Venezuela continues to harbor distrust of the DEA. As a result, it told Washington no go when it comes to cooperating in the war on drugs.
BY CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKERÂ Associated Press CARACAS — Venezuela on Sunday rejected U.S. requests to resume cooperation in the war on drugs, saying it has made progress despite an alleged fourfold-gain in the amount of Colombian cocaine now passing through its territory. In the latest barb-trading over the issue, Venezuela dismissed U.S. attempts to renew talks on drugs as ”useless and inopportune,” saying U.S. officials should focus on slashing demand for drugs at home rather than blaming setbacks on other nations’ supposed lack of cooperation. ”The anti-drug fight in Venezuela has shown significant progress during recent years, especially since the government ended official cooperation programs with the DEA,” Venezuela’s foreign ministry said in a statement. For Full Story