MEXICO CITY -- When Mario Anguiano successfully ran for mayor of Colima three years ago, no one much cared that his brother and cousin were in prison on drug charges. Now that he's running for governor of Colima state, a banner appeared in the capital city mocking Anguiano's family ties by linking him to the Zetas, a gang of drug hit men: "Welcome to Colima! Soon to be territory of our boss of bosses, Mario Anguiano Moreno. The Zetas support you, and we are with you until death." [continues 1156 words]
MEXICO CITY - Throngs of frustrated people across Mexico, many carrying pictures of kidnapped loved ones, marched Saturday evening to demand that authorities act to stop the tide of killings, abductions and shootouts. The mass protests were a challenge to the government of President Felipe Calderon, who has made fighting crime a top priority and deployed more than 25,000 soldiers and federal police against powerful drug cartels. A sea of white-clad demonstrators carrying candles filled the 2.5-mile route between Mexico City's Angel of Independence monument and the main Zocalo square. [continues 414 words]
CARACAS, VENEZUELA Two U.S. congressmen defended their country's efforts to combat drug trafficking in the Andean region against concerns that the United States isn't doing enough to reduce drug consumption at home. At an Andean Parliament summit on drug trafficking Wednesday, Rep. Mark Souder of Indiana said there is a "misnomer that the United States is only pointing the finger" at drug-producing nations, spending too much money on fighting drug trafficking and too little on reducing demand at home. [continues 430 words]
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Two U.S. congressmen defended their country's efforts to combat drug trafficking in the Andean region, against criticism that the United States isn't doing enough to fight drugs at home. At the Andean Parliament summit on drug trafficking Wednesday, Rep. Cass Ballenger of North Carolina and Rep. Mark Souder of Indiana answered concerns that the United States is spending too much money on fighting drug trafficking and too little on reducing demand. There is a "misnomer that the United States is only pointing the finger" at drug producing nations, Souder told representatives of the Andean Parliament, which includes Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela. [continues 311 words]
Andean nations are seeking a common approach to free trade and illegal drugs - issues some leaders in the turbulent region complain are too often dominated by U.S. policy. Leaders of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela will meet this weekend to discuss ways to combat narcotics trafficking in the world's largest cocaine-producing region. One goal is to prevent eradication of drug crops in one country from driving growers into neighboring states, said Victor Rico, who heads the Community of Andean Nations, a subregional organization. [continues 325 words]
(08-25) 14:40 PDT UPATA, Venezuela (AP) -- For nearly two years, a nondescript abandoned farm house in the remote eastern jungles of Venezuela served as a sanctuary for an international drug gang smuggling Colombian cocaine to Europe and the United States. This week, Venezuelan and international anti-drug agents finally outwitted the cartel, seizing a record 10 tons of cocaine and arresting at least 16 people in an operation that has been a source of pride for a country at odds with the United States over anti-narcotics flights. [continues 607 words]
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Security forces seized 2.5 tons of cocaine in a remote jungle corner of northeastern Venezuela during a continuing international drug crackdown that is the largest in the nation's history, officials said. National Guard officials discovered the haul Tuesday night after a fresh series of raids on businesses in the jungle region along the eastern delta of the Orinoco River. Last week, Venezuelan and foreign agents recovered a record 5 tons of cocaine in the Orinoco jungle and arrested 14 people in three countries in an international effort to disband the Los Mellizos drug band. The raids are a result of an eight-month investigation, financed in part by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Security forces used telephone bugging equipment, three planes, three helicopters and eight boats. [continues 245 words]
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Security forces raided houses, businesses and farms in a remote Venezuelan jungle Monday after intercepting a record five tons of cocaine and arresting at least 14 people in an international drug bust, authorities said. The National Guard said it could recover more cocaine on a jungle island in the middle of the Orinoco River of eastern Delta Amacuro state. It also said more arrests are possible as efforts to disband the international drug ring Los Mellizos continue. "At this very moment we are raiding a business in Delta Amacuro. We could have more results tomorrow or the day after. We are only in the middle of the operation," Gen. Antonio Alizo, head of the National Guard's anti-drug unit, told The Associated Press. [continues 346 words]