JARABACO, Venezuela (AP) Villas are being used as an international cocaine trafficking hub by criminals, according to a new report that exposes a network of drug dealers who have infiltrated dozens of villas in a popular tourist destination.
The report, by Venezuela’s National Security Commission, said it has identified at least 15 illegal drug labs and trafficking corridors that were used by traffickers to smuggle cocaine, heroin and marijuana across the border into Venezuela.
More:Venezuela’s National Guard is preparing to seize an estimated $50 million in illegal drug profits in the country, according the report.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has said that illegal drugs will be eradicated from the country.
But he has said he will not stop the country from being a drug hub, which the report called a “dangerous and illegal” operation.
The Venezuelan government has been cracking down on illegal drug trafficking for years and the drug war has led to many violent confrontations between police and drug traffickers.
The National Security Center report, which was reviewed by The Associated Press, found dozens of illegal drug laboratories, a trafficking corridor and a number of weapons.
It said the network has been operating since 2015 and was known to the Venezuelan National Guard.
It said it was able to find a number who were members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
The group has a presence in several Colombian cities including Medellin, Guadalajara, the city of Guadalupe, Barquisimeto, La Plata and San Cristobal.
The report said that several of the locations are in Bogota, Colombia.
The National Security Council said in January that it was looking into the possibility of shutting down a network in Colombia that is believed to be responsible for hundreds of murders, kidnappings and drug-related killings.
Vallejo, the second largest city in Colombia, has also been a center of drug trafficking and kidnapping.