Saturday, December 21, 2024

Venezuelan military destroys small plane from Mexico

The Venezuelan military has destroyed a small plane that illegally entered the country’s airspace, which it claims departed from the Mexican island of Cozumel and was believed to be used for drug trafficking.

Domingo Hernández Lárez, head of the strategic operational command of the Venezuelan armed forces (CEOFANB), shared images of the wrecked aircraft via his X social media account. It is a white twin-engine Gulfstream 2 jet aircraft with a blue stripe.

Zulia Military Command shared images of the destroyed aircraft. (CEOFANB/X)

“Venezuela will not be used as a platform for drug trafficking!” he said. “The Territorial Defensive System is here, and will react immediately to any invasion attempt.”

Further images were shared on Instagram by the Zulia military command, which said that the aircraft had departed from Cozumel and had been destroyed on the ground.

Few details were given about the operation to intercept the plane, or any detentions or casualties. Photos show the burning wreckage of the plane on a dirt airstrip, with its landing gear down, confirming that it landed before being destroyed.

In a separate post, the CEOFANB shared photos appearing to show Venezuelan military aircraft intercepting the plane. They said that the plane had the registration number V3-GRS and had entered Venezuelan territory with its transponders switched off.

 

“It is presumed that this plane was used by transnational groups for the illicit trafficking of drugs and arms,” they said. “Venezuela is a territory of peace, where the scourge of drug trafficking, terrorism and organized crime is combated daily.”

Bordering the Colombian region of Catatumbo, a major cocaine-producing area, the forested mountains of Venezuela’s Zulia state have long been a hub for clandestine airstrips used for drug smuggling. Mexican criminal groups such as the Sinaloa Cartel have been present in Zulia for several years, according to investigative journalism outlet InSight Crime.

Several other drug planes traveling between Venezuela and Mexico have been detected in the past – including an aircraft that departed from Venezuela before crash-landing on a highway in Quintana Roo in 2020, and a plane stolen in Morelos that was flown to Venezuela to pick up a drug load before crash-landing in Guatemala, also in 2020.

The Venezuelan military has taken increasing public action against these criminal operations over recent years. At least 38 aircraft allegedly used for drug trafficking or illegal mining were destroyed in the country during 2023. Defensive actions have stepped up further in recent weeks, in the context of rising political tensions ahead of Venezuela’s presidential elections in 2024.

With reports from El País

4 COMMENTS

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
A child sits on an adults shoulders at the Mexico City Christmas Verbena, with giant Christmas trees in the background and fake snow falling

Annual Christmas Verbena sets Mexico City Zócalo aglow with light

0
The downtown festivities will continue until Dec. 30 and are best enjoyed after dark.
Donald Trump, former President of the United States, and Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas, toured the banks of the Rio Grande, which is currently surrounded by a dense mesh of barbed wire to prevent the entry of migrants. There, the president praised the immigration policy of this entity.

Texas launches billboard campaign referencing sexual assault to deter U.S.-bound migrants

2
This initiative complements Operation Lone Star, which has reportedly led to deaths and injuries among migrants.
Sea turtle hatchlings on a beach

Cancún releases nearly 1 million sea turtle hatchlings to the ocean

0
Benito Juárez municipality described Cancún's 2024 hatching season as a success, with a 97% survival rate.