Henry Rangel Silva

Henry Rangel Silva ( born 1961 ) is a Venezuelan military officer and politician. He is currently his country's defense minister in the Cabinet of Hugo Chávez (as of January 2012).

Life

Rangel Silva was the commander of the Strategic Command of the Venezuelan Armed Forces ( FANB ).

Rangel Silva was also the chief of the political police of Venezuela ( DISIP ).

He is said to have a trusting relationship with the FARC. According to the Colombian daily Semana it should be a personal friend of Timoléon Jiménez since March 2005. The magazine assumes Rangel Silva was the liaison between the FARC and the Venezuelan government have been.

In 2008, the United States Treasury Department initiated the freezing of all his accounts. He is said to have supported the FARC drug trafficking.