Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says the nighttime closure of the border with Colombia will continue for three more months as part of the government's campaign to combat smuggling of oil and food, according to Reuters.
Maduro announced the decision Thursday, saying the seven-hour shutdown of border crossings that began Aug. 11 has been successful in curbing smugglers, Reuters reported. The 1,400 mile border is closed between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
Venezuelans are faced with shortages of basic pantry staples, and the problem has been aggravated by some people selling heavily subsidized oil and basic goods across the border in Colombia, where prices are higher, according to Reuters.
Maduro said 512 people had been arrested since the anti-smuggling campaign began last month, and thanked Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos' government for its cooperation, Reuters reported.
Widespread shortages were among the factors that sparked a bloody street protest movement during the spring, Reuters reported.
The measures to stop traffic crossing between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., and limit the movement of cargo vehicles during the day, were introduced in mid-August to combat the lucrative business in smuggling heavily subsidized Venezuelan products, according to Reuters.
"We are going to pursue and punish smugglers with double severity," President Nicolas Maduro said, announcing the three-month extension, Reuters reported. "They are looting the republic."
Venezuela's gasoline is the cheapest in the world, and many other goods from cooking oil to corn flour are sold with large discounts in state stores, enabling thousands to live off a thriving contraband trade along the border with Colombia, according to Reuters.
Colombia's Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin has criticized Venezuela's measures as "unilateral" and unlikely to control contraband along the 1,378 miles of border, Reuters reported.
