By Micah Jonah
January 12, 2026
Venezuela has been thrown into deeper political, security turmoil following allegations that Major General Javier Marcano Tábata, one of President Nicolás Maduro’s closest allies, played a central role in the U.S. operation that led to the president’s capture.
Venezuelan authorities say Marcano Tábata, until recently the commander of the Presidential Honour Guard, has been dismissed from service, arrested and placed under investigation on charges of treason and grave breaches of national security.
Officials accuse him of accepting bribes from the United States Central Intelligence Agency and providing U.S. special forces with the precise location of President Maduro ahead of the January 3 operation in Caracas.
Security sources further allege that Marcano Tábata deliberately disabled key anti aircraft defence protocols on the night of the raid, leaving the presidential security network exposed. The operation reportedly resulted in the deaths of 32 members of the security personnel assigned to protect the head of state.
The accusations have shocked the country, as Marcano Tábata was widely regarded as one of Maduro’s most trusted confidants. According to officials familiar with his background, the two men grew up together and maintained a long personal relationship that predated Maduro’s rise to the presidency. This trust culminated in Marcano Tábata’s appointment as head of the Presidential Honour Guard, one of the most sensitive and powerful positions within Venezuela’s security structure.
Following Maduro’s capture, Acting President Delcy Rodríguez announced a sweeping internal review of the military and intelligence services, vowing to identify and punish any collaborators involved in what the government describes as a foreign-backed assault on Venezuela’s sovereignty. Marcano Tábata’s arrest is the most high-profile outcome of that review so far.
The Venezuelan government has not released detailed evidence publicly but insists that its investigation uncovered communications and actions that directly compromised the president’s safety. Officials say additional arrests within the security services are possible as inquiries continue.
The United States has not commented on the specific allegations against Marcano Tábata. Washington has previously defended its actions in Venezuela as necessary for regional security, a position Caracas strongly rejects.
The case has intensified fears of internal fractures within Venezuela’s armed forces at a moment of extreme national instability. Analysts say the alleged betrayal highlights the vulnerability of the country’s leadership and raises serious questions about loyalty and cohesion within the state’s highest security institutions.
As Venezuela reels from the fallout of Maduro’s capture, the fate of Major General Javier Marcano Tábata is set to become a defining test of how the country confronts what it sees as both external aggression and internal betrayal.
