At least 14 presumed drug traffickers from Colombia have been killed in a confrontation between two rival drug trafficking organizations across the border with Venezuela.
The fighting erupted between members of “Los Rastrojos” and “Los Urabeños” in Tachira, a Venezuelan border state close to Colombia’s Norte de Santander state.
According to several local media, the fighting broke out over a territorial dispute in a region that has long been a key drug trafficking route for Colombian drug traffickers.
On the Colombian side of the border, rebel groups like the FARC and ELN are active, as well as former guerrilla group EPL. The Rastrojos and Urabeños, active throughout Colombia, also have a strong presence in the area that is also key for contraband.
Blu Radio reported that the local ringleader of the Urabeños was killed during the confrontation.
Sources