by Dallas Express News Staff at Dallas Express
The Dallas Express has obtained a second exclusive letter addressed to President Donald Trump from retired Major General Cliver Antonio Alcalá Cordones, a former high-ranking commander in Venezuela’s armed forces who served under Hugo Chávez but claims he requested retirement when Nicolás Maduro took power because “it was very clear a criminal gang leader was taking power.”
Alcalá — detained in the United States since 2020 after voluntarily surrendering in Colombia — pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court to providing material support to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in connection with arms trafficking. He now claims he is coming forward to expose what he describes as a transnational criminal structure directed from inside Venezuela’s government.
Alcalá sent the letter to The Dallas Express through a member of his legal team, according to information provided to the publication.
The letter, dated December 8, 2025, alleges that the country’s ruling apparatus — commonly associated with the Cartel de los Soles — is controlled by siblings Jorge and Delcy Rodríguez, whom he calls the regime’s real “masterminds.”
The Dallas Express has not independently verified the allegations contained in the letter.
The DX Brief
- Retired Major General Cliver Alcalá alleges that the Cartel de los Soles is led by siblings Jorge and Delcy Rodríguez, not Maduro or Cabello
- He claims Maduro expanded the criminal gang Tren de Aragua and exported its operatives abroad, including into the United States
- He alleges Venezuelan officials used parallel Smartmatic-linked voting systems to alter election outcomes
- He describes deepened ties between Maduro, the IRGC, Hezbollah, and Cuban intelligence
- He says regime officials privately boasted about influence over certain U.S. lawmakers
- Alcalá states he is willing to testify before U.S. authorities about drug trafficking, illegal mining, foreign intelligence operations, and alleged electoral manipulation