Venezuela considers shooting down drug planes

[Judi Lynn]

Venezuela considers shooting down drug planes
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
01/16/2011 00:46


Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says he is considering letting the military shoot down planes loaded with illegal drugs if they ignore orders to land.

Chavez says he doesn't necessarily like the idea, but lawmakers should debate it.

Venezuela is a major hub for traffickers smuggling Colombian cocaine to the United States and Europe.

The president told lawmakers Saturday that drug smugglers often ignore air force orders to land, with some openly mocking such commands over the radio.

More:
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=203749

[Judi Lynn]

1. Venezuelan police detain drug suspect wanted in US

Venezuelan police detain drug suspect wanted in US
The Associated Press
Updated: 01/14/2011 11:19:14 PM CST


CARACAS, Venezuela—Venezuelan police have captured a drug suspect alleged to belong to Mexico's Zetas drug gang.
The Interior Ministry said in a statement Friday that 56-year-old Gloria Rojas Valencia was detained in Caracas this week.

It said she is a reputed member of the Zetas drug gang and is wanted by a U.S. court in New York for trafficking cocaine. The statement did not provide any other details.

Officials described Rojas as the partner of Colombian drug suspect Luis Frank Tello Candelo, who was captured in Venezuela last year and deported to the United States.

Traffickers regularly use Venezuela as a route for smuggling Colombian cocaine, and the Interior Ministry said the Zetas have been involved in moving drugs to Honduras and Mexico.

http://www.twincities.com/national/ci_17099668?nclick_check=1