Venezuelan Government Deports 7 Drug Traffickers, including 1 from the U.S

This Monday Sept. 19th, Venezuela deported seven people involved in drug smuggling activities; six of them were Colombians and one was from the United States.

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Caracas, 19 Sep. AVN .-Over the last year Venezuelan security bodies have deported 69 drug lords, against who the International Police (Interpol) had issued a red notice, informed Interior Relations and Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami.

Out of 69 drug lords, 15 have been handed over to authorities of the United States, “thanks to intelligence efforts and to the National Anti-Drugs Plan, as well as to the permanent coordination we have as part of the cooperation accords we signed in matters of the fight against illicit drug traffic,” said El Aissami.

This Monday Sept. 19th, Venezuela deported seven people involved in drug smuggling activities; six of them were Colombians and one was from the United States.

At the International Airport Simon Bolivar, in Vargas state, El Aissami stated that this deportation, “is part of pertinent anti-drug policies implemented in the country to fight drug trafficking.”

The deportation of these citizens , “is part of a sovereign policy to ratify the commitment of our government,” he said.

“I hope the United States would do the same,” he added.

El Aissami has noted on different opportunities that the National Government has made the arrest and deportation of drug lords more frequent since the country broke off with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) because the anti-drugs agency devoted most of its time to spying rather than to fighting drug trafficking.

Even though the DEA had its offices in the National Anti-Drugs (ONA) head office, the minister added that Venezuelan officials had not had access to those areas. In fact, not even ONA authorities were able to inspect those offices.

Deportations

The Colombian citizens deported this Monday are Jose Eyeimer Reyes Galarza, Jorge Alfredo Santaella Ayala, Raul Peña, Ruberney Vergara Sanabria, Yesid Rios Suarez, and Didier Gerson Rios Galindo, who are now being held by the national police of their country.

These citizens are charged with the crimes of illicit drug trafficking, conspiracy, extortion, selling and processing of narcotics, illicit enrichment, money laundering, kidnapping and murder.

One of them, Vergana Sanabria, was responsible for laboratories devoted to process cocaine at the Venezuelan-Colombian border.

Meanwhile, the US citizen Lionel Scott Harris was one of the most wanted persons by authorities in his country. He is a member of a network of drug trafficking.

Previous actions

In August 2010, Minister El Aissami announced the deportation of three foreign citizens who were sent to Colombia, Aruba and the Netherlands.

The Dutch citizen Marcelino Kerkeboom Glenn, 51, was wanted in his country of origin due to international trafficking of cocaine, while Aldo Enrique Forero, 47, from Peru, was arrested for the possession of chemical substances destined to process cocaine.

The third deported citizen in that opportunity was the Colombian citizen Gloria Chavez Ceballos, 54, who was sent to Aruba. This country wanted her for transporting cocaine from Colombia to the Caribbean island.

Among other actions taken to combat drug trafficking, Venezuela has made an investment of 26 million dollars to obtain 10 radars manufactured in China, which are currently being used to monitor Venezuela’s air space through the System of Integral Air Defense.

18 K8 airplanes were also acquired from the Asian nation to fly over Venezuela’s air space and for surveillance aimed at preventing the illicit trafficking of drugs

Edited by Venezuelanalysis.com