The world is struggling to get its hands on Colombian spooky cannabis strains

The seizure of cannabis shipments off Venezuela’s coast and border with Colombia underscores the country’s importance as a crucial conduit for a particular Colombian cannabis strain that is flooding Latin American markets.

Colombia’s National Police seized 2.5 tons of cannabis hidden in a truck loaded with plastic furniture and kitchen utensils in early March. The seizure occurred in the municipality of Maicao in the border department of La Guajira on the Colombia-Venezuela border. According to the Anti-Drugs Directorate (DIRAN) of the Colombian National Police, the confiscated shipment was planned for Venezuela and various countries in Central America.

In the days that followed, Venezuelan officials reported the discovery of 457 kilograms of cannabis left unattended on the coast of the Caribbean Sea in Falcón state. These seizures follow previous seizures that took place in Venezuela towards the end of 2022, with one of the seizures on December 15 weighing over 3.4 tons. Officials claimed it was the largest marijuana seizure in the country in the past decade.

Between September and December 2022, various operations along Venezuela’s north coast resulted in the seizure of approximately 7.6 tons of marijuana, including this most recent seizure. Media monitoring by InSight Crime and a report by Venezuela’s National Anti-Drugs Inspectorate (SUNAD) show that around 10 tons of marijuana were seized in Venezuela during 2022.

Independent reports and official sources suggest that most of the drugs seized and flowing through the country come from the northern mountains of western Colombia’s Cauca department, as there is no significant large-scale cultivation of cannabis in Venezuela.

Deep crime analysis

Regional market demand for Colombian-produced marijuana, particularly the high-THC strain known as “creepy,” is fueling massive seizures in Venezuela. The nation is a convenient transit point between Colombia and numerous other regional markets.

The fact that Venezuela has historically been a drug corridor benefits marijuana dealers. It is a well-known route for cross-border cocaine trafficking, and the involvement of high-level political and military figures in the drug trade protects those wishing to export drugs overseas.

In addition, Venezuela’s strategic position on the continent offers sea connections to numerous Caribbean nations, land and river corridors to Brazil, and convenient routes to Central American countries.

Known for being “creepy,” the high-THC marijuana strain from Cauca is transported along Colombian roads to major cities like Cali, Medellín, and Bogotá. It is temporarily stored before being distributed to various Colombian border agencies, mainly Norte de Santander, Vichada and La Guajira.

Criminal networks looking to buy cannabis in Cauca have to deal with the Western Coordinating Command (CCO), one of the unorthodox factions of the formerly active Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), also known as the ex-FARC mafia. This group dominates cannabis cultivation in the region.

After entering Venezuela, the cannabis is shipped to the states of Sucre, Falcón, or Nueva Esparta, where it is loaded onto boats bound for Caribbean markets. In addition to being a gateway to the Central and North American markets, Caribbean states such as the Bahamas and Trinidad & Tobago have also reported arresting Colombian nationals with significant amounts of cannabis from Colombia.

InSight Crime spoke to an investigator, a local military officer and a fisherman working near informal disembarkation points in Falcón state, all of whom asked not to be identified for security reasons. According to them, the Camacaro cartel authorizes drug shipments and controls boats in Falcón. The Camacaro cartel, which has strong political ties, took over from the Paraguaná cartel after the arrest of its leader, Chiche Smith. Meanwhile, in the southern regions, Brazil’s three main criminal organizations have also been procuring Colombian marijuana.

Brazil’s two main prison gangs, the First Capital Command (Primeiro Comando da Capital – PCC) and the Red Command (Comando Vermelho – CV) transport cannabis through the Río Negro basin on the Colombia-Venezuelan border and then to the northern state of Roraima .

The Orinoco River is used by the Family of the North (Familia do Norte – FDN), a lesser known gang operating in the Brazilian state of Amazonas. The gang transports cannabis from Colombia’s Vichada department through the Amazonas department of Venezuela and to Brazil.

The Acacio Medina Front, a faction of the ex-FARC mafia, patrols the cross-border corridor through Venezuela’s Amazonas state, which borders Brazil. This group controls movement along the main corridors in the region. It is known to be one of the main links and distributors for Brazilian Mafias operating in the jungle area.

Additionally, small drug trafficking networks transport marijuana in limited quantities using human couriers or private vehicles with hidden compartments that pass through illegal border crossings commonly known as “trochas.” The marijuana is then stored in warehouses on Venezuelan territory before being transported by boats to the country’s Caribbean coast.

Although criminal organizations incur significant transportation costs to move drugs across Colombia and ship them to Venezuela, the cost is far outweighed by the huge profits from this illicit trade. While a kilogram of “creepy” marijuana is valued at $42 in the Cauca Mountains, it can be worth as much as $2,800 in Brazil.

Diploma

The illicit marijuana trade from Colombia to Venezuela and beyond has become a significant source of income for organized crime groups operating in the region. The attraction of big profits and Venezuela’s strategic position continue to make it a hub for drug trafficking, despite law enforcement efforts to crack down on the activities.

It has been a challenge for law enforcement to keep up with the flow of drugs, as there have been unauthorized border crossings, hidden compartments in private cars, and small shipments of marijuana combined with large loads in boats and trucks. Additionally, the involvement of high-ranking military and government officials in drug trafficking has given the industry a degree of impunity to expand.

Combating drug trafficking in the region requires a multi-pronged strategy involving governments, communities, individuals and law enforcement agencies. Only if we unite may we have a chance to eradicate the ill effects of drug trafficking and ensure a safer and more prosperous future for all.

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