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It's not Venezuela! Italian prosecutor debunks myth: Here are the main countries of international drug trafficking

2026-01-06 14:36:18Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
It's not Venezuela! Italian prosecutor debunks myth: Here are the main
Nicola Gratteri

The Prosecutor General of Naples, Nicola Gratteri, one of the most well-known figures in the fight against organized crime, categorically denies that Venezuela has a central role in international drug trafficking.

“Caracas’ role in drug trafficking is small compared to the main global routes,” he says. According to Gratter, any claims to the contrary are often made for political purposes.

What are the main drug trafficking routes?

"Central America and Mexico remain key hubs for drugs entering the US and European markets," he explains.

President Donald Trump has accused Venezuela of supplying fentanyl to American streets. Gratteri considers this propaganda. “There is no independent data that shows Venezuela as a center for the production of synthetic drugs. Most of the fentanyl and synthetic opioids are produced in Mexico.”

Does Caracas have any role in this trafficking?

"Attributing a central role to Venezuela means mixing different phenomena, more for political narrative than based on real data," says Gratteri.

So, has an instrumentalized portrayal of the situation been made?

"The exaggeration of Venezuela's role as a center of global drug trafficking seems excessive and serves more to justify diplomatic pressure and coercive actions than to describe the reality of transnational criminal networks."

Does the Venezuelan cartel "Tren de Aragua" have influence?

"It is a criminal organization that has penetrated several Latin American countries and the US, but its main activity is the trafficking and exploitation of migrants, not international drug trafficking."

Is Trump's policy a real strategy against drug trafficking or are there geopolitical motivations?
"If the purpose of arresting President Maduro was truly to fight drugs, the US should focus its attention on the countries that produce cocaine and synthetic opioids, not on a country that serves primarily as a transit point."

Broad attacks cannot be a successful strategy?

"Historically, this is not how drug trafficking is fought: you can't hit the less important nodes while leaving the production centers untouched. Unless the anti-drug reason is simply used as an excuse for other goals."

Are you skeptical, or am I wrong?

“The suspicion is that broader geopolitical and economic interests come into play here.”

How, for example?

"Control or indirect management of Venezuela's vast oil reserves, one of the largest in the world."

Gratteri recalls that the "war on drugs" has often been used as a pretext to achieve strategic, energy or regional influence goals.

Who are the protagonists of international drug trafficking today?

“Mexico is the main center of production of fentanyl and synthetic opioids, thanks to the cartels’ close relationships with suppliers of chemical precursors, mostly from China. Colombia, along with Peru and Bolivia, remain the main producers of cocaine. Ecuador and Brazil play an increasingly important role as logistical platforms for exports to key markets: the US, Europe, Asia and Oceania.”

What is the role of the Italian mafia?

“The 'Ndrangheta is the Italian organization most involved in international cocaine trafficking. But the Camorra, Cosa Nostra and the Apulian clans also hold important parts of the market. Alongside the traditional families, new transnational criminal actors are emerging, especially Albanian clans.”

The drug problem is not only a health or criminal problem, but also an economic one.
"Today we only seize 10-12% of the substances that enter the market, while we confiscate less than 1% of the profits from drug trafficking."

Have current policies failed?

“Hitting goods without seriously affecting financial flows leaves the engine of the system untouched. Alternative strategies exist: international capital tracking, fiscal and judicial cooperation, the fight against tax havens, the strength of anti-money laundering units and the responsibility of economic intermediaries. But these major economic and financial aspects are often ignored, while insisting on approaches that have shown their limitations.”


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