Venezuelan guards escort a man suspected of drug trafficking to a plane for deportation to Colombia in May. Associated PressFrom The Wall Street Journal:
Venezuela is fast becoming a major hub for cocaine trafficking in the Western Hemisphere, according to a report written by the investigative arm of the U.S. Congress. The report from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office is sure to raise tensions between Venezuela and the U.S. at a delicate moment in the two countries' often testy relations.
The report, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, blames widespread government corruption for increases in cocaine transshipments through Venezuela. Such shipments have soared more than fourfold to 260 metric tons in 2007 from 60 metric tons in 2004 as the government of President Hugo Chávez has systematically slashed its antinarcotics cooperation efforts with the U.S., according to the report.
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My Comment: As Venezuela goes through its slow motion economic/social decline .... drug smuggling and the corruption that always follows it will increase and grow.