Two more Colombian citizens have been detained by Venezuelan authorities on suspicion of espionage, local media reported Monday.
In the border town of Victoria in the Venezuelan state of Apure, 23-year-old Gerson Fabian Suarez was reportedly detained by the police after a search revealed that he had an unused camera in his bag.
A Colombian border deputy from the neighboring department of Arauca, Juan Carlos Santamaria, told reporters that the camera was the young man’s only “sin,” and that authorities in Venezuela were unjustly holding Suarez and moving him to Santana Prison in the country’s capital of Caracas.
Suarez works for a firm that carries out various projects on the rivers that border both Colombia and Venezuela, and was reportedly in Venezuela to do some shopping.
The other detainee is a farmer whose identity is not known at this time.
The arrests are the latest in an ongoing spat between the two countries over supposedly unauthorized citizens crossing the border with nefarious intent.
Last month Venezuelan authorities detained eight Colombians on suspicion of espionage, with four being released so far due to lack of evidence.
Earlier on Monday, Colombian authorities announced the deportation of a Venezuelan police officer who had allegedly entered Colombia illegally.