Rafael Villaverde
 Rafael Villaverde    (spook, assassin) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Died | 1982 |
Cause of death | boat explosion? |
| Siblings | • Raul Villaverde • Jorge Villaverde |
| Member of | Operation 40 |
Cuban exile member of Operation 40. Disappeared at sea, possibly staged, after being busted for cocaine smuggling in 1982. | |
Rafael Villaverde was a member of Operation 40.[1][2][3]
Activities
An opponent of Fidel Castro he fled to the United States and took part in the Bay of Pigs operation. Villaverde and many of his comrades were captured.
Soon after arriving back in the United States, Villaverde joined Operation 40. One member, Frank Sturgis, claimed "this assassination group (Operation 40) would upon orders, naturally, assassinate either members of the military or the political parties of the foreign country that you were going to infiltrate, and if necessary some of your own members who were suspected of being foreign agents... We were concentrating strictly in Cuba at that particular time."[4]
He worked with Ted Shackley in Vietnam and Laos, where Shackley was involved in the drug trade[5][4]
Joseph Trento claimed that in the 1970s Villaverde worked as a CIA contract agent. Edwin Wilson added that Villaverde became a "hit man for the CIA in South America working under cover of Gulf & Western Company."[4]
Rafael Villaverde and his brother Jorge were directors of the Little Havana Community Center. The center had been investigated by the Dade State Attorney's Office in 1977 as being a focal point for anti-Castro "terrorist" groups.[6]
In August 1981, in a sting operation the FBI called 'Operation Bancoshares' and the Miami police "Operation Tick-Talks", Rafael and his brothers Jorge and Raul were arrested, along with over 100 other suspects. 'Operation Bancoshares' was conducted over a 2 year span. Hidden video cameras recorded major drug smugglers toting suitcases, satchels and briefcases full of cash from the sale of drugs. At the same time, the Miami police busted the cocaine smuggling ring. Rafael and his brothers Jorge and Raul were freed after posting $10,000 bond each.[6][7]
In April 1982, Rafael Villaverde vanished on a fishing trip after bonding out after his arrest, when his speedboat exploded off the coast of Florida. His remains have never been found.[8]
Of possibly relevance is that in 1976, Villaverde had also told authorities that the spook Edwin Wilson had offered to pay him to kill certain Libyan dissidents. Villaverde was one of several suspicious death of people who had talked against Wilson.[9]
Family
In June, 2002, his brother, longtime anti-Castro activist Jorge Villaverde, was murdered.[10]
References
- ↑ https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/public/digitallibrary/smof/drugabusepolicyoffice/turner/box-001/40-572-7533310-001-023-2019.pdf
- ↑ https://www.latinamericanstudies.org/rafael-villaverde.htm
- ↑ https://www.latinamericanstudies.org/exile/EMH-4-3-1982-1.pdf
- ↑ a b c https://spartacus-educational.com/JFKvillaverde.htm
- ↑ https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP90-00552R000706890006-7.pdf
- ↑ a b https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/08/05/Police-smashed-a-white-collar-cocaine-network-Wednesday-in/9388365832000/
- ↑ https://educationforum.ipbhost.com/topic/7777-rafael-villaverde/
- ↑ https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,923602,00.html
- ↑ https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,923602,00.html
- ↑ https://www.latinamericanstudies.org/exile/jorge-villaverde.htm
