Venezuela criticizes US anti-drug operations and advocates for a focus on the Pacific.
Delcy Rodríguez states that Venezuelan territory is not a major drug trafficking route.
247 - During an international press conference held this Monday (8), the Executive Vice President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, questioned the United States' strategy in combating drug trafficking. The information was released by Telesur. Delcy Rodríguez highlighted that, if the real objective was to stop the entry of drugs into US territory, military operations should be concentrated in the Pacific Ocean, the main entry route for cocaine.
According to the Venezuelan leader, "if there were room for coordinated international activity with the countries involved, the focus should be on the Pacific, if they really didn't want these drugs to reach the United States." She emphasized that Venezuela is not a priority route for international trafficking and highlighted the data from national operations in 2024.
Fighting drug trafficking without the DEA
The vice president compared the current results with the period when the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) operated in the country. According to her, Venezuela's performance has been superior since the agency left.
“When we compare the performance that existed when the DEA was in Venezuela with the performance without the DEA, we know that we are doing better,” she stated. According to her, Venezuelan authorities seized and destroyed 56 tons of drugs in 2024 alone.This demonstrates the effectiveness of the actions taken by the national government.
Venezuela rejects being a transit route.
The vice president stressed that Venezuela has been making "extraordinary efforts" to prevent the territory from being used as a transit point, for the cultivation or storage of illicit substances.
"Venezuela has performed extraordinarily well in containing the pressure from drug-producing countries to prevent this territory from becoming a drug transit area," he stated.
Delcy Rodríguez also highlighted that the data reinforces Venezuela's commitment to international regulatory frameworks and cooperation with other nations that share the goal of eradicating drug trafficking.
International pressure and health crisis in the US
Reinforcing her argument, the Venezuelan leader recalled that the United States is facing a serious public health crisis, marked by a high rate of overdose deaths. In this context, she insisted that international resources and operations should be redirected to the Pacific, a region through which, according to her assessment, most of the narcotics destined for the United States circulate.
Delcy Rodríguez's statement, therefore, reaffirms the Venezuelan government's position of rejecting the idea that the country is a strategic link in the drug trafficking chain and seeks to reposition the debate on the effectiveness of global anti-drug policies.
