Comment on Colombians jailed in Venezuela for $15 grocery run

Colombians jailed in Venezuela for $15 grocery run

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A $15 grocery run has cost two single mothers from Colombia 48 days in jail — and the threat of a 14 year prison sentence — as a result of a crackdown on smuggling in Venezuela that's ratcheting up tensions and highlighting growing economic distortions between the neighbors. Along with the cashier who rang up their purchases, they face charges of smuggling and violating the socialist government's new law of fair prices, whose penalties include 10 to 14 years in jail. Colombian officials contend that the majority of their arrested citizens come from working-class families like Rojas' who for years have been crossing the porous border to take advantage of price caps that make goods there far cheaper. Rojas has a stand selling underwear while Alvarez scrapes by charging pedestrians for cellular phone calls, according to Rocio Valencia, president of the city's street vendors' union.

 

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