Maduro orders the Army to regulate the sale of gasoline in the face of a possible outbreak of violence

Queues of cars have once again become a common landscape in the country this week, under a very serious economic crisis that has depleted the country of gasoline due to a deep fall in imports exacerbated by international sanctions and the paralysis of the second largest refinery in the country. country. A country that ranks among the regions of the world with the largest oil deposits.In some stations on the San Cristóbal border, groups of national guards with riot gear monitored the sale of gasoline while in the largest cities, the military travels by motorbike through the cities. gas stations to give instructions to those responsible. Thus, in Maracaibo it has been ordered that after noon only 20 liters of fuel per vehicle be dispatched; In Puerto Ordaz and Punto Fijo, very close to the largest refining complex, the order of the military is to deliver 40 and 30 liters, according to multiple witnesses. the Military Intelligence Division will measure how much gasoline is left, “said Rocío Huerta, a manager of a service station in Maracaibo, who confirmed the order to limit the sale.” I spent twelve hours in the queue and could not get gasoline. At two in the afternoon the guard said that only 20 liters per vehicle (…) but at seven o’clock the gasoline ran out, ”said Víctor Chourio, a 58-year-old taxi driver who arrived at the station early in the day. Fuel runs out, officers try to clear the stations, but many drivers soon return to line up to wait for the next refueling.The state-owned Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) explained on Friday on its Twitter account that the government and the company “ensure the supply and distribution of fuel throughout the national territory.” “I’ve been in line for five hours to fill 40 liters.” lamented Eduardo Pereira, a 47-year-old teacher from Puerto Ordaz, who managed to fill the tank after about 200 vehicles. This is not enough for anything. Between going to work and taking my children to school, I run out of it in two days.