In one of Venezuela's most violent and overcrowded prisons, the underground economy reportedly brings in some $3.7 million a year, helping to explain why inmates reacted with such fury when the government moved to shut the place down.
Gunmen, claiming they were seeking to oust the Colombian drug cartel of the Rastrojos, carried out an attack in a Venezuelan border state, another sign that the war between the Rastrojos and their rivals has spilled over the border.
Venezuela has demanded the US extradite a former judge who is now cooperating with US law enforcement, giving weight to the judge's accusations against high-ranking officials in the Chavez government.
A GlobalPost report sheds light on the crisis in Latin America's prisons, highlighting several alarming trends in prisons throughout the region.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) released a report alleging that overcrowding in prisons across the region are contributing to the “systematic violation” of inmates’ human rights.
Allegations of high-level corruption in Venezuela continue to mount, with two former government officials alleging that rival drug trafficking factions are battling within the upper levels of the Venezuelan security forces.
Venezuelan authorities captured an alleged leader of the Colombian Rastrojos drug gang, who had allegedly fled over the border after a clash with the rival Urabeños, pointing to the ongoing struggle for control of drug routes into Venezuela.
The Venezuelan government has accused opposition leaders of ties to drug trafficking, but, as with the latest claims about elements of the government itself being involved in the drug trade, it is difficult to separate self-interest from the tangled reality of the country's criminal networks.
President Hugo Chavez's administration is seeking to discredit an ex-Supreme Court judge turned DEA informant. But there are good reasons to believe he·may well turn out to the DEA's star witness on organized crime and its tentacles into the Venezuelan government.
Venezuelan authorities found more than 3.3 tons of cocaine at a port north of Caracas, apparently being shipped from Colombia to Mexico.
