This American went to Colombia to kite surf. He’s been detained in Venezuela for months.

By CNN Newsource

Published March 12, 2025 3:00 am

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN

(CNN) — Lucas Hunter loves to kite surf, so along with his sister Sophie he planned a trip to Colombia to take advantage of the “good waves” in the north of the country in late December last year.

After an illness left Sophie unable to go on the trip, Lucas traveled alone for what was supposed to be two-and-a-half-week long vacation.

Sophie hasn’t seen or heard from him for more than two months, after he was detained close to the border with Venezuela.

Sophie said her brother, an American citizen who lives in London, had gone to that part of Colombia “because that’s where they are kite surfing competitions.”

“It’s quite remote, so you have to basically get a motorbike to go to the different spots,” she told CNN, noting that she was “in constant communication with him.”

On January 7, 2025, in a remote area close to the border, Lucas saw a checkpoint in the distance, and reversed, he told Sophie. But it was too late. He said he “got kidnapped, abducted by Venezuelan military forces … who took him across the border,” she recounted to CNN.

“He said, ‘I’m sending you this pin location from where I’m detained’,” Sophie said. “He was telling me, ‘It’s been four hours. I don’t understand what’s going on. I don’t speak Spanish. But they are writing reports saying that I had no intention to cross.’”

“He sent me another message on the eighth, and he said, ‘They’re writing a report saying that I had no intention to enter Venezuela. I think it’s fine. I should be out soon,’” she said.

That was the last time Sophie heard from him.

She told CNN this week that she has no idea where he is being held. He has not been put on trial for any alleged crime. CNN has reached out to Venezuela’s Ministry of Communications. The Venezuelan Attorney General’s Office declined to comment.

Asked if she believes Lucas was detained because he is an American citizen, Sophie noted he had been carrying his US passport when he was detained.

“I do think that carrying the passport is quite good on the shopping list,” she said. Lucas also has French citizenship.

Venezuela has a history of detaining American citizens as apparent bargaining chips. Under the Biden administration, the US negotiated prisoner swaps to bring home a number of Americans who had been wrongfully held in Venezuela, some for years.

US Special Envoy Ric Grenell traveled to Caracas in late January to meet with strongman leader Nicolas Maduro and secured the release of six Americans who were detained there.

Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated nine Americans in Venezuela as wrongfully detained. According to Sophie, her brother is one of the nine.

Prior to his designation, Sophie said she had been working with the US Embassy in Bogota. Now that he has been deemed wrongfully detained, his case will be handled by the office of the US Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. The designation provides the US government more tools to try to negotiate his release. It also opens up access to resources for families of the wrongfully detained.

Sophie said she was “disappointed” that Lucas was not among the six brought home in late January. However, she is hopeful that he will soon be released.

“It is unacceptable that the regime has arrested and jailed Americans under questionable circumstances and without respect for their rights,” a State Department spokesperson said. “All Americans unjustly detained by the Maduro regime must be released immediately.”

“The United States continues our efforts to secure the release of any remaining Americans unjustly detained by the regime in Venezuela,” the spokesperson said.

The US warns Americans not to travel to the Colombia-Venezuela border region “due to crime, kidnapping, and risk of detention when crossing into Venezuela from Colombia.”

“I think that it should be a massive campaign, especially to university students, or to people my age who might want to explore the world, and just say, do not take the risk,” Sophie said.