Exclusive: Secret US op spied on Venezuelan officials to build drug cases

MIAMI (AP) — A secret memo obtained by The Associated Press details a yearslong covert operation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration that sent undercover operatives into Venezuela to surreptitiously record and build drug-trafficking cases against the country's leadership - a plan the U.S. acknowledged from the start was arguably a violation of international law. "It is necessary to conduct this operation unilaterally and without notifying Venezuelan officials," reads the 15-page 2018 memo expanding "Operation Money Badger," an investigation that authorities say targeted dozens of people, including Venezuelan President Nicolà¡s Maduro. While there's no clear mechanism to hold the United…