Venezuela deports suspected cocaine traffickers, paramilitary member to US, France, Colombia

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Venezuela deports suspected cocaine traffickers, paramilitary member to US, France, Colombia
By Associated Press
2:39 p.m. EST, February 2, 2010

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela deported alleged major drug traffickers to the U.S. and France on Tuesday, the country's top security official said.

Suspected Colombian drug kingpin Salomon Camacho Mora, French smuggling suspect Jean Marie Bonnamy and alleged Colombian paramilitary member Oscar Ospino were escorted to helicopters at Venezuela's secret police headquarters and ferried to the nation's main airport for deportation.

Camacho Mora was sent to the United States, Ospino to Colombia and Bonnamy to France.

Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami hailed the deportations as evidence that President Hugo Chavez's administration is effectively fighting drug trafficking, rejecting criticism from U.S. officials that Venezuela has failed to stem the flow of cocaine through its territory.

Read more: http://www.courant.com/news/nation-world/sns-ap-lt-venezuela-deportations,0,3602790.story

[Imajika]

1. Seems like Chavez...

...is following through on his pledge to fight drug trafficking - and doing so quite well of late from what I've read. Also doing this with minimal US intervention.

Got to give Chavez credit where credit due is here - so kudos to him on this one.

Thanks for posting this Judi. I generally come down on the anti-Chavez side of things quite often, but I am trying my best to be fair, keep an open mind and maybe learn a thing or two by following your (and others) forum posts.

[YouTakeTheSkyway]

2. Agreed n/t