Drug trafficking in Venezuela is estimated to have generated gross revenues of USD 8.236 billion in 2024, according to estimates from Transparencia Venezuela in exile. Their latest report warns of the increase in this scourge, which is favored by the permissiveness and increasingly active role of Nicolás Maduro’s regime in this criminal activity.
“Drug Trafficking in Venezuela 2024: A Business that Profits the Powerful and Expands” highlights the significant rebound that drug trafficking has experienced in Venezuelan territory, solidifying the country as a key hub in global drug trafficking.
The research outlines the economic weight of this crime, the routes used, the actors involved—including criminal organizations, state elements, and facilitators—the institutional response—opaque and possibly complicit from high officials—as well as the social and cultural distortions generated, its significant impact on human rights, and recommendations for addressing this issue.
Venezuela: A Key Hub in Global Drug Trafficking
Venezuela is established as a “key hub in global drug trafficking,” according to the report.
The report warns, first and foremost, of the limitations on access to public information imposed by the regime, leading its authors to rely on various sources, such as sporadic reports published by defense bodies, news of drug seizures abroad, and independent investigations that corroborate the increase of drug trafficking in Venezuela.
It establishes that Venezuela is consolidating as a “key hub in global drug trafficking,” both for the revenues generated and for the significant “level of penetration in the territory and particularly in Venezuelan institutions.”
This increase is also aided by Venezuela’s geographic location, which makes the country a strategic point for criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking, illegal mineral trade, and human trafficking.
Moreover, the weakness displayed by control bodies, along with the “strong corruption entrenched for more than two decades” in the government structure, facilitates illegal operations and guarantees impunity.
Symbiosis between Organized Crime and the Venezuelan Political System
The report’s assertion regarding the symbiotic relationship between organized crime and the Venezuelan political-economic system is crucial, as this relationship significantly hampers the fight against drug trafficking.
This situation indicates the increasingly active role that Venezuela plays in the global drug market, as reflected in the research, which warns of the growing prevalence of this illicit economy in Venezuelan territory.
Economic Weight of Drug Trafficking in Venezuela
The report highlights the economic weight of drug trafficking in Venezuela, where this criminal activity has become one of the country’s main illicit economies.
It states that, despite the limitations in accessing official information, they were able to work with reports from the DEA and the UN, which allowed them to estimate that in 2024, drug trafficking generated a gross income in Venezuela of USD 8.236 billion, a figure established through various factors:
24% of the world’s cocaine production passes through Venezuela.
Having produced at least 2,664 tons of cocaine in 2023, Colombia is estimated to have had approximately 639 tons of this drug circulate through Venezuela that year.
This figure is likely to have increased in 2024 due to the rise in coca production in Colombia.
The average selling price of cocaine to wholesalers in the main markets where the goods arrive from Venezuela, mainly in Central America and the Caribbean, was USD 12,810 per kilogram of cocaine hydrochloride.
The estimated volume of marijuana that passed through Venezuela in 2023 was 8.4 tons, with an average consumer price of USD 6,000 per kilogram, generating estimated gross revenues of USD 50,496,000.
These gross income estimates do not reflect net profits or operational costs of criminal organizations.
Drug trafficking in Venezuela not only generates significant rents for organized crime networks but also has deep penetration in the territory and Venezuelan institutions.
Connection of Officials with Drug Trafficking in Venezuela
The report addresses the aspect that the connection of Venezuelan officials with drug trafficking is a central issue in the country. This connection manifests in various forms, involving levels of public administration and security forces.
It specifically points out the appointment of Diosdado Cabello Rondón as Minister of Interior, Justice, and Peace in August 2024, the agency responsible for combating drug trafficking, as he is identified as the alleged leader of the Cartel de los Soles.
This organization consists of high-ranking Venezuelan military personnel who leverage their positions of power to facilitate the trafficking and distribution of cocaine, especially destined for the United States.
Security officials would provide protection and facilitate—through bribes—the transit of drugs through the country and prevent punishment for criminals. In fact, there are known cases where vehicles transporting drugs were escorted or aided by Army members through military checkpoints.