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** Trump’s Venezuela Op Raises Concerns in Mexico, Colombia
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Deborah Bonello, Managing Editor
8 JAN, 2026
When I visited the 23 de Enero neighborhood of Caracas in 2016, I was greeted by a local leader from one of the notorious colectivos – armed, pro-government groups created by former President Hugo Chávez. The leader had agreed to an interview for our investigation of Venezuela’s hybrid state ([link removed]) . When we shook hands, he tucked his mobile phone into a small bag slung across his torso. As he closed the zip, I glimpsed a small handgun inside.
This memory surfaced once the impact of the arrest of Venezuela’s then-President Nicolas Maduro had subsided. I first cycled through shock, jubilance, disbelief, fear, indignation, and grief.
The colectivo leader I interviewed might now be dead. The neighborhood’s Montana Barracks, which I visited during my assignment, was heavily bombed during the operation. It’s been more than a decade since I started keeping a watchful eye on organized crime in Venezuela, and it started with that assignment in a barrio whose walls were adorned with colorful murals of Chávez.
InSight Crime has spent more than 15 years building a massive archive on organized crime in Venezuela. The future of the pro-government colectivos ([link removed]) , as well as Colombian guerrilla group the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional – ELN ([link removed]) ), and the fragmented remnants of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia — FARC ([link removed]) ), are now in flux. What will Maduro’s removal mean for their alliances with the government, their leadership and criminal profits, and the communities in which they are embedded? We’ve already seen a wave of repression unleashed by the Chavista government, which remains largely untouched ([link removed]) following Maduro’s removal,
much of it at the hands of the colectivos. Worse could be yet to come.
On top of that, from my base in Mexico City for the best part of 20 years, I share the same fears as President Claudia Sheinbaum’s government and that of Colombia’s Gustavo Petro: Are we next in line for a US military intervention?
In this brave new world, everything seems possible. And not in a good way.
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Explore our annual Criminal GameChangers series for 2025, where we look back on a decade of tectonic shifts in criminal markets and highlight what to expect looking ahead to 2026.
Full series here ([link removed])
Take a closer look at the standout stories from Latin America and the Caribbean that crossed our desk:
OnTheRadar (#OnTheRadar) | Editor’s Pick (#Editors-pick) #Editors-pick | Don’t Miss (#Dont-Miss) | In the Spotlight (#In-The-Spotlight) | Audio (#Audio)
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#OnTheRadar ()
** This Week in Organized Crime
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◉ ([link removed]) [link removed] lines between governance and criminality in Venezuela. ([link removed])
◉ ([link removed]) A fluid and loose knit 'cartel' of many suns. ([link removed])
◉ ([link removed]) The ELN is stronger than ever with a huge strategic advantage in Venezuela. ([link removed])
Watch this Reel ([link removed])
#Editor’sPick ()
Investigations > ([link removed])
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** How Maduro’s Ouster Will Shift Criminal Dynamics in Venezuela ([link removed])
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US President Donald Trump insisted that the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has removed the “kingpin of a vast criminal network,” but it will not upend the Venezuelan government’s permissive stance toward organized crime.
However, continued threats from the United States mean Venezuela is likely to see an evolution of the system of hybrid criminal governance instituted by Maduro to retain his hold on power amid economic collapse.
Read our analysis ([link removed])
< Criminal Profiles ([link removed])
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** In the Spotlight ()
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** Diosdado Cabello Criminal Profile ([link removed])
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After the extraordinary US military operation on January 3 that resulted in the capture of former Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro and his wife in Caracas, the so-called Cartel of the Suns again grabbed headlines.
While US prosecutors accuse Maduro of heading what they believe to be a hierarchical organization, the Cartel of the Suns actually refers to a loose network of corruption within the army, navy, air force, and Bolivarian National Guard that still exists in his absence. Despite Maduro’s removal, influential officials like Diosdado Cabello, Venezuela’s Minister of Interior Relations, Justice, and Peace, remain in power.
Read our in-depth profile ([link removed]) to learn more about him and the other key actors still standing in Venezuela.
** Don’t Miss ()
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🔗 ([link removed]) 5 Crime Groups You Need to Know to Understand Post-Maduro Venezuela ([link removed])
🔗 ([link removed]) GameChangers 2025: US Reignites the War on Drugs and Weakens It for 2026 ([link removed])
🔗 ([link removed]) How Maduro’s Ouster Will Shift Criminal Dynamics in Venezuela ([link removed])
🔗 ([link removed]) GameChangers 2025: Colombia’s Total Peace Remains in Pieces ([link removed])
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** #Audio () JAN 6, 2026
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** GameChangers: Colombia’s Total Peace Remains in Pieces
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Repeated setbacks marked Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s attempts to negotiate peace in 2025.
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InSight Crime is sponsored by:
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The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency ([link removed])
Copyright (C) 2026 InSight Crime.All rights reserved.
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