The video which denounces the extortions of the Bolivarian National Force on the border between Venezuela and Colombia

Testimonials abound on the collection in the alcabalas on the Venezuelan border with Colombia, not only by irregular groups, guerrillas and paramilitaries, but also by members of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB). A group of men who moved machines around the area decided to make a video to record that they were forced to pay for an extortion by the military.

“These 15 million pesos (more than five thousand dollars) demand it from us in Puente Zulia, Puente Venezuela, to let go of us, who are seven people, and a backhoe, a crane and a truck”, said the man in the video, surrounded by other people who want to show that they were extorted by the soldiers installed on the Venezuelan bridge in the state of Zulia.

They specifically indicate to whom they are paying these 15 million pesos, plus an additional five million: “Sergeant Briceño, Captain Machado”, say the men, with money in hand. “So we give them 20 million pesos, 15 that are here and 1,500 dollars ”.

The Venezuela Bridge checkpoint It is the seat of the 2nd. National Guard Area Command Company No. 11, Detachment 116, located in the Parish of Udón Pérez, Municipality of Catatumbo, State of Zulia. Its commander is Captain Machado.

For those who take the La Fría (Táchira) -Machiques (Zulia) route, they will find the Venezuela Bridge, in the parish of Udón Pérez in the municipality of Catatumbo; at one of the sources of the bridge is a military command. With the military reorganization, some activities depended on Casigua El Cubo (capital of the municipality of Jesús María Semprún) and others on Santa Bárbara del Zulia (parish of the municipality of Colón).

It should be noted that the municipality of Catatumbo del Zulia borders on the municipality of García de Hevia del Táchira (capital La Fría). The National Guard command is on the right side of the Zulia River. And before entering the bridge, there is a command post, which has become a business for the military, and is about 200 meters from the alcabala.

So if a person leaves La Fría and wants to go to Maracaibo, the capital of Zulia, they will find the Alcabala del Puente Venezuela about 45 minutes away; cross to the left and you will pass through Venezuela via the Pont des Machiques. From there, about 10 minutes, on the left you will find the median Caño Motilón; about five more minutes is the entrance to Caño del Medio. If you continue you will find the Casigua alcabala.

In this area there are many smuggling trails. Continuing on the road you pass through the entrance of the Machiques and almost three hours later you will arrive in Maracaibo.

A millionaire company

From Puente Venezuela, about two kilometers, there is a old border problem between Táchira and Zulia; the court case, which was brought by then governor Oswaldo Álvarez Paz, has yet to be resolved.

Although it may seem incredible, in this area where Caño Motilón is located, it is a territory of war between paramilitaries. The Urabeños and the guerrillas National Liberation Army (SO). It is a border territory where the blood of Venezuelan soldiers murdered by the ELN has been spilled, but there are also places where the irregulars have planted anti-personnel mines.

The main problem has always been the guerrillas and the paramilitaries, but since the Venezuelan Armed Forces instead of complying with what is enshrined in the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, preferred to allow the ELN to face Los Urabeños, Not only has the civilian population been displaced, its farms occupied and producers threatened, the Venezuelan military has actively entered to participate in extortion and smuggling.

Investigations NGO Fundaredes determined that irregular groups carry out different activities depending on the region where they are located and who is the local leader of the organization. “In some areas of the northern zone of Táchira, the irregulars occupy part of the production units and force the owners to coexist with them within the properties where they set up camps and run their operations,” Fundaredes revealed in a recent report. .

The organization, led by the teacher Javier Tarazona, says that “in the south of Táchira and Alto Apure, informants from our organization affirm that the guerrillas of Colombian origin directly affect the economy of these regions, and have even acquired farms within the framework of activities of money laundering resulting from drug trafficking .: “They use figureheads, and since many have Venezuelan nationality, they conduct the negotiations themselves, which are mostly in Colombian pesos.”, a witness mentioned the activists of FundaRedes ”.

A few months ago, Infobae revealed that “To put pressure on producers to give a higher payment, they set fire to more than 20 farms, of the highway that goes from Maracaibo to Perijá, state of Zulia. At this helpless level are the producers of the region. On January 26, 2021, voracious fires devastated very specific farms, from kilometer 25 to kilometer 56 of the road to Perijá, in the state of Zulia. Some properties were completely burnt down, others largely of its extension ”.

Guerrillas requisition vehicles, interrogate passengers as if they were the police or the military authority of Venezuela, but like the soldier, they also charge for the “vaccine” of two thousand pesos, Infobae highlighted in November 2020.

The only certainty in the troubled border is that there is a powerful contraband industry in the border strip this displaces millions of dollars and that the closing of the border has found a very productive activity for the irregular groups, but also for the Venezuelan army.

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