Which maritime and air routes from Venezuela to the U.S. are most commonly used for cocaine trafficking?
Executive summary
Venezuela is widely reported as a transit point—not the primary source—for some cocaine bound for the United States, with U.S. government estimates in 2020 placing 200–250 metric tons transiting Venezuela annually (a figure repeated in later U.S. reporting and analysis) [1]. Independent and U.N. sources say most U.S.-bound cocaine originates in Andean producers (Colombia and Peru) and travels more directly via Pacific routes, with Venezuela and the Caribbean accounting for a smaller share of flows [2] [3].
1. Routes: maritime corridors from Venezuela into the Caribbean and beyond
Investigations and reporting describe maritime departures from northeastern Venezuelan states and islands — including Margarita Island and coastal Sucre and Falcón — feeding the Eastern Caribbean, the wider Caribbean basin, and trans-Atlantic hops; these sea lanes have been highlighted by U.S. strikes and local reporting [4] [5]. U.S. and watchdog accounts characterize Venezuela as a “preferred trafficking route” for moving cocaine to global markets via maritime shipments, even while noting those flows are smaller than Pacific-coast departures from Colombia [2] [6].
2. Air routes: “air bridges” and small planes to Central America and the Caribbean
U.S. officials and past reporting have described aerial trafficking using small aircraft and covert flights leaving border states adjacent to Colombia; some U.S. allegations have even referred to an “air bridge” from Venezuelan bases to Central America [7] [6]. Independent analysts caution that aerial departures often represent a variety of actors and that most cocaine destined for the U.S. still originates in the Andean region rather than being produced in Venezuela [3] [1].
3. Where the bulk of U.S.-bound cocaine comes from — Andean producers, not Venezuela
Multiple credible assessments — including the U.N. World Drug Report and independent analysts — say the main cocaine flows to North America originate in Colombia and Peru and are generally transported along Pacific routes, not chiefly through Venezuelan ports [3] [8]. Fact-checkers and regional analysts note Venezuela plays a transit or secondary role rather than being the primary pathway for most U.S.-bound cocaine [9] [2].
4. Scale disagreements: U.S. estimates versus other bodies
U.S. government reports and later summaries have estimated 200–250 metric tons of cocaine transited Venezuela annually as of 2020; that figure appears in State Department and NGO analyses cited in 2025 reporting [1]. At the same time, UNODC and other international bodies emphasize that those volumes represent a minority of global production and that the primary trafficking corridors to North America run from Andean producers via more direct Pacific and Central American routes [3] [2]. The difference matters: characterizing Venezuela as “a preferred route” is compatible with it handling substantial tonnage while still not being the principal corridor to the U.S. [2].
5. Local hubs and actors shaping route choice
On-the-ground reporting points to specific Venezuelan locales—Margarita Island, parts of Sucre and Falcón, and border regions with Colombia—as recurrent staging areas where local networks, weakened governance, and criminal groups facilitate transfers to small boats or planes bound for Caribbean islands, Central America, or intermediate transshipment points [4] [10]. Investigations also document the presence of diverse criminal actors—Colombian groups operating via Venezuela and local networks—rather than a single, uniform conduit [6] [4].
6. Policy actions and their interpretive effects
Recent U.S. military strikes on boats and public U.S. accusations have focused attention on Venezuelan maritime departures and have propelled narratives that Venezuela is a central source of trafficking; fact-checks and analysts warn these tactical actions and political statements can overstate Venezuela’s primacy relative to Andean producers [11] [9] [2]. Reporting notes that strikes target vessels in international waters thought to be en route to the U.S. and Caribbean, but experts emphasize the broader geography of cocaine production and transit remains anchored in the Andes [11] [8].
7. Limitations in the record and competing viewpoints
Open-source reporting contains competing claims: U.S. enforcement assessments and some administration statements emphasize large volumes transiting Venezuela [1] [6], while UN and independent analysts stress that most U.S.-bound cocaine follows Andean-Pacific routes [3] [2]. Available sources do not mention granular, verifiable, route-by-route tonnage breakdowns that would definitively rank specific air or maritime corridors from Venezuela to the U.S. by volume (not found in current reporting).
8. Bottom line for understanding trafficking corridors
Venezuela is a meaningful transit node—especially for maritime transfers into the Caribbean and for some air departures to Central America—but it is not identified in available reporting as the dominant origin point for most cocaine reaching the United States; that primacy lies with Andean producers and Pacific/Central American routes [1] [3] [2]. Analysts and policymakers should therefore distinguish between Venezuela’s role as a facilitator of certain corridors and the larger geographic reality of cocaine production and main trafficking flows [3] [9].