La Guajira Cartel

La Guajira Cartel (Spanish: Cartel de La Guajira) refers to a criminal organization originating from Maicao that operates in the Guajira Peninsula on the Caribbean Sea, north of the border between Colombia and Venezuela. Its base territory is the city of Maracaibo and a large part of the state of Zulia in Venezuela, also covers La Guajira Department in Colombia; especially Maicao, and to the north of the Cesar Department, particularly, its capital Valledupar, thus matching the historical territory of the Wayuu indigenous ethnic group, to which some of its members belong. The cartel specializes in the control of contraband of all kinds of supplies; especially, Venezuelan gasoline to Colombia, weapons, minerals, stolen cars, cattle and drug trafficking. They also commit all kinds of robberies, extortion, assassination, threats, kidnappings, and usury.