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Venezuela

Venezuela is a key transit country for drug shipments leaving Colombia for the United States and Europe. Foreign groups, particularly Colombians, have traditionally controlled Venezuela's drug trade, being attracted by poor rule of law and corruption. However, Venezuelan groups such as the Tren de Aragua are also becoming real transnational threats.

Special Coverage

Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory

Venezuela / 16 FEBRUARY 2023

Latest News

How Grenades Became a Common Part of Venezuela's Criminal Arsenal

NEWS / 7 JUN 2023

In all of Latin America, Venezuela has a unique problem: constant grenade attacks by criminal gangs.

3 Takeaways From UNICEF Report on Child Recruitment in Colombia

NEWS / 6 JUN 2023

A new study has outlined how the ethnicity and socio-economic background of children are key factors in their forced recruitment in Colombia.

La Pista: Venezuelans Find Refuge in Colombian Desert

NEWS / 31 MAY 2023

An abandoned Colombian airport has become a shelter for thousands of migrants fleeing organized crime in Venezuela.

Venezuela Profile

Criminal Actors

Armed Groups

As a key transit point for cocaine shipments destined for Europe and the United States, Venezuela has long been a staging ground for Colombian guerrilla groups and other players in the drug trade. The country has also produced its own brand of criminal actors, including megagangs controlled by prison bosses and powerful government-supported paramilitary forces, known as colectivos. Officials at the highest levels of the government and security have links to organized crime, including a shadowy group within the military dubbed the “Cartel of the Suns.”

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Personalities

Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias 'Niño Guerrero'

TREN DE ARAGUA / FEBRUARY 15, 2023

Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias “Niño Guerrero," is the leader of Tren de Aragua, Venezuela's largest homegrown criminal group.

Hermágoras González Polanco, alias ‘Gordito González’

VENEZUELA / FEBRUARY 15, 2023

Hermágoras González Polanco has been active in Venezuela's drug trafficking scene for over four decades, thanks to his ability to adapt.

Yeico Masacre

VENEZUELA / FEBRUARY 13, 2023

Erick Alberto Parra Mendoza, alias “Yeico Masacre”, is the leader of one of the most violent gangs in Venezuela's state of Zulia.

Carlos Luis Revete, alias 'El Koki'

EL KOKI / FEBRUARY 8, 2022

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.

Wilexis Alexander Acevedo Monasterios, alias 'Wilexis'

VENEZUELA / JANUARY 20, 2023

Wilexis Alexander Acevedo Monasterios has led the gang which bears his name since at least 2017. With between 150 and 200 people in its ranks, the Wilexis gang controls the…

Álex Saab

VENEZUELA PERSONALITIES / JANUARY 27, 2023

Álex Saab is a Colombian businessman known for making million dollar deals with the Venezuelan government involving prefabricated houses and the state’s food supply program, which has been criticized for…

Samark López Bello

CARTEL OF THE SUNS / JANUARY 15, 2023

Samark López Bello is a Venezuelan businessman and currently a fugitive from American justice facing charges of laundering drug money.

Tareck El Aissami

VENEZUELA PERSONALITIES / MARCH 22, 2023

Tareck El Aissami is the Minister of Industries and National Production of Venezuela. He has held this position since June 2018, the latest in a series of high-ranking positions in…

Walid Makled

VENEZUELA / SEPTEMBER 21, 2021

Walid Makled, otherwise known as “El Turco” or “El Arabe," was once the most powerful civilian drug trafficker in Venezuela.

Investigations

News

CONTRABAND / 15 MAY 2023

The illegal sale of scrap metal has become another earner for government officials and military figures in Venezuela.

ELITES AND CRIME / 4 MAY 2023

Venezuela's new asset forfeiture law seeks to act against corrupt state actors and criminals. But is its successful implementation likely?…

COLOMBIA / 2 MAY 2023

Colombia's security policy has made clear the country's intention to tackle the ELN. But to do so, it's relying on the help of Venezuela.

COLECTIVOS / 25 APR 2023

“They keep an eye on the transportation and the water. When something is damaged, they work with officials and fix it. They control the gas stations," said a resident of…

EXTORTION / 21 APR 2023

As organized crime increases in Venezuela, more people and businesses are falling victim to extortion carried out by opportunists.

CONTRABAND / 12 APR 2023

Zulia's gasoline black market has disappeared as government policies and supply increases take effect. But will it soon return?…

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