Venezuela resumed flights to Aruba Saturday, despite the governments being at odds over the arrest of the Venezuelan Intelligence Chief based on a warrant from the U.S.

Venezuela ordered the suspension of flights Friday to protest the arrest of Hugo Carvajal Barrios, the former head of Venezuelan military intelligence, according to the Associated Press.

He is the highest ranking Venezuelan government official to be arrested on a U.S. warrant, officials said Thursday.

The U.S. and The Netherlands signed a treaty which called for the arrest of Barrios, who is allegedly tied to the "Cartels of the Sun," a group of high-ranking Venezuelan government and military officials who provided a safe haven for drug traffickers from Colombia, helping smuggled drugs reach the U.S., and got rich off of the business.

Aruba Justice Minister Arthur Dowers expressed concern to The Associated Press about the hundreds of travelers who would be stranded.

"We understand the Venezuelan government is upset with the detention of one of their diplomatic core members, but I told them that based on basic human rights, it cannot be so that the movement of many more of their citizens and their right to go home will be sacrificed," he said.

Hundreds of tourists were stranded in Aruba Friday, which is just off the coast of Venezuela, and the suspension had negative economic effects on the island -- which depends largely on tourism.

The exact number of flights canceled was unknown, and airport authorities could not be reached.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said the arrest was equivalent to a kidnapping and violation of international law.

The arrest took the government by surprise after having sent Barrios on Thursday to be the official Venezuelan consul in Aruba.

But Barrios was one of three linked to the Cartels of the Sun, according to reports Thursday.

On Thursday, Benny Palmeri-Bacchi, a former Venezuelan judge, was arrested in Miami after arriving for a family vacation, according to McClatchy.

A former Venezuelan Interpol director, Rodolfo McTurk, was also involved in the trafficking.

The three are accused of aiding Colombian drug lords in smuggling cocaine into the U.S. between 2004 and 2010, and investing in the shipments as well.