Venezuela To Sue U.S. At
OAS Over Drug
Accusations
Venezuela's government
announced Tuesday that
it aimed to sue the
United States at the
Organization of American
States (OAS) over its
"baseless charges"
against Caracas'
drug-fighting efforts.
Venezuela's ambassador
to the OAS will present
the case and "denounce
the belligerence of the
U.S.," said Nestor
Reverol, chief of the
National Anti-Drug
Office.
He will also call on
Washington to "stop
using the fight against
drugs as a political
weapon," said Reverol.
He made the comments in
response to statements
by the director of U.S.
National Drug Control
Policy (ONDCP), John
Walters, during a recent
visit to Venezuela's
neighbor, Colombia.
Speaking to press after
meeting with Colombia's
president Alvaro Uribe,
Walters said,
"Venezuela's president,
Hugo Chavez, has become
a major facilitator for
the trafficking of
cocaine to other nations
on this continent and to
Europe."
Such remarks were deemed
an act of "aggression"
against the Venezuelan
government, Reverol
said.
Venezuela busted 11 drug
laboratories, each
capable of producing one
ton of cocaine a month,
and seized 52 tons of
drugs in 2007, the third
largest worldwide, said
Reverol, adding that a
total of 4,000 people
linked to drug trading
were arrested in the
year.
Over 50 laws have been
passed in Venezuela to
step up the fight
against drug crime,
according to the
official.
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