Venezuela bombs drugs airstrips

Venezuelan authorities have launched a new operation against the illegal drugs trade by bombing secret airstrips in remote parts of the country.

The first runway to be destroyed was 15km (nine miles) from the Colombian border in the state of Apure.

Venezuela is often used as a transit point by traffickers sending Colombian cocaine to the US and Europe.

Washington has criticised Venezuela for not doing enough to combat the cocaine trade - a charge Venezuela denies.

The US state department, in its annual drugs report published in March, described Venezuela as one of the principal drug transit countries in the Western Hemisphere.

It accused the Venezuelan authorities of failing to co-operate fully in the international fight against drugs.

We are fulfilling our responsibility in the war against this scourge

Col Nestor Reverol
Venezuelan anti-drugs office

Success in tackling the illegal drugs trade in Colombia, the report said, was leading to a shift in trafficking patterns to countries like Venezuela, which suffer rampant high-level corruption and a weak judicial system.

The Venezuelan government rejects this, pointing to a number of initiatives and major seizures as proof that it is cracking down on the illegal trade.

The vast area of Los Llanos, which stretches east from the Colombian border, is very flat, making it ideal terrain for traffickers who can easily create improvised runways.

In the state of Apure state alone, Venezuelan authorities have found 157 landing strips and they estimate that there are hundreds more.

The objective of the bombing missions is to destroy them all, officials say.

Colonel Nestor Reverol, the director of Venezuela's National Anti-Drugs Office, says their action is proof of the country's commitment to tackling the drugs trade.

"We are fulfilling our responsibility in the war against this scourge," he said.

The authorities say the bombing operation will be backed up by a awareness and social programme aimed at the indigenous communities living in these remote parts of the country.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7322173.stm

The bombing of these airstrips should result in a diminshed drug flow onwards to Guyana and Suriname. It is not possible for these Columbian Cessnas and Pipers to fly to Essequibo without refueling in Venezuela.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Sunil,

The US Gov. maintains a naval presence off Aruba that tracks all light aircrafts and ships heading north off the Columbian and Venezuelan coast. A radar station or ship is needed on Tobago if the US hopes to halt the Columbians from flying East to Guyana and Suriname then North to the Dominican republic or Haiti...or from dropping their cargo to boats waiting in the Atlantic.

The US has been fighting a a drug war for the longest while with very little success. The jails are getting overcrowded and the number of drug addicts are increasing. The congress ought to take a closer look at the drug war and determine whether or policy is working or not.

quote:

Originally posted by Sunil:
The US Gov. maintains a naval presence off Aruba that tracks all light aircrafts and ships heading north off the Columbian and Venezuelan coast. A radar station or ship is needed on Tobago if the US hopes to halt the Columbians from flying East to Guyana and Suriname then North to the Dominican republic or Haiti...or from dropping their cargo to boats waiting in the Atlantic.

They fly low and over land most likely. This evades radar.

quote:

Originally posted by Billy Ram Balgobin:
The US has been fighting a a drug war for the longest while with very little success. The jails are getting overcrowded and the number of drug addicts are increasing. The congress ought to take a closer look at the drug war and determine whether or policy is working or not.

The US has been fighting a a drug war for the longest while with very little success. The congress ought to take a closer look at the drug war and determine whether or policy is working or not.

quote:

Originally posted by Mr.T:

quote:

Originally posted by Billy Ram Balgobin:
The US has been fighting a a drug war for the longest while with very little success. The jails are getting overcrowded and the number of drug addicts are increasing. The congress ought to take a closer look at the drug war and determine whether or policy is working or not.

The US has been fighting a a drug war for the longest while with very little success. The congress ought to take a closer look at the drug war and determine whether or policy is working or not.

I doubt whether they want it fully over or not. As long as it does not proliferate too far into sub-urban America, the will and drive is not there.

Drugs from Venezuela are transported to trinidad.

The Israeli system is a coastal defense radar for TT, it does nothing to detect aircrafts or ships heading north to the Dominican Republic or Haiti where 80% of the drugs entering US East Coast is dropped.

I noticed one of my previous post in this thread was deleted without explanation, the admin can't stand to see the Pee Pee Pee get some jamming.

Where is my post why was it deleted?

quote:

Originally posted by Eric's_Revenge:
I noticed one of my previous post in this thread was deleted without explanation, the admin can't stand to see the Pee Pee Pee get some jamming.

Where is my post why was it deleted?

Don't know why it was deleted, was some good info on the Israeli system.