May 19, 2008 - Venezuela’s Armed Force (FAN), National Anti-drug Office (ONA) and other intelligence and security organizations carry on with Operación Boquete (Operation Hole), which has made possible to destroy 157 landing strips in Apure state (Venezuela’s southwest), and other 13 in Falcon (Venezuela’s northwest), used by drug trafficking networks.
Operación Boquete (Operation Hole) was launched in April in Apure state, where 157 clandestine landing strips built by drug trafficking networks were destroyed.
This operation also attacked a camp, where drugs were processed according to the Venezuelan authorities, and seized 103 kilograms of cocaine.
So far, 21 tons of drugs have been seized by the Bolivarian Government in different operations and 2,564 people have been arrested, including 143 foreigners.
The Officer in Command of the Operation Strategic Command (CEO, Spanish acronym), General Jesús Gonzalez, and the head of the Venezuelan Anti-drug Office (ONA, Spanish acronym), Colonel Nestor Reverol, stressed the Venezuelan State’s commitment to the fight against drugs.
According to Colonel Reverol, reports issued by the United Nations shows that Venezuela is ranking first in drug seizures in Latin America and third in the world.
Likewise, General Gonzalez Gonzalez said that Venezuela is making more efforts and further committing to fight this criminal business.
“This work is carried out within the framework of the domestic effort to face drug trafficking: we have made an extraordinary effort and we’ll continue doing so. We have conducted successful operations in Apure and Tachira states (Venezuela’s southwest) and we have already identified other spaces where we are going to act.”
In the next weeks, they will undertake this operation in other states: Anzoátegui and Monagas (northeast), and Delta Amacuro and Amazonas (northeast and south).
Maneuvers in Falcón
The Venezuelan Armed Force (FAN) and other organizations detected 13 illegal landing strips in Falcon state.
According to Admiral Robert Fernández, Officer in Command of the Falcon’s Garrison, the population has recovered trust in the security organizations and become an agent denouncing drug trafficking. “Drug seizures have been achieved thanks to the information we have received.”
The FAN, the ONA and the Public Ministry deployed around 300 men and women to participate in this operation.
Modernization: Just and Necessary
Gonzalez explained the FAN needs to be modernized regarding military equipment in order to carry on with these anti-drug programs. That’s the reason why “it is completely false that Venezuela is in an arms race. The FAN is in a modernization process: the rifles, helicopters, planes and tanks are very old. The newest tanks are 18 years old, the helicopters 12 and the rifles are older.”
He mentioned the importance of buying helicopters, airplanes and rifles to the security and defense of the country: “The new helicopters have been used against drug trafficking and we are going to get a bigger purchase because 18 are not enough for the number of tasks we must undertake.”
Likewise, he pointed out that if Venezuela had more tools, these tasks could be undertaken more often.
Soon, Chinese surveillance and reconnaissance airplanes similar to Brazil’s Super Tucanos will arrive in Venezuela.
The Venezuelan military official said that the United States is trying to discredit Venezuela because it says we do not fight drug trafficking, but, on the contrary, it refuses to sell us the necessary tools to undertake this task, not to mention that it does not let other countries such as Spain and Brazil to sell us military equipment because they have U.S. technology.
“The FAN’s modernization is a social and institutional commitment,” he explained.
Thanks to the recently-purchased Russian helicopters, we have been bale to conduct Operación Boquete (Operation Hole) and Operación Sierra (Operation Saw) and we have achieved successful results. “There’s no a single square meter sown with illegal crops on Venezuelan soil.”
Surveillance Airplanes and Radars
The Venezuelan government bought 10 radars from China, and has installed 3 of them (two in Falcon state and one in Apure state).
The other seven will arrive before the end of the year.
“We are going to have total control over our airspace; we are going to accurately know what aircraft go into our airspace, and where they are heading in order to force them to land,” said Gonzalez.
Anti-drug National Plan 2008-2013
Colonel Reverol informed that they drew a plan to fight drug trafficking, as well as use and abuse of drugs. Such plan is waiting for its approval in the Cabinet Meeting and it highlights the participation of the communities, through the Community Councils, by playing a preventive and educative role.
This National Plan includes three guidelines: the reduction of supply, social integrated prevention and international cooperation.
“We are increasing international cooperation in order to create cooperation agreements allowing us to share information in real time,” he explained.
On the other hand, Reverol stressed that Venezuela has signed over 50 cooperation agreements to fight drugs with many countries. He ratified that Venezuela just endorses agreements that respect the peoples’ sovereignty and self-determination.
Finally, the ONA’s director added that the new anti-drug plan includes a social component: humanism and social inclusion.
By Dexy García / Ministry of People’s Power for Communication and Information (MinCI)