Caracas Chronicles

#NowWhatVenezuela keeps you informed about what’s happening deep inside la patria—from headline-making events to underreported stories that provide the clearest picture of our reality. This digest is published weekly.

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An “anti-drug” razzia in Zulia hits chavistas

Being the mayor in a state taken over by guerrillas and drug smuggling, where chavismo mass-incarcerates politicians, doesn’t look like the safest job right now. Last weekend, Diosdado Cabello announced that two PSUV mayors in Zulia, Jorge Nava (Miranda municipality) and Alberto Sobalvarro (Almirante Padilla municipality) were detained in one of the “biggest blows ever” on drug trafficking, where 5.4 tons of cocaine were allegedly seized. A statement from the Interior Ministry also informed that two other mayors were captured: Danilo Áñez, the chavista in charge of Lossada municipality, and Fernando Loaiza, from Acción Democrática, in the Venezuelan municipality of Catatumbo. Loaiza, according to this report by Sebastiana Barráez, has been the mayor there during all terms bar one since 2004.

The razzia, according to Rico and Cabello, had the goal of dismantling the involvement of local authorities in criminal and paramilitary (code for gangs or non-chavista guerrillas) networks. But in this feudal-like system, the real goal might be to reshape the power dynamics in Venezuela’s main hub for receiving and trafficking cocaine. The number of detained mayors in Zulia since July 28 reached seven—exactly a third of all the mayors in the state. The government already arrested former Maracaibo mayor Rafael Ramírez Colina (a Primero Justicia leader) on corruption allegations, as well as Nabil Maalouf and Nervins Sarcos, mayors of Cabimas and Colón from Un Nuevo Tiempo. In the 2021 regional elections, the Unitary Platform managed to win 14 out of the 21 mayoralties in Zulia.

However, it’s not the first time in this era that chavismo imprisons a Zulia mayor from its own ranks. Keyrineth Fernández, the Semprum major elected in 2021, has been in prison since August 2022. On accusations of drugs and fuel smuggling, she was captured while traveling in Falcón along with a chavista lawmaker and another from Primero Venezuela (the faux-opposition party led by Luis Parra that claims to be the legitimate PJ). Those two also remain in custody. Wuyhsmans González, the government’s pick to replace Fernández, died in a car accident in 2023.

Why it matters: The municipalities of Semprum and Catatumbo are two of the country’s most important drug reception points, according to Transparencia en el Exilio. A report published this week details that the town of El Cruce, in Semprum (southwest of Lake Maracaibo), receives shipments that are then dispatched to the municipalities of Machiques and Rosario de Perijá. From there, they reach the northern coast of the Guajira Peninsula before being sent to Central America and Caribbean islands. In Catatumbo, shipments arriving from Norte de Santander (Colombia) are also sent to Colón, where they are reportedly transported in high-speed boats to the ports of Altagracia in Miranda and Almirante Padilla before heading overseas. With the exception of Machiques and Rosario de Perijá, the elected mayors of all the municipalities mentioned here are now in custody.

More information: On March 7, Gustavo Petro said he would speak with Maduro about creating a shared Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Catatumbo, the main coca-growing enclave in Colombia. The idea of a “binational” SEZ emerged after the wave of violence in Catatumbo in January, which left at least 70 dead and displaced over 55,000 people, after ELN forces entered the region from Venezuelan territory.

Diosdado intimidates pro-participation opposition figures

The opposition coalition Plataforma Unitaria has appointed Roberto Enríquez as its new executive secretary, replacing Omar Barboza. Enríquez, the president of COPEI and a former legislator, was part of the opposition delegation in the Mexico negotiations (2021–2023), which culminated in the Barbados Agreement negotiated between Jorge Rodríguez and the Biden administration. In an interview with Vladimir Villegas—covered by Efecto Cocuyo—Enríquez stated that there is still time to demand better electoral conditions ahead of the so-called mega elections scheduled for May. He also insisted that the PUD must start a negotiation process with the regime based on the real results of July 28, the Barbados Agreement, and the Mexico Memo.

On his television show, Diosdado Cabello claimed that several potential opposition candidates “say they hate” María Corina Machado but that they “will be the first to push for a coup against the revolution” if they manage to run under authorized party tickets. Among others, Cabello named opposition figures who have expressed interest in running in May, including Andrés Caleca and Simón Calzadilla (Movimiento por Venezuela), and Nora Bracho (UNT).

Recommended reads:

• Armando Info: Over 5,000 wild animals from Venezuela (45% of them endangered) were exported to a private zoo owned by the Ambani family. Its patriarch is the owner of Reliance, a key PDVSA client that refines Venezuelan crude.
• El Estímulo: The case of Arturo Suárez, one of the Venezuelan migrants sent by the U.S. to CECOT in El Salvador, whom his wife recognized in videos published by Bukele. He is a musician with no criminal record, and his partner and three-month-old baby depend on him.
• La Verdad: The case of Italian humanitarian worker Alberto Trentini, who has been held hostage by Maduro for 125 days.
• El Carabobeño: The regime raided the home of journalist Charito Rojas, who had already fled Venezuela. There are currently 12 journalists imprisoned in the country.