The country on the north coast of South America has become the new playground for the Turkish drug mafia.
For a month, Turkey has been in suspense over videos of mob godfather Sedat Peker. Corruption, assassinations, drug trafficking and small state secrets … his accusations highlight the incestuous relationship between the ruling Islamo-nationalist coalition and organized crime.

What was Erkan Yildirim doing in Caracas on December 4? The son of former prime minister Binali Yildirim, a wealthy 40-year-old shipowner, leading a fleet of some thirty ships and twenty shipping companies nestled in tax havens, has difficulty justifying it. In one of his videos, the godfather of the mafia, Sedat Peker, accuses the man of having visited Venezuela several times in recent months to open a new cocaine route between Latin America, Europe and the Middle East. “The cocaine originally came from Colombia. But 4.9 tons were seized on June 9 last year [aboard a ship en route to Turkey, editor’s note]. After that, who went to Venezuela to establish a new headquarters? Erkan Yildirim! From the port of La Guardia, the main port of the country, container ships must call in the Dominican Republic. But not bulk cargo ships, which can go directly to Turkey, says Peker. “Once the cocaine reaches Turkey, 30-35 meter yachts, capable of carrying one to two tons, will distribute it. This is especially the case in the port of Latakia, in Syria, “said the mobster. This port is under the control of people close to Bashar al-Assad. By OnVenezuela

Original text –> Le Point

For a country teeming with illegal gold traffickers and criminal gangs, it is striking that Venezuela would risk provoking further international wrath with such an audacious incursion into foreign territory. The explanation seems to lie in Venezuela’s conviction that Fernández, aside from being a wanted criminal, is also a backer of armed dissident movements along the volatile southern border region. Full Text -> InSightCrime