HomeNewsBriefVenezuela Politicians Accuse Military of Involvement in Contraband Mineral Trade
BRIEF

Venezuela Politicians Accuse Military of Involvement in Contraband Mineral Trade

ILLEGAL MINING / 15 JAN 2018 BY VENEZUELA INVESTIGATIVE UNIT EN

Two congressmen in Venezuela allege that members of the armed forces play a central role in the country's contraband mineral trade, yet another example of how the government is turning a blind eye to security force involvement in a range of illicit activities that are contributing to an ongoing economic, political and security crisis.

In a January 15 interview with El Nacional, congressman Américo de Grazia said, "There is no coltan, gold or diamond operation that the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (Fuerza Armada Nacional Bolivariana -- FANB) do not control, so the contraband of minerals is sponsored, orchestrated and executed by members of the FANB."

This isn’t the first time that de Grazia has accused the military of involvement in illegal mining. In March 2016, the opposition politician alleged that members of the armed forces were exploiting the illicit industry for their own benefit.

SEE ALSO: Coverage of Mining

Organized crime groups have historically dominated much of Venezuela's illegal mining trade. But according to de Grazia, the military controls the locations where the minerals are illegally extracted and the routes utilized to export them, thus facilitating these operations.

According to El Nacional, the government’s December 2017 approval of mining operations on 112,000 square kilometers in the states of Bolívar, Amazonas and Delta Amacuro further deepened criminality, including among the armed forces.

“In Bolívar [state], crimes and massacres in mining areas have greatly increased, and it is now common to observe them more and more frequently with the active participation of state security forces," congressman Jorge Millán, of the National Assembly's mining committee, told El Nacional.

Indeed, as InSight Crime previously reported, a wave of killings in various illegal mining zones throughout Venezuela in 2017 sparked questions about the role of security forces in the illicit industry. Despite the allegations, however, Millán told El Nacional that the government has done nothing to stop those involved.

InSight Crime Analysis

Allegations of the military’s involvement in Venezuela’s contraband mineral trade highlight another instance in which the administration of President Nicolás Maduro has turned a blind eye to alleged criminal activities on the part of security forces.

Members of Venezuela's military are no stranger to criminality. The security apparatus has long been accused of profiting from illegal gold mining in the country by supporting and providing weapons to criminal groups in exchange for a cut of the profits. Security forces have also been implicated in trafficking contraband food and fuel, as well as other key supplies in the shortage-ravaged country.

SEE ALSO: Venezuela News and Profiles

Venezuela’s deepening economic crisis is largely to blame for security forces’ increased involvement in criminal activities. According to the Venezuelan organization Control Ciudadano, the highest paid member of Venezuela’s military earns just over 4 million Bolivars (less than $50) per month. Lucrative criminal activities are all the more attractive for security forces struggling to get by.

Moreover, the Maduro administration has taken little action to address the issue. As an important pillar of support for his administration, Maduro has an interest in turning a blind eye to the military's criminal activities in order to maintain the institution's support.

As InSight Crime previously reported, the ongoing crisis in Venezuela bodes well for organized crime groups. And as security forces become increasingly involved in criminal activities -- with little accountability -- the situation is likely to continue to deteriorate.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

COCA / 1 SEP 2021

Emerging from almost six decades of civil conflict, the world’s number one cocaine producer has paid scant attention to environmental…

BOLIVIA / 30 NOV 2022

Lake Titicaca serves as a crossroads for varied criminal economies, from cocaine shipments to trafficking the frogs that live along…

CONTRABAND / 30 JUN 2021

In the absence of an adequate COVID-19 vaccination plan, criminal networks in Venezuela have seized upon ongoing mismanagement to steal…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Paraguay Election Coverage Draws Attention 

5 MAY 2023

InSight Crime looked at the various anti-organized crime policies proposed by the candidates in Paraguay’s presidential election, which was won on April 30 by Santiago Peña. Our pre-election coverage was cited…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Cited in OAS, CARICOM Reports

28 APR 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s work was cited nine times in a new report by the Organization of American States (OAS) titled “The Impact of Organized Crime on Women,…