His Excellency President-for-Life, Caudillo of the Bolivarians Hugo Chavez on Friday named as defense minister General Henry Rangel Silva, who the United States has described as a "drug kingpin" linked to cocaine smuggling from neighboring Colombia..In 2008, the US Treasury Department accused Rangel and another high-ranking officer of materially assisting the narcotics trafficking activities of Colombia's FARC rebels. Both men deny any wrongdoing.