Jan Sochor

Contraband Smugglers. Colombia/ Venezuela Frontier

Jan Sochor was born in the Czech Republic. He has lived and worked in Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Venezuela and Spain during the past five years. His long term projects focus on the daily life, social, political and cultural issues in Latin America. Jan’s photographs have appeared in numerous Czech publications including Reflex Magazine, National Geographic CZ, Instinkt and Hospodarske Noviny.

About the Photograph:

Along the 2200 kilometres borderline between Colombia and Venezuela cheap gasoline and food flows into Colombia, cocaine and arms go the other way. It is virtually impossible to control. The flow of contraband on this frontier is managed and organized by illegal Colombian paramilitary forces (AUC) and bribed Venezuelan police (Guardia Nacional). Smuggling provides a living to hundreds of poor dwellers in communities on both sides of the frontier.

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