Carlos Luis Revette, alias 'El Koki'
Carlos Luis Revette, alias “El Koki,” is one of Venezuela’s most wanted criminals and leader of the “megabanda" that controls the Cota 905 district to the southwest of Caracas.
Bitcoin Cryptocurrency Adds to Venezuela Money Laundering Risk
Venezuela is increasingly turning to the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, raising questions about its possible use in laundering money and evading US sanctions, not unlike the way Venezuela already uses the gold…
Venezuela Kingpin's Arrest Leaves Power Vacuum on Caribbean Coast
Recent drug charges against a little-known but powerful Venezuelan businessman come as a surprise given that he allegedly operated with impunity for decades on the country's northern coast.
Venezuela Sends Mixed Messages to Colombian Insurgents
A recent Venezuelan military operation in the state of Apure has once again exposed the complex relationship between the Venezuelan government and Colombia's insurgent groups camped in the country's border…
Sexual Abuse Plagues Women’s Detention Facilities in Venezuela
The shooting death of a 19-year-old woman in a Venezuela police holding cell has revealed that women in the jail were being systematically forced to have sex with officers, underscoring…
Venezuela Oil Crisis May Set Limits on PDVSA Impunity
Venezuelan officials may have finally met a PDVSA corruption scandal they cannot allow to go unpunished, hinting at just how dire the country’s oil and gas shortage has become.
El Koki’s Ambition Fuels Urban Warfare in Caracas
Recent shootouts between security forces and Venezuela's El Coqui gang included a clash in which at least two dozen people were gunned down, and experts warn of continued violence as…
FARC Victims Claim Compensation from Venezuelan State Oil Company
A US court case seeks to compensate victims of the FARC with assets seized from Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA, in the latest push by US prosecutors to establish legal…
Venezuela’s Other Plight: Sex Trafficking in Trinidad and Tobago
Ongoing interceptions targeting sex trafficking rings operating between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago have revealed the extent to which Venezuelan women and minors are being continually smuggled to the island…
Human Trafficking Accompanies Illegal Mining in Venezuela’s Orinoco
A new report on human trafficking in Venezuela's Bolívar state shows that forced labor camps and sex trafficking rings are rampant in the region's illegal mines.
Contraband Cheese From Venezuela on Colombia’s Criminal Menu
Cheese has increasingly joined oil and other commodities smuggled along the border between Colombia and Venezuela, and criminal groups are milking the profits.
Venezuela Reports Show FAES Police Unit Targeting Key Megabandas
A slew of media reports from Venezuela appear to show an elite police unit, blamed for numerous extrajudicial executions, going after two of the country's powerful criminal organizations in recent…