The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, exercising its full sovereignty, strongly rejects the U.S. government’s dreadful and lying accusations against the Bolivarian Government of not cooperating against illicit drug-trafficking.   

The attacks of the U.S. empire to the policies developed by the Hugo Chávez’s revolutionary government to fight against drug-trafficking show, one more time, that the U.S. –violating the international principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of states– acts against the self-determination of the people of Venezuela. Furthermore, it violates the basic principles of international relations.

Negative assessments regarding institutions of the Venezuelan state are inadmissible, since the U.S. administration has no the sources for its information, but rather creates percentages and tendencies built upon falseness and manipulation.     

Therefore, it is necessary to point out the advances of our revolution in this area, achieved by the implementation of sovereign policies within the framework of international shared responsibility. Some of the actions are:

* More than 60 tons of drugs seized in 2009.
* More than 8,000 people were charged illicit drug-trafficking crimes.
* Fourteen drug-traffickers linked to international criminal organizations were captured, out of which 4 were granted to U.S. authorities.
* Twenty six drug laboratories were disabled right near the Colombia border.
* For fourth consecutive year, it was declared the inexistence of illicit drug cultivations in the Venezuelan border, right across the world’s biggest cocaine producer.   
* More than 456 properties of criminal organizations were seized, amounting US $116,279,069.
* Eleven maritime drug interdictions were carried out in international waters with foreign authorities, six of them with U.S. authorities.       
* Three crime laboratories, ten drug incineration centers and five non-intrusive systems for international airports were built.
* More than 130,000 Venezuelans were trained on integral prevention of drug consumption.
* Eighteen K8 aircrafts were purchased to intercept illicit flights.
* Ten radars were activated for the surveillance of the Venezuelan airspace.    
* Creation of the National Anti-Drug Fund to finance the government’s prevention policies and programs.
* Creation of illicit drug orientation tests for police departments and fabrication of crime investigation kits for drug seizures, considering that the U.S. refused to sell them to Venezuela.
* Ratification of several international agreements and commitments, including the XIX Meeting of the Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies (HONLEA), where the United Nations recognized the work developed by Venezuela in the fight against drug-trafficking.

Finally, we reject the revealed intention of the U.S. empire to internationally discredit Venezuela, the Bolivarian Revolution and the image of President Hugo Chávez and reiterate the unquestionable development of the policies and results achieved by the Venezuelan agencies, recognized by the international community.

* Bolivarian News Agency (ABN) / March 2, 2010