Venezuela’s armed forces said Wednesday they had destroyed two Colombian “narcotrafficking terrorist” camps on its territory, in operations coinciding with a US military deployment against drug groups in the Caribbean.
The military razed “two logistical camps used by invading Tancol groups,” the head of the armed forces’ strategic command, General Domingo Hernandez Larez, said on Telegram, using an acronym employed by Caracas to describe so-called “armed narcotrafficking terrorists of Colombia.”
The general said pamphlets of the Colombian ELN guerrilla group were found, and ammunition, all-terrain vehicles, tactical vests, and fuel seized in the raids.
The ELN (National Liberation Army) insurgency group, holds territory near the Venezuelan border that experts say is an important source of coca and a gateway to the Caribbean coast — where Colombian cocaine begins its journey to the rest of the world.
Caracas has sought to showcase anti-drug efforts in the face of a massive US military deployment within striking distance of Venezuela.
Washington calls it an anti-drug operation, but Caracas fears it is a guise for military action to oust President Nicolas Maduro.
US President Donald Trump’s administration says Maduro is a drug lord, an accusation he denies, and has issued a $50 million reward for information leading to his capture.
Maduro insists there is no drug cultivation in Venezuela, which he says is used as a trafficking route for Colombian cocaine against its will.
Earlier this month, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino also announced the destruction of “narcoterrorist” camps of the ELN and fighters aligned with the now-disarmed FARC guerrilla army.
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