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Colombia, Venezuela to Build Joint Customs
Colombia and Venezuela are considering establishing joint customs posts on their common border to reinforce the combat against smuggle and drug trafficking, according to Venezuela's Customs Inspector Jose Gregorio Vielma.
The first of these posts would be set up in the town of Urena, on the border with the Venezuelan state of Zulia, 500 kilometers west of Caracas, Vielma was quoted by the local press as saying on Friday.
These posts will be co-managed by Colombia and Venezuela, and their effect will be evaluated at a meeting of customs officials from the two nations on April 21-22 in Cartagena, Colombia.
The new mechanism resulted from a decision made by the Andean Community (AC), which planned the cooperation between Latin American countries in customs administration. The AC is made up of Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela.
Colombia and Venezuela share a common border of 2,219 kilometers, and guerrilla groups, paramilitary organizations, and criminal gangs often cross the border.
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