The Local Dispatch #11: The Takeover of Fénix and Uribana

The eleventh issue features an overview of the regime’s intervention in two Lara prisons, and the latest developments in Zulia and Amazonas

Cristóbal Picón Ball December 06, 2024

In Lara, the regime seizes control of two more prisons in a massive military-police operation

Images shared by the Venezuelan Observatory of Prisons (OVP) showed at least 11 Encava buses outside the Fénix and Uribana prisons (officially called David Viloria Penitentiary Center) in northern Barquisimeto. The joint operation by the GNB, PNB, CONAS, DGCIM, and SEBIN —reminiscent of the old OLP raids— took place at dawn on November 29. The state conducted searches supported by two helicopters and ground vehicles but did not disclose what was found inside.

The operation was led by Prison Minister Julio García Zerpa, recently sanctioned by the U.S., who thanked Diosdado Cabello for his support and the security agencies under his ministry.

“Socialists don’t see prisons as punishment but as spaces for rehabilitation and reintegration,” García stated days later in an interview with Resumen Latinoamericano. “Our challenge is to transform human beings victimized by a global capitalist system.”

Under García’s six-month tenure, the number of political prisoners has reached record highs, amid allegations of torture, mistreatment of juvenile inmates, and at least two deaths in custody. El Impulso recalls that García was appointed in July after a hunger strike across multiple prisons protesting dire conditions and endemic delays in legal proceedings. His predecessor, Vice Admiral Celsa Bautista Ontiveros, was dismissed following these events. She worked with former interior minister Admiral Remigio Ceballos, currently sent away as ambassador to China.

Why it matters: The seizure of Fénix and Uribana is part of Operation Gran Cacique Guaicaipuro, aimed at reclaiming prisons controlled by gang leaders and criminal networks.

The first flagship move under this operation was last year’s takeover of Tocorón, analyzed by Andrei Serbin Pont in Caracas Chronicles. The raid allowed the leader of the Tren de Aragua to escape unharmed. Serbin Pont argues that these operations aim to restructure spaces granted to the regime’s organized crime allies.

The Lara operation is the second of its kind under García and Cabello’s oversight, following the seizure of El Dorado prison in Bolívar. Although Operation Guaicaipuro has been active since 2023, García claims that Maduro specifically tasked him and Cabello with “restoring order in prisons” to neutralize an alleged opposition plan to arm 3,000 inmates post-election on July 28 “with the complicity of officials.”

More information: A June report by La Prensa de Lara noted that authorities killed about 20 gang leaders in the state. No criminal organization has been linked to this latest operation (similar to the Tren de Aragua case in September 2023). El Universal shared a video of the raid with Alí Primera’s Tin Marín as the soundtrack. Elio Estrada Paredes, head of the National Guard and deputy minister of the Integrated Police System, is seen commanding.

Versión Final criticizes Fedecámaras and Manuel Rosales

In an editorial piece signed by Carlos Alaimo, the president and editor of Versión Final, the Zulia-based newspaper condemned Fedecámaras and the Zulia government for “dancing with the destroyer of businesses.” Alaimo cited the 2010 hunger-strike death of Franklin García, following the expropriation of his lands.

“The truth is that Fedecámaras and [its president Adán] Celis seem to have forgotten this history, along with more recent events,” Alaimo wrote. “Can anyone truly believe it’s possible to be an entrepreneur in Venezuela with laws that protect business activities? No. And those who do are taking risks.”

Why it matters: It comes 12 days after Cabello accused businessman José Enrique Rincón —owner of a shrimp-exporting company in Maracaibo— of being involved in a so-called destabilization plan, #NoALaNavidad. Cabello also implicated María Corina Machado, Iván Simonovis, and the Guanipa brothers, among others. Neither Rosales nor Celis has addressed these accusations.

Ten military personnel arrested in Amazonas

Últimas Noticias reported the arrest of 10 National Guard members, including a general and three senior officers, accused of allowing a Brazilian aircraft to enter Venezuela. They were charged with treason and were stationed at the Cerro Carlos Delgado Chalbaud Border Protection Base in eastern Amazonas.

More information: SOS Orinoco revealed that this military post has a landing strip regularly used by garimpeiros (illegal miners) to enter Venezuela. The area has seen a surge in illegal mining over the past two years.