An April 2026 report by Cúcuta newspaper La Opinión on land travel in Venezuela described the difficulties of traveling by road in the country, highlighting the large number of police and military checkpoints where drivers frequently face extortion by security forces who often demand money or goods from travellers and transporters, creating an environment of 'fear' and 'unpredictability', regulated by the unwritten rules of the checkpoints. According to the report, long‑distance travel is slow and stressful due to constant stops, arbitrary inspections, and the risk of abuse, while transport workers face significant financial losses from repeated extortion along major routes. The article also noted that poor road conditions, fuel shortages, and limited nighttime mobility further complicate travel across the country.771
Amaya indicated that
'there are numerous checkpoints (alcabalas) on the roads, and street‑level surveillance is widespread. Vehicles are routinely revised, and in some cases drivers are stopped for bribes. Phone inspections, previously common, have decreased significantly. Mobility challenges are often linked to gasoline shortages: while fuel is generally available in Caracas, remote areas face closures of gas stations, limiting travel. Corruption at checkpoints affects merchants and transporters, who may lose between 17 and 20 % of their cargo, particularly at military checkpoints, through demands for food or money. Internal mobility has increased in recent years as people relocate to areas with more reliable public services, especially electricity, such as Caracas or San Cristóbal'.772
Briceño-León indicated that
'the main mobility problem in Venezuela is the lack of gasoline. There are police and military checkpoints (retenes or alcabalas), and the extortion that occurs is carried out by security forces rather than criminal groups. The danger on the roads comes primarily from police and military actors. On occasions, police officers essentially beg for money because they had nothing to eat. Extortion of transporters is significant: merchants must pay with their own goods at the checkpoints they pass through. For this reason, people rarely travel at night; there is almost no night‑time travel between cities. There is intercity public transportation, but it is very poor and very basic. In the past, people feared crime when traveling between cities; now they fear the security forces because of the abuses they may commit.773