Venezuela denies drug trafficking on the rise

Venezuela is denying Washington's accusations that drug trafficking has increased due to a lack of cooperation with the United States. Top anti-drug official Nestor Reverol Torres says Venezuelan authorities have confiscated 27 metric tons (29.7 U.S. tons) of drugs this year.
Reverol said the seizures include cocaine, marijuana, crack and heroin. Washington has said Venezuela is a key conduit for Colombian drugs going to the United States and Europe. But Venezuelan Vice Minister of Civil Security Tarek El Aissami said Thursday that Colombia's cocaine leaves mostly from its Pacific coast. The U.S. Embassy in Caracas said Wednesday that U.S. authorities intercepted a Venezuelan fishing vessel in the Caribbean Sea carrying 907 kilograms (2,000 pounds) of cocaine.