Nicolás Maduro's illegal spying in Argentina: This is how they threatened Venezuelan exiles in the country.

After the Apolo Foundation denounced the existence of a Venezuelan transnational organization belonging to the Nicolás Maduro regime that persecutes and threatens exiles living in Argentina, with alleged state complicity, Clarín was able to access the court filing, which details the threats received by the family that filed the complaint.

According to the document, the Apollo Foundation learned of the threats through contact with José Zambrano , the son of a former Venezuelan Ministry of Culture official named Mery Erazo. The young man had fled in 2017 with his mother and wife to Ecuador, where Chavista forces first made their presence known to them through threats accusing José's mother of stealing documents from her former workplace.

In the presentation, the foundation associated with Buenos Aires legislator Yamil Santoro explained that the messages reached the family through social media, WhatsApp , and even through threatening letters addressed to their new address. For this reason, less than a year after migrating to Ecuador, they had to move again. José and his wife traveled to Argentina . His mother and brother went to Chile , and they were joined by José's sister in 2019. But the threats continued.

According to the Apolo Foundation, after moving to Argentina, José continued receiving threats through social media, text messages, and letters sent directly to his apartment. "In 2022, a handwritten letter arrived at his home stating, 'We know the time you walk your dog,' " the letter states.

They also reported that, on one of his walks with his dog, the young man noticed a car parked in front of his building with two people inside. When they saw him, the woman who was in the passenger seat signaled the driver to speed up, and they fled.

The document also mentions that the persecution was being carried out simultaneously in Venezuela. José learned in 2024, through a friend who tipped him off, that he had been included on a list of people wanted by the Maduro regime , as part of "Operation Tun Tun," a series of coordinated actions by the state to arrest opponents. This operation was created in 2017 by Diosdado Cabello, one of the strongmen of the Venezuelan government.

The presentation also details the lives of the rest of Zambrano's family, who ended up living first in Chile, then moved to other countries, and eventually reunited in the United States, where they currently reside.

"In the Republic of Chile, Mery Erazo, during the few months she was there, received a threatening letter 'we know your son is in Argentina,' and subsequently received threats via phone calls and text messages," the document details.

The Apollo Foundation's complaint states that after one of the moves, José's sister also began to suffer threats from Chavista forces . She received a call in which they gave her her full name, ID type and number, email address, and even her bank account number and home address. They also mentioned information about her husband, daughter, brother, and father. Then, they hung up.

"The attackers made it clear to her that they were aware of everything she was doing ." They also detailed that the woman received a text message in 2024 that said, "Take care of yourself, we know where they moved to. Your daughter is precious. Take care of her ," the statement said.

According to the Apollo Foundation's presentation, José's sister, tired, ended up requesting asylum in the United States . She made the decision after receiving a final warning, this time handwritten at her home : "We told you that your time was up. You, your daughter, and your brother Jose in Buenos Aires have your days numbered ." (SIC)

For their part, José and his wife lived in Argentina for a while longer, but also decided to seek asylum in the United States, but not before filing a new complaint with the Argentine authorities. It was there that they also contacted the Apolo Foundation , which, through Dr. Ignacio Falcón, filed their own complaint denouncing the incident.

The Apolo Foundation told Clarín that this is not the only case that has occurred in the country and that they have several more that are "practically confirmed." However, many victims are hesitant to report the incident.

Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, and Peru are some of the countries Venezuelan exiles choose to live in once they leave their homelands. But the persecution by Bolivarian forces doesn't end at the border, and after settling in a new country, those who fled Chavismo continue to receive threats at their new homes.

One of the cases cited by Nicolás Silvera, a representative of the foundation and one of the initiators of the complaint, is that of Ronald Ojeda , a former Venezuelan lieutenant who fled his country and settled in Chile.

Ojeda was kidnapped in February 2024, and nine days later , his body was found half-buried inside a suitcase in a neighborhood of Santiago. At the time, the Chilean prosecutor's office involved in the case suggested it was "an organized crime from Venezuela" and that the Aragua Train had been involved .

The foundation also emphasized the well-oiled logistics of the groups, which, while Zambrano's mother was living in Colombia, provided her with information about her son's routine, who was living in Argentina at the time. And this is not the only case. According to Clarín , there are exiles living in the United States who, as threats, continue to receive information on social media about their children who remained in Latin America.

The organization also clarified that many of the phones they used to contact José had Argentine numbers , so there may be people from the organization operating from the country.

Although it is still unclear how the illegal intelligence forces obtained the information on Zambrano and her family, the organization linked to Yamil Santoro points to the constant data leaks suffered by RENAPER . However, they do not rule out the existence of a contact within the Argentine government who may be collaborating and providing information to Chavista groups.