London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 31, 2025

Venezuela's International Appetite for Stolen Luxury Cars

Venezuela's International Appetite for Stolen Luxury Cars

Specialist gangs have been caught smuggling expensive vehicles from Colombia into Venezuela, shining a spotlight on how an increasingly dollarized economy has allowed a black market for luxury goods to thrive.

In late September, thieves hijacked a Toyota Prado TXL assigned to a local congressman in the Colombian border town of Cúcuta, holding his bodyguard hostage while they fled towards Venezuela in the vehicle, according to La Opinión. The car was one of three Toyotas stolen in the town over the course of two days.

The thefts were part of a string of similar crimes across the border department of Norte de Santander. The cars are stolen by specialist gangs, including the aptly-named “Los Toyoteros,” and then trafficked into Venezuela via informal border crossings controlled by Colombian criminal groups.

According to Colombian authorities cited in La Opinión, 84 cars and 421 motorbikes have been stolen during 2021 in Cúcuta alone, 90 percent of which end up in Venezuela.

The Venezuelan market for illicit vehicles is well-established. According to a judicial source who spoke to El Heraldo in 2020, cars are stolen in other Colombian cities like Barranquilla and then resold in the border regions so that they can be smuggled to the neighboring country.

There is at least one reported incident of a senior Venezuelan Army officer using a vehicle stolen in Colombia without a license plate in Barquisimeto.

In July 2020, Venezuelan authorities charged several high-ranking officials from the National Institute for Land Transport (Instituto Nacional de Transporte Terrestre – INTT) with illegally registering as many as 1,000 smuggled cars, according to sources linked to the case who spoke to El Pitazo.

InSight Crime Analysis


Networks moving stolen vehicles into Venezuela are now operating across the Americas, with the country’s wealthy elite wanting access to expensive goods through legal and illegal means alike.

Despite the country’s dire economic crisis, with over 75 percent of the population living in extreme poverty, the rise of a parallel dollarized economy has benefited the wealthy.

Those with plentiful funds in dollars have access to a lavish lifestyle. A Ferrari dealership even opened in northern Caracas this year. Delivery services offer sparkling wines, cigars and books, all imported from abroad.”The government no longer harasses the small private sector and has allowed dollarization to advance,” one economist told Bloomberg.

Black market smugglers appear to be cashing in on this trend as well. According to Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab, the cars legalized through the criminal network in the INTT had origins in Brazil and Chile, as well as Colombia.

Even cars from the United States have made their way into Venezuela’s illegal market. In July 2020, 81 vehicles, including Lexus and Mercedes cars, were seized in Florida before they could be shipped illegally to Venezuela.

In comparison, just one car was produced domestically in the first half of 2021, a dramatic collapse compared to the 24,223 vehicles made in Venezuela between January and March of 2011.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×