Documents indicate that Chavez helped Colombia rebels

A subsequent document indicates that when Reyes was killed, Chavez was preparing to deliver a first US$50 million (euro38 million).

A spokesman said Rodriguez Chacin was unavailable for comment.

Timochenko also describes strengthening ties with Venezuela's military, saying he visited a FARC firing range and "training halls" in Venezuela, and "now we have a sewing shop and one for making grenades and we're building various installations for hospitals."

He describes "operations where our guys go out with Venezuelan arms and uniforms" and says the Venezuelan local military commander has put guerrillas in helicopters for reconnaissance.

Some U.S. lawmakers have cited the documents recovered in the raid to argue that the White House should add Venezuela to a list of state terror sponsors that includes North Korea, Iran, Syria, Sudan and Cuba, and which means economic sanctions. Analysts believe that's unlikely, however.

"That would be self-defeating," said Michael Shifter of the Washington think tank Inter-American Dialogue. "It might give Chavez a boost when he is in serious political trouble at home -and it would risk a further jump in oil prices in the U.S. in an election year."

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Associated Press writers Ian James in Caracas, Venezuela, and Pamela Hess in Washington contributed to this report.