23,901 kilos of drugsAlmost 24 tons of narcotics have been seized in the first half of 2023, as a result of all the operations carried out by security agencies in the fight against drug trafficking in all its forms, the National Anti-Drug Superintendent highlighted on Monday, Major General Richard Lopez Vargas.
During a television interview, López Vargas highlighted that these seizures have been effective thanks to the operations in which the Strategic Operational Command of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (Ceofanb), the police, the Scientific, Criminal and Criminal Investigations Corps ( CICPC), security forces that maintain a permanent deployment of investigation, monitoring and the pattern of police investigation in Venezuela that is very effective because it goes to the structure of the organization, let us remember that “we have always been a country that intends to be used as a transit for drug trafficking.
preventive front
It is important to note that “Venezuela has a preventive front that permanently develops activities in the cultural, educational and sports fields to prevent drug use,” said the Superintendent.
He noted that induction activities have been carried out towards each educational level, with regional and local coordination, according to the level.
He highlighted that 9,138 activities have been carried out during the first quarter of 2023, in national deployment, at the municipal and regional levels.
In this sense, he said that the Ministry for Interior Relations, Justice and Peace is a fundamental entity because it works in an articulated way, with the objective of permanently carrying out preventive activities in all cultural, educational and sports spaces of the country.
“In the inductions that are carried out with the local and regional coordination, the boys are informed of the consequences of drug use,” he said.
UNODC report
This Monday, Venezuela awaits the final report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which establishes global monitoring of behavior in all States in anti-drug matters.
“Venezuela, as always, and I say it with pride, setting the standard in the fight against the illicit use of drugs. On this day, we are waiting for the crime report and the anti-drug crime, where drug monitoring is established. We are clear that Venezuela comes out very well strengthened in all aspects after all the work and tasks that have been carried out”, he said.
Two years of creation: more scope
López Vargas recalled that the superintendency has been created for two years, before it was the National Anti-drug Office.
After being promoted to the Superintendence, “we now have more outreach capacity, from the institutional point of view, exchange, a drug analysis center that did not exist, which has national and international coordination,” he said.
“When President Maduro elevates the office to the Superintendency, the responsibilities and tasks immediately increase. Now we have greater capacity and scope for inter-institutional exchange and an operational center for national and international coordination”, he added.
He said that Venezuela has carried out 256 activities and international connections “with the countries with which we have a direct and effective connection with Mexico, Spain, France and Italy, and we exchange information and connections. The important thing is that once the exchange is given the result”.
The Superintendent highlighted the active participation of Venezuela in the different international institutions related to the control and management of narcotics.
“We have connections with all the anti-drug authorities in the world, we represent the National Superintendence of Venezuela there, there is the United Nations office against drugs and crime, the International Board for the Control of Latin American Narcotics and the European Union”, stressed.
