2.1. Armed groups
There is a wide range of criminal actors operating in Venezuela, including FARC dissident groups, the ELN, and a number of Colombian paramilitary successor organisations.378 Domestic structures include megabandas, notably the Tren de Aragua and Tren del Llano, alongside sistemas (sindicatos mineros), pranes, and numerous regional or local gangs.379 Approximately 18 000 smaller gangs are estimated to operate across the country, many of which provide logistical, territorial, or operational support to larger criminal organisations, including the megabandas.380
ACLED provides a map of the presence of armed groups in Venezuela from October 2025:
Map 2: Presence of armed groups in Venezuela, October 2025.381
- 378
Transparencia Venezuela, The faces of extortion in Venezuela 2024, March 2025, url, p. 17; New York Times (The), Why It’s Hard to Run Venezuela, 18 January 2026, url
- 379
Transparencia Venezuela, The faces of extortion in Venezuela 2024, March 2025, url, p. 17; New York Times (The), Why It’s Hard to Run Venezuela, 18 January 2026, url
- 380
El Debate, La red criminal que sostiene a Maduro en Venezuela: megabandas, pandillas y cartels, 12 April 2025, url
- 381
In ACLED, Q&A: How stable is post-Maduro Venezuela?, 12 January 2026, url