Sinaloa Cartel Would Be Operating in Venezuela in the Border Area With Colombia, According to the UN

The International Narcotics Control Board, a body attached to the UN, reported on March 25 that the Sinaloa cartel would be operating in the Venezuelan state of Zulia, thanks to alliances with the ELN.

This Thursday, March 25, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), the body of the United Nations (UN) in charge of monitoring compliance with anti-drug treaties, reported that the Sinaloa cartel would be operating in the western zone of Venezuela with border with Colombia.

According to the INCB’s annual report, which was presented in Vienna, the Venezuelan state of Zulia would be registering the presence of the Mexican criminal group, which would operate in the area thanks to the alliances it has with the National Liberation Army (ELN) Colombian.

“The Mexican Sinaloa cartel has also been detected in Zulia, where it has taken advantage of the landing strips for the construction of transit and drug storage centers with the support of the Colombian National Liberation Army, which has expanded its activities in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ”, indicates the report.

In addition, the report ensures that there is evidence of the existence of runways in the border area between the two countries, used for cocaine trafficking to the Caribbean and Central America. It also mentions that during 2019 the Venezuelan authorities confiscated 23 planes and destroyed 36 runways.

“Most of the country’s clandestine landing strips are located in the state of Zulia, which borders the Catatumbo region in Colombia, an important area for the manufacture of cocaine, ” he adds.

As SEMANA detailed in 2020, in Catatumbo, the Mexican cartels are moving with the coca crops and the crystallizers . From what is known, the Mexicans put money and weapons, and leave the war to the other groups, which they finance themselves.

The strongest criminal group in the area is the Sinaloa cartel, but Jalisco Nueva Generación also operates. According to the Peace and Reconciliation Peers Foundation, control is divided as follows: Sinaloa controls Tibú and Sardinata, as well as it markets through Puerto Santander, one of the most troubled municipalities due to its proximity to Zulia. Meanwhile, Jalisco Nueva Generación is present in El Tarra.

The war that arises in Catatumbo for the control of drug trafficking routes occurred after the FARC left the area and the implementation of the Colombian peace agreement in Havana began.

In Catatumbo, the illegal order that was built through many years of war was broken. The areas where the FARC ruled and their drug trafficking routes were left without an owner and are being disputed by the elenos (ELN) and the ‘Pelusos’.

It is worth mentioning that among the most recent news about the Sinaloa cartel, a key factor is gaining relevance. This is Emma Coronel, the wife of ‘Chapo’ Guzmán, who announced that she would be willing to expose the bosses of the Sinaloa Cartel, even her stepchildren.

As far as is known, the wife of former Mexican drug dealer Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán was detained without bail in the United States, after appearing before a federal judge after being arrested outside Washington on drug trafficking charges.

Emma Coronel Aispuro, 31, faces a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life imprisonment in the United States for her role in the drug trafficking of the Sinaloa Cartel, led by her husband, said Federal Court Judge Robin Meriweather for the District of Columbia. The magistrate said she could also be fined $ 10 million.

According to The New York Post , the woman will cooperate with the United States justice and is willing to expose the bosses of the powerful Sinaloa cartel .