Venezuela is not cooperating with the United States in its fight against illegal drug trafficking, U.S. officials told a congressional panel in Washington.
Venezuela is not cooperating with the United States in its fight against illegal drug trafficking, U.S. officials told a congressional panel in Washington D.C.
In Bolivia, another nation that has cut off most U.S. cooperation, information from neighboring countries indicates the chiefs of some Mexican and Colombian drug cartels are moving to Bolivia to evade pressure from police, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s intelligence chief Rodney Benson told a committee assessing U.S. aid funds for the Andean region.
Meanwhile, Venezuela continues to be the main launch point for regional cocaine transport en route to Central America and then Mexico and the United States, though only one percent of the cocaine Bolivia produces ends up in the U.S. market, the official said.
“Clearly, Venezuela is becoming more significant for drug trafficking organizations,” Benson said.
“Right now we have one agent in the country. We need to continue to build with authorities there… but clearly we’ve taken several steps back,” Benson said. And “I don’t know the reasons why,” he stressed.