Six Venezuelan Mayors Arrested in Anti-Drug Crackdown

Caracas, April 9, 2025 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuelan authorities have arrested six mayors in recent weeks as part of an operation against drug trafficking and organized crime in the western Zulia state.

Indira Fernández Duarte, mayor of the Guajira municipality from the ruling United Socialist Party (PSUV), was arrested by the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN) on April 2. Also detained were three municipal officials, with the mayor’s husband, Ronni Yancen, likewise wanted by authorities.

Earlier, between March 12 and 15, three other PSUV mayors in Zulia—Alberto Zubalbarro, Jorge Nava and Danilo Áñez from the Almirante Padilla, Miranda and Jesús Enrique Losada municipalities, respectively—were detained, along with Fernando Loaiza, opposition mayor of the Catatumbo municipality. The string of arrests follows the January detention of Nervis Sarcos, the opposition mayor of Colón municipality.

During a press conference on Friday, Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello announced that the recent arrests were part of the ongoing anti-narcotics “Operation Catatumbo Lightning,” which began in early March. The investigation involves the coordinated efforts of intelligence, police, and military officers.

“We have dealt decisive blows to corruption and drug trafficking organizations in Zulia state. All this is linked to the extremist sectors of the Venezuelan opposition,” Cabello told reporters, explaining that the six local leaders were allegedly involved in a drug smuggling and money laundering network that operated on the shores of Maracaibo Lake, on the Colombia-Venezuela border. 

He added that more arrests were expected soon as authorities investigate the alleged participation of Venezuelan officials from the judiciary and the attorney general’s office as well as police and military officers.

The minister announced the seizure of 16 tons of “high-purity cocaine” in Zulia, along with fuel, three submarines, 25 boats, navigation equipment, firearms and materials used to conceal drug shipments. Authorities also dismantled paramilitary camps on both sides of the border in the Catatumbo region.

The high-ranking PSUV official claimed that 120 companies and a shrimp farming network owned by local businessman José Enrique Rincón were used as “a front to launder money” from the drug smuggling operations.

According to Cabello, the recent drug busts delivered a significant “financial blow” to the far-right opposition sector led by María Corina Machado, who allegedly held meetings with Rincón in Colombia. This connection was the initial lead that authorities used to identify drug routes, shipments, and execute arrests.

“Someone’s pocket is hurting,” the Venezuelan official stated. “This is about money, and it’s one of the reasons they attack Venezuela,” he said, alluding to the Maduro government’s long-standing anti-narcotics operations.

Cabello accused several opposition politicians of collaborating in the criminal scheme, including former Zulia governor Juan Pablo Guanipa, former National Assembly deputy Tomás Guanipa, ex-presidential candidate Edmundo González—who is currently in self-imposed exile in Spain—and wanted fugitive Iván Simonovis. He additionally pointed to the involvement of far-right Colombian politicians and former presidents Álvaro Uribe and Iván Duque.

“These actors are attempting to use Venezuelan territory to destabilize the country, promoting a network of corruption, terrorism, drug trafficking, and paramilitarism,” emphasized the PSUV leader during the press conference.

Cabello detailed that Zulia state serves as a primary smuggling route for exporting drugs from Colombia to the United States, which he referred to as “the biggest consumer of cocaine.” 

“I’ve never seen news of drug trafficking gangs being captured in the United States. Just something to think about,” Cabello remarked, vowing to continue dismantling criminal activities within Venezuelan territory.

Due to its proximity to the Colombian border, Zulia state has historically functioned as a drug trafficking corridor, as well as a smuggling route for food, fuel, scrap metal, and even medicines. In January 2022, two mayors, two national legislators, and several accomplices were jailed as part of the anti-drug and fuel smuggling crackdown known as “Iron Fist.”

In October 2024, Rafael Ramírez Colina, the opposition mayor of Maracaibo, the capital of Zulia, was arrested on corruption charges. According to Venezuelan officials, investigations have revealed Ramírez to also have connections to drug trafficking and money laundering.

Edited by Cira Pascual Marquina in Caracas.