Venezuelan counter narcotics efforts have yielded more drug seizures per year since the government broke with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 2005, according to a high ranking military official.
30,000 security cameras will be installed across Venezuela under a scheme inaugurated by President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday, amid ongoing efforts to tackle street crime.
Venezuela's National Assembly (AN) has moved closer to granting President Nicolas Maduro decree powers, with the necessary three-fifths majority voting in favour of the measures in the first discussion of the proposed law yesterday.
Six people are now on trial for their alleged involvement in the murder of Yukpa leader Sabino Romero earlier this year. Those who allegedly paid them to commit the crime, however, are still at large.
A new prison inaugurated in Lara state yesterday has been praised by Vice President Jorge Arreaza as part of a transformation of Venezuela's prison system.
The Venezuelan government has issued new warnings to drug smugglers after the country's armed forces shot down two aircraft allegedly carrying narcotics from Central America over the weekend.
Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro has called for a deepening of reform to Venezuela's security forces, as a cohort of over 5000 police officers graduate from the National Experimental University of Security (UNES).
Earlier this month president Nicolas Maduro created a security body, the CESSPA, to coordinate information from intelligence organisations. Opposition spokespeople and private media have categorised the new body as “Castro-esque”, “dictatorial”, and “limiting free speech”.
As part of a clamp down on trafficking of Venezuela’s regulated and subsidised fuel, authorities have confiscated 1 million litres of fuel being smuggled across the border to Colombia and dismantled a mafia gang in Bolivar state which smuggled up to 250,000 litres per week, most likely to Brazil.
Authorities arrested Valencia mayor and United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) member Edgardo Parra on Saturday for a range of corruption crimes. His arrest comes as the national government continues its campaign of “zero tolerance” of corruption.
Discussion formally began on Tuesday in the national assembly to pass an enabling law which aims to severely crack down on both economic and political corruption.
Venezuelan authorities will install fingerprint devices in airports and other border posts to prevent foreign-bound Venezuelans committing a currency scam known as “the scrape”.
The head of the state organisation which regulates government price controls, Eduardo Saman, survived an armed assault late Wednesday. All three attackers were killed.
Venezuela’s intelligence service, in collaboration with Spanish and French police, arrested alleged ETA member Asier Guridi in Venezuela last week. Guridi is wanted by Interpol but a Venezuelan refugee collective has opposed the arrest.
