Venezuelan Government: “Most Important” Drug Seizure in Four Years
The Bolivarian National Guard captured four tonnes of high purity cocaine in Guarico state yesterday morning. The Minister for Justice and Internal Affairs, Tareck El Aissami, said it was the “most important [drug] seizure that has been carried out in the last four years.”
Mérida, August 27th 2010 (Venezuelanalysis.com) – The Bolivarian National Guard captured four tonnes of high purity cocaine in Guarico state yesterday morning.
The Ministry for Justice and Internal affairs reported that the seizure was possible after detecting an unidentified plane that did not have a flight permit.
The Minister for Justice and Internal Affairs, Tareck El Aissami, said it was the “most important [drug] seizure that has been carried out in the last four years.”
He said the Aerial Command for Integral Airspace Defence (CODAI) located a plane that was flying illegally from Central America. He assumed the flight came from Honduras.
“The drugs were located in a swampy zone and were hermetically sealed [airtight] which indicates that it is a drug cartel that also operates in maritime areas,” El Aissami said, explaining that the drug packages had a stamp that identified the cartel.
One Venezuelan, who was on farm where the plane was found, was detained.
El Aissami recognised the efforts of various governmental organisations, such as the CICPC (Criminal and Scientific Investigations) and the National Anti-Drugs Office (ONA). He said that since January this year 47 tonnes of drugs have been seized.
According to RNV reports, this includes 84 kilograms of cocaine in Tachira near the border with Colombia, 300 kilograms of marihuana in Sucre state and 39 kilograms of cocaine in Merida, in the last 10 days.
Also on Wednesday the CICPC arrested a Dominican man who allegedly belonged to an organisation that trafficked cocaine from South American to the U.S and who was wanted by Interpol.
U.S and international mainstream media attempt to portray Venezuela as being “soft” on drugs and incompetent without U.S collaboration.
The World Drug Report 2010 by the United Nations, which came out in June, for example, said Venezuela was a major transit route for cocaine trafficking to Europe, and expressed concern that “armed insurgent groups,” such as civilian militias, were supported by the government, El Universal reported. It said Venezuela’s war on drugs is “deteriorating” and claimed the “insurgent groups” could “fuel organised crime.”
Venezuela ended its anti-drug cooperation with the U.S Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in 2005 because it believed the DEA was spying.
Despite this, Venezuela’s drug capture rate has increased steadily since 2005. In 2009, according to the ONA, the government confiscated over 60 tonnes of drugs, up from 54 tonnes in 2008.