"OPINION - It is the responsibility of the U.S. Government to ensure that illicit drugs do not enter the U.S. and to ensure that those countries and narcotraffickers involved in the illicit drug business are prevented from bringing these illicit drugs into the U.S., for the sole purpose of inflicting harm on our people and enriching themselves."
"In , about 73 million Americans aged 12 and above reported using an illicit drug, with 28.2 million Americans having a drug use disorder. In 2023, over 587,000 Americans in this age group had a heroin use disorder and by 2024, about 1.3 million Americans had a cocaine use disorder. Clearly, the U.S. has a drug problem that's principally affecting our younger generation."
"Venezuela does not produce large quantities of cocaine, but it is in key air and sea routes (to the Caribbean or Atlantic coast) used by the Colombian trafficking organizations, like the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, a Marxist-Leninist guerrilla group) and other dissident groups and independent drug cartels. This has made Venezuela a significant hub for drug trafficking, principally for Colombian cocaine destined for the U.S., Europe or West Africa. In 2005, then President Hugo Chavez the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) from Venezuela, claiming DEA was using counter-narcotics for intelligence collection purposes. This allegation was obviously false, but it then permitted Venezuela to traffic in drugs with literally no U.S. oversight."
The U.S. Government has the duty to stop illicit drugs from entering the country and to prevent countries and narcotraffickers from bringing drugs that harm Americans and enrich traffickers. About 73 million Americans aged 12 and above reported using an illicit drug, with 28.2 million having a drug use disorder; over 587,000 had a heroin use disorder in 2023 and about 1.3 million had a cocaine use disorder by 2024. Heroin, fentanyl (using precursor chemicals and equipment largely from companies in China), and methamphetamine come mainly from Mexico. Colombia produces most cocaine, smuggled via maritime routes or overland through Central America and Mexico. Venezuela occupies key air and sea routes used by Colombian trafficking organizations, making it a significant hub for cocaine destined for the U.S., Europe, or West Africa. In 2005, then-President Hugo Chavez expelled the DEA from Venezuela, a move that the article asserts permitted drug trafficking with little U.S. oversight. Several Venezuelan generals and high-ranking military officials are described as deeply involved in facilitating cocaine shipments from Colombia through Venezuela.
Read at The Cipher Brief
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