Green Beret Arrested for Arms Smuggling to Colombia

Former U.S. Green Beret Jordan Goudreau has been arrested in New York and charged with conspiracy and smuggling weapons to Colombia without a U.S. export license. Goudreau, along with his partner Yacsy Alvarez, allegedly used his private security firm, Silvercorp, to assemble and send AR-style firearms, night-vision devices, and other equipment to support a failed 2020 coup attempt to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The raid, known as Operation Gideon, resulted in the deaths of eight people and the arrest of more than 100, including two other ex-Green Berets who were sentenced to 20 years in Venezuelan prison. Goudreau and Alvarez face charges including violating the Arms Export Control Act and unlawful possession of a machine gun, with potential penalties of up to 20 years in prison. Goudreau is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn while awaiting transfer to Florida.