CNBC reports, How bad is it in Venezuela? Soldiers are stealing goats
Over the weekend, six members of the Venezuelan military were detained by local authorities for stealing goats, the Venezuelan newspaper El Nacional reported Sunday. It said the soldiers confessed to stealing the goats and said they did it to feed themselves, since they had no food left in their barracks.
This raises a number of questions:
Why is the high-ranking military neglecting the troops?
Is it caused by fragmentation within the Cartel de los Soles? InSight Crime stated last February (emphasis added),
As such, the arrest of two army officials for drug trafficking by the GNB — which has arrested its own officials in the past for drug trafficking — in the same weekend leads to speculation of increased competition between the Cartel of the Suns’ various networks. This could potentially be a result of the continued deterioration of Venezuela‘s political and security situation, with rival groups looking to protect their own interests as political uncertainty sets in.
Is the military upper echelon comprised of so many Cuban military that they simply ignore the rank and file?
Is corruption so high that any supplies get sold away on the black market before they get to the troops?
Or a combination of all of the above?
