According to the decree of the Ministry of Mines and Energy of Colombia, dated February 17, a significant diversion of the essential public service towards illegal activities “in this area is” evidenced, so it made the decision of the temporary closure in about 50 stations of service
The Colombian government ordered the temporary closure of about 50 gas stations on the border with Venezuela in suspicions that drug trafficking and other criminal activities and other criminal activities reported on Wednesday, February 19, the Minister of Mines and Energy said Wednesday.
The measure is part of the state of internal shock that Colombian president Gustavo Petro decreed in January after an ELN guerrillas attack in the Catatumbo (Northeast) region that left more than 50 dead and 50,000 displaced.
“We are reviewing the service stations (…) to ensure that the fuel that is reaching the Catatumbo does not literally become a fuel for the conflict that is being presented there,” said Minister Andrés Camacho to Blu Radio.
Colombia is the largest cocaine producer in the world, according to the UN. Gasoline is an indispensable element for the manufacture of cocaine in the regions where there are narcocultures, refers A note of AFP.
*Also read: Crisis in Catatumbo already leaves about 85,000 affected, according to UNHCR
According to the decree of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, dated February 17, a significant diversion of the essential public service towards illegal activities “in this area is” evidenced.
By law, at the borders of Colombia the fuel is cheaper, in an attempt to combat smuggling from Venezuela, where the prices of fuels are very low.
The Ministry of Mines and Energies ensures that The departments where fuel is most sold are just what most coca leaf are.
They are required between “74 and 86 gallons of fuel to produce a kilogram of cocaine hydrochloride,” according to the decree.
In the Catatumbo, the National Liberation Army (ELN) faces a faction of the dissidents of the extinct Farc for the control of cocaine production and the routes to export it.
Petro also created a tax for online bets and some processes of the coal and hydrocarbon exploitation chain in order to raise resources to meet the crisis.
*Journalism in Venezuela is exercised in a hostile environment for the press with dozens of legal instruments arranged for the punishment of the word, especially the laws “against hatred”, “against fascism” and “against blockade.” This content is being published taking into account the threats and limits that, consequently, have been imposed on the dissemination of information from within the country.
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