Ex-FARC Mafia: Colombia’s Criminal Army Settling Down in Venezuela
Ex-FARC Mafia: Colombia’s Criminal Army Settling Down in Venezuela by Venezuela Investigative Unit – InSight Crime
The announcement in late August that three important former leaders of the demobilized FARC were returning to war did not only threaten the fragile Colombian peace agreement but raised questions about the power the ex-FARC Mafia have in neighboring Venezuela.
Historically, Colombian guerrilla groups have used Venezuelan territory to regroup and find shelter due to former governments essentially turning a blind eye. But the situation has now shifted with dissidents from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – FARC) and their leaders being welcomed with open arms.
While the coca plantations they control remain in Colombia, Venezuela may become the base of operations for the new FARC offshoot led by Luciano Marín Arango, alias “Iván Márquez,” Seuxis Pausias Hernández Solarte, alias “Jesús Santrich,” and Hernán Darío Velásquez Saldarriaga, alias “El Paisa.”…