With the abduction of Nicolas Maduro, the US remotely “governing” Venezuela and the continued strikes on boats believed to be carrying drugs, cocaine trafficking from the nation has been targeted in an unprecedented manner.
Yet the Chavista regime that Maduro headed remains in place. State-embedded drug trafficking, often described as the Cartel of the Suns, is also largely untouched.
InSight Crime explores the current drug trafficking dynamics in Venezuela, the nature of the Cartel of the Suns and their future without Maduro.
Investigation Chapters
The King Is Dead, Long Live the Queen
The state-embedded drug trafficking structure in Venezuela is largely intact, although the conditions under which it operates have shifted dramatically.
The Shifting US Portrait of the Cartel of the Suns
The United States justified the Maduro arrest as a law enforcement action intended to take down the leader of a powerful criminal organization. But US…
The Criminal Portfolio Sustaining Military Loyalty in Venezuela
For many members of Venezuela’s armed forces, drug trafficking, illegal mining and other criminal rents have become a parallel source of income that offset meager…
The Evolution of the Cartel of the Suns
The Cartel of the Suns, while perhaps debilitated after Maduro’s capture, is still very much alive. What’s more, after numerous transformations over many decades, it…
Camaraderie and Drug Trafficking: Colombian Guerrillas in Venezuela
The ELN, in cooperation with Venezuelan authorities, has used several tactics to consolidate its control along the Colombia-Venezuela border. This binational boundary is crossed by…
The Future of Drug Trafficking Out of Venezuela
Drug trafficking out of Venezuela predates Nicolás Maduro and will long outlive him. The question is whether the cocaine trade will continue to be managed…
Credits:
Written by: Venezuela Investigative Unit, Jeremy McDermott, Mike LaSusa, Steven Dudley
Edited by: Mike LaSusa, Jeremy McDermott, María Fernanda Ramírez
Fact-checking: Venezuela Investigative Unit
Graphics: María Isabel Gaviria, Juan José Restrepo, Isabella Soto
Creative Direction: Elisa Roldán and Juan José Restrepo
