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The reason why the Army major was detained by the Bolivarian National Guard and taken to Venezuela is known.

El Tiempo

Colombia

Sunday, December 7


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Venezuelan Military Response


High tension was reported for several hours on Saturday when Major Miguel Ángel Acosta Romero was detained at the Francisco de Paula Santander International Bridge by uniformed members of the Bolivarian National Guard of Venezuela.

The officer, a member of the 2nd Reaction and Combat Battalion, reported that he had been detained by the Venezuelan Army around midday after unintentionally entering the border area while traveling with his family.

The initial report indicated that Major Acosta was traveling in a Chevrolet Captiva SUV, along with his wife and two children aged 12 and 10, when the GPS navigation system led him to the area of the bridge after having lunch on the Cúcuta ring road.

Autoridades venezolanas comenzaron a quitar los contenedores que impedían el paso en los puentes que conectan ambos países.
Border bridge between Colombia and Venezuela. Photo: EFE

The National Guard stopped the vehicle and requested identification verification, travel information, and a vehicle inspection. Hours later, Colombian authorities received additional information about the origin of the alert from the Venezuelan side.

During the procedure, it was confirmed that the major was carrying a personal firearm, registered in Colombia, a condition that led the Venezuelan officers to apply internal control protocols before any handover. Although it did not represent a documentation irregularity, the presence of the weapon required additional verifications according to border service regulations.

Hay un camión listo para pasar desde cada lado de la frontera. El primero iría de Norte de Santander a Ureña y el segundo vendría desde suelo venezolano.
Border crossing. Photo: Andrés Carvajal

Throughout the afternoon, coordination continued between the Venezuelan National Guard and the Colombian Anti-Narcotics Brigade. Military sources confirmed that the case was handled directly between the two operational units, without the need for diplomatic intervention. Major Acosta was handed over last night, when he was received by the brigade commander.

While this was happening, Army personnel and officials from Migration Colombia moved to the international bridge to accompany the process, collect the necessary information and activate the administrative reports.

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