Venezuela announced the deployment of 15,000 military personnel to its border with Colombia on Monday to reinforce security and combat drug trafficking.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said the operation, dubbed Relámpago del Catatumbo, will focus on the states of Zulia and Tachira, using drones, boats, aircraft, and other vehicles to patrol the frontier.
Venezuela’s border with Colombia has long been a hotspot for drug trafficking, contraband, and illegal armed groups. Previous United Nations (UN) and Organization of American States (OAS) reports highlight cross-border criminal activity, including smuggling of cocaine and weapons.
Cabello stressed the need for cooperation from Colombia.
"We hope that the Colombian side will do the same on their border to prevent any group from moving back and forth. The best guarantee of peace on the border is for each side to guard its own area as it should," Cabello said.
The announcement coincides with U.S. destroyers operating in the southern Caribbean targeting drug cartels, underlining growing international attention on security and trafficking in the region.
The deployment also comes amidst heightened tensions between Venezuela and Colombia under President Gustavo Petro’s administration.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has increasingly used military deployments to signal sovereignty and control along the frontier.
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