Maduro vows to extend crackdown along border

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro vowed to extend a crackdown on smugglers and illegal migrants from neighboring Colombia whom he blames for rampant crime and widespread shortages.

Meanwhile, authorities across the border struggled to attend to droves of returning deportees.

Tensions between the South American countries spiked to their highest level in years after Venezuela closed a major border crossing last week and declared a state of emergency in several western cities.