Cúcuta: Colombia’s city of contraband and a broken Bolivarian dream

As he walked along the aisles of the supermarket, 25-year-old Nestor Usa Torres pointed to items on the shelves: sunflower oil, powdered milk, shampoo. “Produced for the Venezuelan market,” he read aloud, showing the labels. He explained: “Subsidized groceries from Venezuela, smuggled into Colombia. You can still find them here, but before our city was completely flooded with Venezuelan products. Since the border is closed, everything has changed.” Neighboring Venezuela, ruled since April 2013 by Nicólas Maduro, saw its economy deteriorate quickly. Socialist measures include subsidized gasoline and alimentary products, with a complex distribution system for Venezuelan citizens. The last number of an ID-card is linked to a certain day, when Venezuelans are allowed to do their shopping. More…