This investigation, the product of three years of field research, looks at the exponential growth of organized crime in Venezuela and the consequences of this for the region.
7 Reasons for Describing Venezuela as a 'Mafia State'
There is no universally accepted definition of what constitutes a "mafia state." Here are seven arguments as to why we think Venezuela qualifies and what the implications are of this…
Drug Trafficking Within the Venezuelan Regime: The 'Cartel of the Suns'
In Latin America, criminal entrepreneurs in the form of cartels, have traditionally run drug trafficking. In Venezuela, it is managed from within government, and if Nicolás Maduro wins another term in office, Venezuela’s position in the global cocaine…
The Devolution of State Power: The ‘Colectivos’
They are known by supporters as “knights of steel” on their motorcycles, and as the most ardent defenders of Venezuela's Bolivarian Revolution. Yet now they look more like criminal gangs…
The Devolution of State Power: 'The Pranes'
In May 2011, a 26-year-old prison gang leader held 4,000 members of the Venezuelan security forces, backed by tanks and helicopters, at bay for weeks. Humiliated nationally and internationally, it…
Colombia and Venezuela: Criminal Siamese Twins
Colombia and Venezuela have shared criminal dynamics for decades. Colombia has pushed cocaine through Venezuela on its journey to US and European markets, while Venezuela’s contraband fuel has gushed in the other direction. But today the criminal links…
Honduras and Venezuela: Coup and Cocaine Air Bridge
On the morning of Sunday, June 28, 2009, Honduran soldiers burst into the presidential palace in the country’s capital, Tegucigalpa, rustled President Manuel Zelaya from his bed, and took away his cellular phone.
Dominican Republic and Venezuela: Cocaine Across the Caribbean
Drug traffickers have a problem exporting drugs from Venezuela. There are few commercial flights, little container shipping, no tourists and a collapsed fishing sector. But the Dominican Republic, 1,400 kilometers away, has it…
Venezuela and El Salvador: Exporting Aid and Corruption
José Luis Merino is one of the most powerful figures in El Salvador’s governing political party and played a key role in the founding of ALBA Petróleos, a subsidiary of Venezuela’s…
Related Content
The struggle to retake a Venezuelan prison from its heavily-armed inmates has spawned a political battle, with the government opening…
A new report on human trafficking in Venezuela's Bolívar state shows that forced labor camps and sex trafficking rings are…
November regional elections brought changes to many powerful offices in regions where criminal organizations wield significant political power, highlighting the…
Support Our Work
Investigating organized crime is an expensive and often risky enterprise. Reaching primary sources and getting the real story involve extensive fieldwork. Please donate. Every dollar supports our mission.
DONATE NOW