Former Bolton Councillor just an hour from Venezuela

An amazed international audience woke up on Saturday to news that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife had been captured in an American military operation.

Just about a mile away Paul Heslop, familiar to many people in Bolton from his years as a councillor for Kearsley and a frequent world traveller, was at the Columbian region of Cúcuta.

Speaking to The Bolton News from the Latin American republic, Mr Heslop said: “There’s a big police presence.

“Many are commenting that the corrupt Venezuelan officials will be heading here, it’s the gateway city to Colombia for Venezuelans.

“Maria Machado said in her Nobel acceptance speech that she would like to welcome back the diaspora on the Simon Bolivar Bridge. It’s about a mile from me.”

He added: “I have met people who have spent a few months in prison for protesting.

“There is concern that the next exodus through Cúcuta will be corrupt officials or politicians who try to escape the consequences of their previous actions.

“There is no increased police presence in Cucuta city, but media says that extra staff and police are at the border to deal with any influx.”

The Venezuelan President and his wife were captured in a surprise American military operation on Saturday January 3.   

Maduro, 63 of Urdaneta Avenue, Caracas, is accused of ordering kidnappings, beatings and murders of those who owed them drug money or undermined their drug trafficking operation.

He pleaded not guilty to all charges before an American courtroom.

Venezuela’s new interim president Delcy Rodriguez has demanded that the US return Maduro, who long denied any involvement in drug trafficking

President Donald Trump has said that the United States will “run” Venezuela temporarily.

But secretary of state Marco Rubio said on Sunday that it would not govern the country day-to-day other than enforcing an existing “oil quarantine”.

Mr Heslop, who represented Kearsley on Bolton Council from 2019 to 2023 and led the One Kearsley party, says he had spoken to people from inside Venezuela.

He said: “The corruption is endemic.

“Maduro’s system created opportunity for his supporters to extract money at street level.

“My friends were attacked by police dogs because they didn’t have money to give to the police.

“They weren’t hurt but the dogs ripped the jeans.”

Mr Heslop said that despite the tumultuous events of the last few days he still hopes to visit Venezuela soon.