The subject of tonight’s exposé is “rolling bombs.”
No I didn’t say, “rolling bombers” we aren’t talking about a big joint filled with primo marijuana. We are talking about the Colombians who traffic gasoline illegally across the Venezuelan border to sell in Colombia.
Gasoline in Venezuela is cheap. And when I say cheap, I mean cheaper than a pair of $5 payless sneakers. I work with a guy who also has part in the “rolling bomb” business. He pays approximately $0.52 per gallon of gas in Venezuela. He sells the gas for $2.50 in Colombia. Every run his truck does makes him approximately, $1,225.00 after all costs are subtracted.
To get the gas here you have to take back roads across the border through Guerrilla territory. There is a Guerrilla soldier on the route who collects a little tax from those gasolineros. Occasionally the police set up roadblocks to catch gasoline traffickers, but most of them have a pretty good network and they let each other know when and where the cops are setting up shop.
This is a very dangerous occupation though. Just as dangerous as someone who traffics cocaine. The reason is because driving here is very dangerous. The rules of the road don’t really apply. Every week you hear about some gasolinero or other who got into a wreck and was burned alive. Sometimes other people involved in the wrecks die as well.
Last night within walking distance from the land where my fiancée’s family lives, two gasolineros driving a car hit a cow that was crossing the road. Their car then flipped over and caught on fire. The two men were pulled out but were burned some. They were lucky to live, but now their means of making money(the car), is destroyed.
The following are photos and video of the incident:
