Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro addressed news reports linking him to drug trafficking after Brazilian authorities intercepted a small plane carrying cannabis from Venezuela. At a press conference with international media, he stated: “In Venezuela, it is still illegal and will remain illegal. In Venezuela, we will not fall into the foolish trend of legalizing any drug,” as shared by La Patilla.
The Chavista leader flatly denied claims that his country produces or exports cannabis. “If you want to look for marijuana, look for it in the United States, which is producing synthetic super-cannabis, and the production and consumption of marijuana in the United States is legal. How can you point to Venezuela? You have no morals,” the president added.
The Venezuelan president also mentioned fentanyl in the same tone. “Synthetic drugs are more destructive and deadly than any other known drugs. Like fentanyl: they can’t even accuse Venezuela of a single fentanyl pill. They must have thought about it; saying, ‘We’re going to accuse Venezuela of being guilty of fentanyl,’ they must have thought about it,” Maduro complained.
The background to Maduro’s statements is a Brazilian Air Force operation on September 10, when a Beechcraft 58 Baron aircraft from Venezuela was picked up on radar after entering Brazilian airspace without authorization, as reported by Primera Edición Col.
The pilot’s refusal to obey the instructions of the A-29 Super Tucano fighter jets triggered a low-altitude chase over the Amazon rainforest. Finally, the pilot attempted a water landing in a dam in the municipality of Presidente Figueiredo, where he crash-landed before escaping. Authorities reported finding 380 kilos (about 840 pounds) of cannabis inside.”
The incident comes amid growing U.S. militarization in the region. Washington has increased its presence in the Caribbean: five F-35 fighter jets were deployed to the Ceiba base in Puerto Rico as part of anti-drug operations; warships, nuclear submarines, and around 4,000 Marines stationed in the Southern Caribbean, conducting air and maritime surveillance near the Venezuelan coast.
At the same time, the US has carried out strikes on vessels allegedly linked to Venezuela: on September 2, it sank a boat that, according to Washington, was transporting narcotics from the Tren de Aragua group, reportedly leaving 11 people dead. Days later, Washington announced another strike that killed three more.
This article was first published on El Planteo.
Photo by Cancillería del Ecuador from Ecuador, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
<p>The post ‘We Will Never Legalize It’: Venezuela’s President Slams Weed and Calls Out the US first appeared on High Times.</p>
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