The results of a new report produced by the NGO Transparency Venezuela, which monitors data on violence and criminal activities in the country, reveal that Nicolás Maduro's dictatorship has failed to combat the actions of organized crime. On the contrary, actors linked to public institutions often even facilitate the operation of these illegal markets.
Figures collected by the organization show that just four illicit activities generate income equivalent to 15% of the entire nation's economy. These are mineral smuggling, drug trafficking, corruption in ports and airports and fuel smuggling, which totaled US$9.4 billion (R$46.5 billion) in 2022, more than 15% of the Domestic Product Gross GDP (GDP) of Venezuela.
The Illicit Economies Index, as the document is called, listed some factors that contributed to the prevalence of new criminal businesses during the period of analysis. The study used four categories for observation: the vulnerability of state institutions, criminal agents, the reach of criminal economies and the impact that these crimes have on society.
The report gave particular emphasis to the weakness of public institutions, directly including the Chavista regime, the security forces and the judicial system, which allegedly allowed the growth of organized crime. On a score of 0 to 3, defined by the data organizers, the category was classified with a score of 2.69, with the maximum number – 3 – considered the worst score, which makes visible the profound impact of crime networks on the control of society and the institutional structure of the State.
For the evaluation, levels of corruption among regime officials, transparency in the publication of information on criminal matters, international cooperation, the country's judicial system and its security forces were analyzed. According to the report, these parties contribute significantly to the continuity of the country's criminal economies.
An example of cases in this sense, provided by the NGO InsightCrimewhich monitors organized crime in Latin America, was Operation Relâmpago Catatumbo, which between 2022 and 2023 aimed to expel armed groups that occupy territory in the state of Zulia, close to the border with Colombia, where they control drug trafficking routes .
Although the police action resulted in multiple cocaine seizures, there were few arrests or clashes that would suggest the weakening of the groups involved. In some cases, mega-operations aimed at combating factions led to the expansion of the same crimes, as happened with residents of the state of Guárico, who complained that security forces began to extort them during Operation Trueno, whose aim was to eliminate criminal gangs. extortion in the region.
Alliances between criminal networks and people holding positions in state institutions were responsible for the creation of hybrid economies, such as scrap metal trafficking or fuel smuggling, in which legal and illegal businesses overlap.
The organizers of the document also noted that there is no willingness from government entities and security agencies in the country to facilitate international support in the development of investigations related to organized crime. Added to this, the Venezuelan judicial system has very limited capabilities and resources to respond to complaints, initiate investigations
or sanction those involved in criminal activities.
The report divides the diversity of actors linked to crime in Venezuela into three subgroups: “criminal organizations”, which include the largest gangs in the country, such as Trem de Aragua; the “guerilla groups”, formed by two organizations of Colombian origin, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the former FARC mafia; and the “facilitators”, figures such as lawyers and bankers who allow these groups to operate.
Although both criminal organizations and guerrilla groups obtained the same classification in terms of defined leadership, connection with the State and use of violence, Transparency Venezuela considered that gangs are the main threat due to the greater territorial control they have.
In relation to illicit economies that generate revenues of up to 15% of the country's GDP, the document highlighted the states of Zulia, with its multiple extortion gangs, and Bolívar, where mining gangs such as Organization R operate.
Other regions not mentioned in the index also face challenges with organized crime, such as the state of Guárico, where Tren del Llano demands extortion payments from agricultural workers.
While it is difficult to accurately measure criminal economies, investigators have estimated value based on objective factors such as estimated total gold production, drug seizures, fuel prices and production, and racketeering-related inquiries.
Illicit gold mining is considered the most important sector among the activities analyzed, ahead of drug trafficking, fuel smuggling, human trafficking and extortion. However, in the last year, drug trafficking generated almost three times as much revenue.
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