A 28-year-old American who was detained in Venezuela after crossing the border from Brazil in December said he was beaten, denied food and water, and held in restraints before being transferred to the Rodeo I prison outside Caracas, where he believed he was going to be killed.
James Luckey-Lange said he entered Venezuela on December 7 and was detained the next day after authorities discovered he lacked a required visa. He said he was taken to an army base, accused of being an American spy, and later flown to Caracas. "To catch an American at the frontier, I was served to them on a platter," he said.
