 2025).
The recent trips of Delcy Rodríguez, accompanied by Daniela Cabello, coincide with destinations where Saab previously established opaque transaction routes. His historical relationship with Delcy and his technical capacity to design evasion mechanisms make it highly plausible that he is coordinating alternative payment schemes (gold, crypto-assets, barter) to ensure that new international agreements are not blocked by Treasury sanctions.
Strategic Conclusion
The confrontation between Diosdado Cabello and the Rodríguez brothers reflects the degree of internal decomposition of Chavismo. The logic of power is no longer based on ideology or charismatic leadership, but on mutual surveillance, repressive control, and the urgency to secure resources in the face of the structural collapse of the state.
This fracture should be interpreted as a strategic window of opportunity for the U.S. and its hemispheric allies. Intensifying multilateral pressure, strengthening regional intelligence networks, and supporting democratic actors can accelerate the regime's weakening from within.
References
● Cepr.net. (2025, March 12). Economic sanctions: a root cause of migration. https://cepr.net/es/publications/sanciones-economicas-una-causa-raiz-de-la-migracion/
● Diario de Cuba. (2024, October 22). With the Security organs under the wing of Diosdado Cabello, a new purge occurs in the oil sector. https://diariodecuba.com/internacional/1729595077_57910.html
● El País. (2024, April 19). The effect of U.S. sanctions in Venezuela. https://elpais.com/america/2024-04-19/tres-administraciones-y-presion-politica-intermitente-el-efecto-de-las-sanciones-de-estados-unidos-en-venezuela.html
● El País. (2025, March 28). The threat of new sanctions and Trump’s trade war strike hard at the Venezuelan economy. https://elpais.com/america/2025-03-28/la-amenaza-de-nuevas-sanciones-y-la-guerra-comercial-de-trump-golpean-de-lleno-la-economia-venezolana.html
● Elflacowill. (2025, April 29). While Venezuelans struggle, Daniela Cabello travels the world with Delcy Rodríguez [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjZEq1ZnO0E
● EVTV Miami. (2025, April 25). Delcy and Daniela Cabello did it [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B9n7a-78Dg
● Fogade. (2025, February 11). Venezuela signs energy agreements with India and incorporates the 7T with China. https://www.fogade.gob.ve/2025/02/11/venezuela-firma-convenios-de-energia-con-india-e-incorpora-las-7t-con-china/
● Infobae. (2025, March 11). The five power groups in Venezuela that traveled on the luxury plane seized by the U.S. from Maduro's dictatorship. https://www.infobae.com/venezuela/2025/03/11/los-cinco-grupos-de-poder-en-venezuela-que-viajaron-en-el-lujoso-avion-incautado-por-eeuu-a-la-dictadura-de-maduro/
● Lisa News. (2025, March 6). Maduro's response to new international pressures. https://www.lisanews.org/internacional/cual-ha-sido-la-respuesta-de-maduro-ante-las-nuevas-presiones-internacionales/
● Telesur. (2024, July 27). Sanctions on Venezuela caused a crisis three times worse than the Great Depression in the U.S., according to The Washington Post. https://www.telesurtv.net/la-guerra-economica-y-las-consecuencias-de-la-politica-de-sanciones-estadounidenses/
● Venezuelanalysis. (2025, May 1). Venezuela’s Vice President Touts New Energy Investment Following Trip to China. https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/venezuelas-vice-president-touts-new-energy-investment-following-trip-to-china/
● Wikipedia. (2025, March 20). 2024 Venezuelan political crisis. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Venezuelan_political_crisis
YouTube. (2025, April 26). Breaking News: Terror Within the Regime. Diosdado Takes Revenge [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmOOZsjqVMk
Jesus Daniel Romero is a retired Commander of the U.S. Naval Intelligence. Co-founder and Senior Fellow of the Miami Strategic Intelligence Institute and author of the best seller on Amazon "The final flight: the queen of air."
He also stands out as a regular participant in the media of the state of Florida, where he is frequently consulted on issues of his specialty.
William Acosta is Founder and CEO of Equalizer Investigations, a research organization that has participated in criminal investigations around the world, significantly. William served in the New York Police Department and also participated in interdisciplinary teams in money laundering investigations carried out by the U.S. Department of Treasury. Topics such as Counter-terrorism, human trafficking, and drug trafficking have also seen him as a prominent participant in multiple investigations.
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