Josh Holt, a young man looking for "Heavenly Love" in a Hellish Venezuela

Joshua Holt, 26, born in Utah, has been imprisoned for almost two years here in Venezuela. For those who don't khow this case, this individual was charged on illegal ownership of assault weapons charges.

The Story

Josh, an eagle scout a former missionary of The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (a.k.a LDS Church/Mormon Church), traveled to Venezuela to marry his girlfriend, Thamara Caleño, on June 11th, 2016. They knew each other online through a dating app, then they met each other in Dominican Republic, and got engaged. After they got married in Caracas, they spent the following days in Ciudad Caribia, a fairly new housing development for low-class citizens made by the government, while waiting for his wife US-visa approval. This place was frequently surrounded by the police force because of the high crime rates there.

Josh Holt and Thamara Caleño - Source

Well, on June 30, an anti-gang police squad burst into Candelo's apartment, where agents claimed to find an AK-47 assault rifle and a grenade. Holt and Candelo were hauled off to jail.

Holt's mother-in-law, María Candelo — who was in the couple's apartment on the day of the raid — tells me she saw police slip the weapons into Holt's luggage. She recalls a police agent shouting, "Look what we found!"

For Utah Newlywed, An 'Egregious' Prison Stint In Venezuela - Source

At 6 a.m. that Thursday, police began conducting door-to-door searches, inspecting the home and Holt’s documents. Then they noticed he was recording them on his mobile phone, the witness said.

“In his country you can’t search without a warrant, so he thought it was noteworthy,” she explained. “They confiscated his phone and took him away with other people.”

Two hours later, a group of about 30 masked security officers — some identified as military intelligence — returned. The witness says she and several neighbors watched as the men carried a black bag up four flights of stairs to the couples’ apartment. As one group questioned Holt’s wife, the witness said one of the officers stepped out of sight and then announced he had found the weapons — in a black bag on the floor.

According to news reports, police recovered an AK-47, an “imitation” M-15 assault rifle and a hand grenade.

Honeymoon in hell: U.S. newlywed jailed in Venezuela as possible spy - Source

The Current Situation

Holt and his wife had spent almost two years in prison. On December 12th, 18 months after the arrest, they had their preliminary hearing. The result: A trial was ordered with no parole. Four months later, the trial has not started.

There has been reports of him losing more than 60 pounds since in jail When asked about the health problems Holt would face, Todd Robinson, top diplomat of the US embassy, said he has heard about it, but added that "without the ability to speak with him, it is difficult to know exactly what is happening." Robinson said that on some occasions the US authorities have had the opportunity to visit Holt in prison, but said that "it is not enough under the agreements of the Vienna Convention."

The mother of the jailed American, Laurie Holt, last month shared an audio recording of her son, who said he was sent by cell phone, in which the prisoner talks about vomiting all night, suffering from nausea and problems concentrating .

The first vice president of the pro-government party, the constituent Diosdado Cabello, told Holt at the end of last month to lead an alleged espionage network in Latin America that would operate under orders from the United States.

Josh Holt defense has been funded by Wilmer Ruperti, a TV entrepeneur/PDVSA contractor linked to the high spheres of the Venezuela Government. There has been lots of meetings in USA to handle this situation. So far, the reasons why Ruperti decided to intervene economically in the case are unknown. However, Holt's parents say they are grateful to the businessman, according to the Associated Press.

Ruperti has met several times with Holt inside the penitentiary center where the he's being held in Caracas. Also, he has had meetings with Holt's relatives in his residence located in Salt Lake City.

My views

Conspirations/Plots against US Citizens in Venezuela are not strange in recent years. The government animosity against the US is the spark that ignites this events. As a former Mormon missionary, I recall what happened against missionaries of US based churches in 2005. Hugo Chavez himself went against the "New Tribes Missions", a religious organizations that preached to the indigenous colonies at the southeast of Venezuela. They were kicked out of the country. Taking advantage of that, most of the socialist organizations went against other US-based churches. They gun-robbed foreign missionaries, assaulted them, accused them of being CIA agents. They had to leave, too.

Sadly, I have to say that Josh Holt is just a bargain chip. The Venezuela Government is against the wall because of the current economic sanctions against them. Wilmer Ruperti is just a lobbyist that is sent by the Government of Venezuela to try to get an agreement on how sanctions could be eased by Holt's release from jail. Even senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) have spoken to Nicolás Maduro on his behalf.

UPDATE: Wilmer Ruperti is also linked with the case of the nephews of Cilia Flores, imprisoned in 2015, accused and condemned of drug trafficking. Maybe a possible prisoners exchange could be the move that Ruperti is looking for.

Let's see what happens.

It is our duty to spread the truth. If you agree, i invite you to resteem the post. Let's prevent the world for what could happen if we don't take a stand against the Venezuelan Socialist Tyranny.

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