"Venezuelan Government: 'Most Important” Drug Seizure in Four Years'"

[Peace Patriot]

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 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.

(MORE)

http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/5597

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This article makes a couple of interesting points. One of them is:

"U.S and international mainstream media attempt to portray Venezuela as being 'soft' on drugs and incompetent without U.S collaboration."

Just assume for a minute that the perps of the failed, corrupt, murderous U.S. "war on drugs" are sincere in their desire to stop illicit drug trafficking. Even given this assumption, the creators of U.S. militarization of this problem exhibit extraordinary arrogance, if not anti-Hispanic prejudice, by presuming that those who don't "cooperate" with them (let DEA agents run loose in their country; accept U.S. military violations of their sovereignty) aren't competent to interdict illicit drugs. It just struck me how arrogant this is. It is also a twisted manipulation, of course, and a "Big Lie." ('Let us trample all over your country or we will call you incompetent and worse.') But the surface meaning of U.S. policy statements on the "war on drugs"--and that is all we ever get, the most superficial bullshit--in itself is arrogant and insulting. 'Let us militarize and corrupt your country, and turn it into Mexico or Colombia, or else...'.

The other item is the mention of Honduras--the U.S. client state with an installed rightwing government--which I have seen referred to as the main transshipment point for hard drugs from Colombia to the U.S. Funny how the U.S. "war on drugs" accelerates drug trafficking and mayhem wherever it puts its boots down. Bolivia has done big busts recently as well--and they also kicked the U.S. "war on drugs" out.

[rabs]

1. Something odd about this story

El Aissami "assumed the flight came from Honduras."

Honduras does not produce "high purity cocaine," but Colombia does.

So it makes no sense that the flight would have gone back south from Honduras to Venezuela and not followed the usual route north to Mexico.

Wonder if the assumption that the flight originated in Honduras is a smokescreen to NOT mention Colombia, now that Hugo and JM Santos are easing the tension created by uribito.

Fyi Chavez and Santos are scheduled to hold another summit in the next few days, so maybe El Aissami did not want to roil the waters. :shrug:

[Peace Patriot]

2. Yeah, I was wondering about the geography of that flight, too.

I was thinking, well, drug flights might have to take a circuitous route? But your guess is a good one. I hadn't thought that it might be a political statement.

[rabs]

3. At least 10 Venezuelan National Guard members killed in drug hunt

Was looking for more on the big bust but no luck so far.

But there is this brief story: Venezuelan military helicopter went down yesterday afternoon in southwestern Venezuela near the Colombian border. The troops were trying to locate a group of narco-traffickers. (Does not say whether the narcos were Colombian or Venezuelan.)

At least 10 National Guardsmen were killed.

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TeleSUR _ Hace: 38 minutos
Al menos 10 militares murieron este viernes cuando el helicóptero en el que se trasladaban, para ubicar a un grupo de narcotraficantes, se estrelló en el estado suroccidental de Apure.

El comandante general de la Guardia Nacional Bolivariana (GNB-policía militarizada), Luis Motta, explicó este sábado que el suceso ocurrió el viernes en la tarde cerca de la frontera con Colombia.

[Judi Lynn]

4. Venezuela National Guard Helicopter Crashes During Anti-Drug Sweep, 10 Die

Venezuela National Guard Helicopter Crashes During Anti-Drug Sweep, 10 Die
By Charlie Devereux - Aug 28, 2010 1:16 PM CT

A Venezuelan National Guard helicopter crashed in southwestern Venezuela yesterday, killing three officers and seven soldiers, a National Guard general said in a statement today.

The helicopter was carrying out a search for drug traffickers in the state of Apure, near the municipalities of Buena Vista and Carabobo, when the crash occurred, said General Luis Alfredo Dominguez. The National Guard is investigating and will identify the victims soon, he said.

“These citizens died completing their duty,” he said. “In fact, we managed to capture one of the people we were looking for.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-28/venezuela-national-guard-helicopter-crashes-during-anti-drug-sweep-10-die.html