HomeNewsBriefVenezuela Destroys 17 Cocaine Labs Near Colombia Border
BRIEF

Venezuela Destroys 17 Cocaine Labs Near Colombia Border

COLOMBIA / 23 OCT 2013 BY NATALIE SOUTHWICK EN

Authorities in Venezuela have destroyed 17 cocaine labs near the border with Colombia, highlighting the continued pattern of the migration of Colombian organized crime.

Members of the anti-drug division of Venezuela's National Guard discovered the drug production facilities in northwestern border state Zulia state. Security officials found more than two tons of cocaine and processing materials in the labs, bringing the total amount of drugs seized in Venezuela this year to 39 tons, reported AFP.

La Serrania de Perija, where the labs were discovered, is a mountain range bordering Colombia's Cesar and Norte de Santander departments.

The seizure is not the first major laboratory bust in Zulia state this year. In March, authorities dismantled 21 cocaine labs in the town of Jesus Maria Semprun, just 150 meters from the Colombian border.

InSight Crime Analysis

Drug trafficking and organized crime have a long history on the Colombia-Venezuela border, where armed Colombian groups have operated for years. Zulia state in particular has historically been a stronghold for several fronts of the guerilla Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), as well as the narco-paramilitaries of the BACRIM (from the Spanish acronym for "criminal bands").

SEE ALSO: FARC in Venezuela

Initially, these groups primarily used Venezuela to escape the attentions of Colombian security forces. However, the country's growing importance to international drug trafficking, the boom in other criminal activities in the border region, and the country's easily corrupted security forces have led to a deeper criminal migration, with groups establishing bases, recruiting locally and running criminal enterprises in Venezuela.

The discovery of cocaine labs follows this pattern of criminal migration. Although authorities have been aware of the presence of such labs for some time, the sheer number discovered so far this year compared to the past suggests processing operations are growing quickly. 

Until recently, the territory around the Norte de Santander-Zulia border was controlled by the Rastrojos, but recent events suggest rivals the Urabeños are now staking a claim to the region. However, the labs are more likely linked to the FARC or other guerrilla groups, which oversee coca production in the region and are still able to operate with relative freedom on the Venezuelan side of the border.

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 / 21 JUN 2022

A controversial bill proposing the legalization of the coca leaf and coca derivatives, including cocaine, has gained traction in Colombia.

ILLEGAL MINING / 26 JAN 2023

The R Organization is one of Venezuela's fastest growing mining gangs, which are often referred to as sindicatos.

ELITES AND CRIME / 19 OCT 2021

Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro's aggressive reaction to the extradition of accused money launderer and ally Álex Saab – who appeared…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

3 MAR 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

24 FEB 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime on El País Podcast

10 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…

THE ORGANIZATION

Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…