Venezuela closes Colombia border crossing

Venezuela closed a major border with Colombia late Wednesday hours after three of its soldiers on an anti-smuggling operation were attacked.

Venezuela and Colombia share a 2,200-kilometer (1,400-mile) porous border along which there is a great deal of guerrilla and smuggling activity.

The government clarified that Maduro had called on the Colombian government to coordinate the capture of paramilitary groups that have been blamed for the incident, as well as to combat border crime.

Maduro announced in a national broadcast that he would “raise the presence of state forces to the maximum” in response to the shooting of two lieutenants and a captain by people who fled on motorcycles.

Maduro blames smugglers and paramilitaries allegedly linked to former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe for violence that has spilled over the border in recent years.

“They were ambushed by two motorcyclists that we’re now looking for, even underneath the rocks”, said Maduro.

The Venezuelan government this year deployed more troops and stiffened jail sentences for those caught smuggling in order to tackle contraband. It also rolled out a fingerprint-scanning system to restrict the amount of any single product shoppers can buy.

As the Venezuelan currency sinks and inflation rages, many near the border are making money smuggling price-fixed goods, including gasoline, flour and shampoo over to nearby Colombia for a handsome profit.