In Latin America, criminal cartels, have traditionally run drug trafficking. In Venezuela, this activity is managed within the government. Under the regime of Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s position in the global cocaine business will increase. U.S. Navy Admiral Craig S. Faller, commander of U.S Southern Command, in a November 28, 2019 [ … ]
Venezuela
Venezuelan Military Leads Narcotrafficking Cartel, UN Acknowledges
The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), a United Nations (U.N.) body, confirmed in its latest annual report the existence of the so-called Cartel of the Suns, a criminal narcotrafficking network led by Venezuela’s top military officials with the regime’s support. It is the first time that the INCB has presented [ … ]
US Charges Maduro with Drug Trafficking, Offers $15 Million Reward for Information Leading to His Capture
The United States announced a $15 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Nicolás Maduro on drug-trafficking charges, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on March 26. Pompeo announced the reward as the Justice Department unveiled charges against Maduro, indicting him and top members of his regime for [ … ]
COVID-19 Arrives in Venezuela Amid Health Care Crisis
Mayerling Oropeza had her last race on Sunday, March 1. The 50-year-old cyclist and web designer was run over on a road east of Caracas, when she was heading back home after participating in an event known as BiciRock. The driver fled the scene and left her on the street. [ … ]
UN: Attacks in Venezuela Spike Against Government’s Political Opponents
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet is deploring the violent, escalating attacks against political opponents of the regime of Nicolás Maduro. Bachelet presented an oral update of the situation in Venezuela to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 10. Bachelet said the human rights situation [ … ]
Human Rights Abuse Rampant In Venezuela’s Gold Mining
A new report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) details the gruesome conditions that gold miners in Venezuela are forced to endure. Twelve percent of Venezuela, a country rich in natural resources such as oil, diamonds and uranium, has gold and mineral deposits. In Venezuela’s southern Bolívar state, pro-Maduro civilian armed [ … ]
Fear of Coronavirus in Venezuela: ‘What Do I Do With Masks, If I Don’t Have Water or Electricity?’
Without water, health preservation is an impossible task, Venezuelan doctors and nurses say to illustrate their fear and concerns about the risk of a coronavirus outbreak in the country. They say that hospitals lack medication, surgical equipment, and primary care supplies, such as masks, I.V. drips, and thermometers, or a [ … ]
Maduro Steps Up His Repression of Democracy
The Nicolás Maduro regime and its allies continue to find new ways to repress democracy and brutalize the Venezuelan people. When Interim President Juan Guaidó returned from his diplomatic trip abroad on February 11, pro-Maduro bullies attacked him at the airport near Caracas. One tried to smash his car’s window [ … ]
US Sanctions Russian Oil Company, Venezuelan State Airline
The U.S. announced sanctions targeting Russian oil company Rosneft’s trading unit, Rosneft Trading S.A., on February 18 and the Venezuelan state-run airline Conviasa on February 7. Both actions aim to stop the flow of money to the Nicolás Maduro regime and compel Maduro to allow free and fair elections. Rosneft [ … ]
Analysis: Russia Continues to Invest in Venezuela in an Attempt to Control Latin America
In recent years, Russian oil company Rosneft increased its presence in Venezuela. What’s its purpose? Voice of America spoke with several analysts who said that the Russian state-owned company is not driven by gas or oil needs. Rather, its interest consists of “geopolitical reasons” aimed at eventually controlling the Latin [ … ]
Maduro’s Militia as Official Branch of the Armed Force is Unconstitutional
In mid-February, Venezuelan militia members participated in a national military exercise with the National Bolivarian Armed Forces (FANB, in Spanish). The event, which included street patrols, simulated armed combat, and even training with portable air-defense systems, debuted the Bolivarian Militia as an official branch of FANB. On February 4, Nicolás [ … ]
Disinformation and Ignorance: Cuban, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan Strategies
In the midst of a violent environment against the independent media in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, journalists are denouncing the interference of these regimes through social media, a tool for resistance, says Guillermo Medrano, coordinator for Human Rights at the Violeta Chamorro Foundation, a Nicaraguan nongovernmental organization (NGO) that advocates [ … ]