The United States sanctioned two Venezuelan brothers on July 23 for supporting Nicolás Maduro’s son and the “corrupt activities by members of the illegitimate regime” of Venezuela. The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Santiago José Morón Hernández and Ricardo José Morón Hernández as [ … ]
Transnational Threats
Gasoline Shortages Return in Venezuela
Venezuela is facing new fuel shortages after a short reprieve, due to shipments of Iranian gasoline products in May. Five Iranian tankers that carried roughly 1.5 million barrels of gasoline products briefly helped relieve the oil-starved country, but long lines at gas stations, and fewer functioning fueling areas, are back. [ … ]
US Offers $5 Million Reward for Arrest of Venezuelan Chief Justice
The U.S. Department of State has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Maikel Moreno, nominal president of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice of Venezuela. According to the announcement made on July 21, the State Department is accusing Moreno of money laundering and [ … ]
Paraguay: Security Forces Stop More than 1 Ton of Drugs Bound for Argentina and Brazil
In only a week, Paraguayan service members and police officers stopped the transit of more than 1 ton of drugs to neighboring countries. On July 12, the Paraguayan Navy seized more than 300 kilograms of marijuana on the Paraná River. The drug was ready for shipment to Brazilian territory. [caption [ … ]
Colombian Military Forces Seize More than 5.7 Tons of Drug
The Colombian Army and Navy seized 5,726 kilograms of marijuana and cocaine hydrochloride in five operations that dealt a major blow to narcotrafficking networks. The Pacific Naval Force (FNP, in Spanish) reported that on July 18 it seized 62 packages containing 1,213 kg of marijuana and 20 kg of cocaine [ … ]
SOUTHCOM Chief: Venezuela’s Maduro at Center of ‘Vicious Circle of Threats’
Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, aided by allies including Cuba, Russia, China, and Iran, continues to serve as a threat to democratic freedoms in neighboring nations in South America, said U.S. Navy Admiral Craig S. Faller, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). “When we look at this region, there is so [ … ]
Costa Rica Dismantles Narcotrafficking Network
In early July, the Costa Rican Drug Control Police (PCD, in Spanish), with the cooperation of the United States and Colombian counterdrug authorities, dismantled a narcotrafficking ring that smuggled cocaine and marijuana by sea, air, and land to the United States and Mexico. During the Operation Air, authorities captured 12 [ … ]
Destroyers: A Critical Resource Against Drug Smugglers
On May 2, 2020, the USS Lassen recovered more than 3,500 pounds of marijuana during a routine patrol in the Caribbean Sea. Roughly two weeks later, the USS Pinckney recovered over 2,700 kilograms of cocaine off the Central American coast. On June 2, the USS Preble seized 100 bales of [ … ]
Violence from FARC Dissidents Undermines Colombian Peace Deal
November 2020 marks the third anniversary of the peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC, in Spanish). Violence, however, continues as dissidents who oppose the deal carry out criminal acts, and threaten to retaliate against those who have agreed to disarm. In mid-July, [ … ]
Pompeo: International Pressure on Maduro Must Continue
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on July 15 that international pressure on the Nicolás Maduro regime “must continue until the Venezuelan people can reclaim their democracy.” Pompeo made this statement during a press conference at the U.S. Department of State. “Regarding Venezuela, the U.N. has found yet more [ … ]
NGOs Warn Narcotrafficking Threatens the Bolivian Amazon
Bolivian civil organizations have united to warn that the Bolivian Amazon is under threat from narcotrafficking. “In addition to the devastation of natural resources [...], we now face the criminal activities of narcotrafficking, which seek to subject populations, especially youth, to the vicious circle of violence and ambition,” says the [ … ]
‘There is No Political Will’: Maduro Ignored Bachelet’s 2019 Human Rights Recommendations
The Nicolás Maduro regime has partially addressed only two of the 23 recommendations that United Nations (U.N.) High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet made in 2019 to revert and prevent human rights violations in Venezuela. Institutions that advocate for human rights, such as the Venezuelan Education-Action Program on Human [ … ]