The Venezuelan authorities have seized 28 airplanes inside a hangar on the outskirts of El Sombrero, located about 143 miles (230 kilometers) from Caracas. The airplanes were presumably being used by drug runners to transport the merchandise to and from Colombia.

Venezuela has been using increasingly sophisticated methods in its fight against drug trafficking since suspending its cooperation with the US Drug Enforcement Agency. In 2009, the Venezuelan authorities confiscated over 60 tonnes of drugs.