Venezuela captures bigger drug haul in 2009

[EFerrari]

Reuters
Sat Jan 2, 3:43 pm ET

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela reported on Saturday 60 metric tons of drugs were confiscated in 2009, an 11 percent bigger haul than the previous year, and said anti-narcotics efforts had improved since it ended cooperation with the United States.

The South American nation is a major transit country for Colombian cocaine to Europe and, to a lesser extent, the United States. Cocaine and marijuana accounted for nearly all of Venezuela's drug confiscations in 2009.

Accused by critics of leniency in the drug fight and collusion with Colombian rebels who depend on smuggling for financing, the government of President Hugo Chavez counters that it has stepped up interdiction notably in recent years.

"The 2009 figure shows the government's performance in battling drugs, and makes Venezuela one of the most effective countries in this respect," state news agency ABN said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100102/wl_nm/us_drugs_venezuela_1

[gbscar]

1. I'd say that's about as equally ineffective as the entire drug war...

...but perhaps that's not something the Venezuelan government wants to hear either, considering their lack of initiative to try and do anything else than what has proven to be a failed global policy.

Or maybe you're not supposed to point that out? I digress.

[EFerrari]

4. That's not a digression, it's just wrong.

DEA and CIA both run covert and not so covert operations under the shrinking cover of the War and Drugs. Good for Venezuela for joining the other countries who have kicked them out.

[gbscar]

5. Even if I were to agree...with or without the DEA/CIA BlackOps, prohibition is a lost cause.

I don't see much of a reason to wave the Venezuelan flag so proudly when their current efforts will amount to nothing.

This isn't an alternative to the War on Drugs, which is incredibly useless in and of itself, this is just putting a nationalist spin on it.

You want me to applaud? Legalize drugs, even on a per country basis, and stop all this nonsense.

[EFerrari]

6. Legalization and interdicting criminals are two different problems.

I'm all for legalization. However, at any scale, drug trafficking puts people in harms' way.

And no, this isn't putting a nationalist spin on anything. This is giving credit where it is due.

[gbscar]

7. Have it your way , but I don't praise efforts that, at best, are like drinking the ocean. n/t

[Judi Lynn]

2. Interesting it took getting the DEA out of there, trying to run Venezuela's own government program

before anything serious became possible.

Absolutely no reason at all for the US to be mucking around trying to take charge of another country's interior affairs. It was good to see another Latin American country telling _Bush to get his agents out of their business.

If the US wants to do something about any drug problem they need to take care of what's going on in their OWN borders, like decent grownups, not using drug interdiction as an cover for invading the governments of other countries.

Thanks, EFerrari.

[gbscar]

3. If by "serious" you mean actually mattering one bit, then...nope, not really. n/t