The World - News from June 29, 1989

Testimony in the case of a Cuban military hero who confessed to smuggling drugs, ivory and diamonds hinted at involvement by Havana in a secret operation in Venezuela. Several witnesses told a military tribunal in Havana that Maj. Gen. Arnaldo Ochoa Sanchez had been an “internacionalista” in Venezuela. “Internacionalista” is a term Cubans use to describe someone willing to fight anywhere in the world for the ideals of Cuba’s Communist revolution. This was the first mention of Ochoa’s name in connection with Venezuela. Witnesses at the tribunal gave no details of the operation.