The Criminal Portfolio Sustaining Military Loyalty in Venezuela
On November 27, 2024 – just over a year before the US invaded Caracas to arrest him – Venezuelan President…
The Evolution of the Cartel of the Suns
On February 18, General Francis Donovan, the head of the United States Southern Command, made a surprise appearance in Venezuela.…
Camaraderie and Drug Trafficking: Colombian Guerrillas in Venezuela
It was 2016 when Raúl* received a visit that would mark the beginning of a long nightmare. A Venezuelan general…
The Future of Drug Trafficking Out of Venezuela
Drug trafficking out of Venezuela predates Nicolás Maduro and will long outlive him. The question is whether the cocaine trade…
Guerrilla Governance: The ELN’s Social Control in Táchira
On July 25, 2025, bursts of gunfire disrupted the usual calm in La Fría, a town in the Venezuelan state…
The Future of the ELN
The future of the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional – ELN) is now intimately connected to Venezuela. As…
Border Wars: The ELN and the Takeover of Catatumbo
On the morning of January 16, 2025, hundreds of Colombian rebels, some who invaded from Venezuela, launched an offensive to…
Cocaine Corridor: Drugs Drive ELN’s Venezuela Expansion
The commander-in-chief of the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional – ELN), Eliécer Erlinto Chamorro, alias “Antonio García,” appeared…
Mirror of Control: How the ELN Dominates Both Arauca and Apure
“Every organism in the territory. Every cell there is. They want to control it absolutely.” That is how a human…
Feeding the Beast: MS13 in Nashville
In early 2017, Hansy Sanchez was selling drugs at Bola 8, a dingy Latino pool hall and bar in a…