Jordan Goudreau, a former U.S. Green Beret, was arrested in New York on federal arms smuggling charges related to a failed 2020 cross-border raid aimed at overthrowing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

A federal indictment unsealed in Tampa, Florida, accuses Goudreau and his Venezuelan partner, Yacsy Alvarez, of violating U.S. arms control laws by assembling and sending AR-style weapons, ammunition, silencers, and other military gear to Colombia without the required export licenses.

Goudreau, 48, faces 14 charges, including conspiracy and unlawful possession of a machine gun.

He gained notoriety in 2020 after leading a failed amphibious raid with a group of Venezuelan army deserters, claiming they were acting to protect Venezuela’s democracy, the Associated Press has reported.

Goudreau is currently being held at a federal detention center in Brooklyn, with his release status pending.

Written by B.C. Begley