Venezuelan dies in suspected copper smuggling trip off Trinidad and Tobago

A Venezuelan man has died after a boat carrying smuggled copper capsized in the treacherous waters separating Trinidad and Tobago. Julio López drowned Saturday in the Serpent's Mouth, a 10-kilometer channel notorious for its strong currents and shallow reefs.

Preliminary reports indicate the overloaded wooden boat was heading to Venezuela with a cargo of copper when it overturned in the early morning hours. The vessel disappeared in waters off Trinidad's southwestern peninsula, an area frequently used by smugglers to evade coast guard patrols.

Search teams, including the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, defense force personnel, volunteers, and local fishermen, continued their efforts on Sunday to find the two other passengers. One survivor, Nikol Landaeta, has been identified.

The Serpent's Mouth and the Dragon's Mouth channels have long been recognized as dangerous waterways due to rapidly changing weather and submerged reefs. Despite these risks, hundreds of migrants and smugglers make the crossing annually in overloaded boats.

The sinking has drawn attention to Trinidad's illegal copper trade. The government has concluded that profits from stolen copper, often taken from electrical infrastructure and telecommunications networks, were financing organized crime groups. Trinidad's copper exports are set to end in July 2027, prompting smugglers to use increasingly remote departure points as coast guard operations intensify.

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the piragua was transporting a cargo of copper from Trinidad to Venezuela when it capsized due to the strong waves during the early morning.