February 11, 2026

Badlands Book Club - Book 5: Stolen Elections - Chapter 8

1 hour 28 minutes

In Chapter 8 of Stolen Elections, CannCon, Ashe in America, and special guest Colonel Towner Watkins dissect the explosive claims surrounding the so-called “Cartel del Sol.” What begins as a discussion of Hugo Chávez’s constitutional reforms quickly turns into a deep examination of the timeline, contradictions, and shifting narratives surrounding Venezuela, the FARC, and U.S. intelligence operations.

The trio scrutinizes allegations that Venezuela became the epicenter of the world’s largest drug trafficking organization, challenging the internal inconsistencies in the book’s sourcing and the evolving origin story of the cartel’s name. They question how rival cartels were supposedly “defeated,” how drug operations expanded so rapidly, and why arrests occurred if the activity was state-sanctioned. Along the way, they highlight discrepancies in indictments, DEA reports, and claims about international influence.

With sharp analysis and pointed skepticism, this chapter dives into the mechanics of narrative building, the politics of drug war accusations, and the broader geopolitical implications tied to Venezuela’s leadership and U.S. involvement.

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