Fausta's Blog

American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture

June 9, 2009 By Fausta

Run silent, run deep: 15 Minutes on Latin America

submersible

In today’s podcast, the WaPo’s report on submersibles and the drug trade.

Related stories from 2007:
Venezuela’s Chavez says may buy submarines
Venezuela strikes £500m deal to buy Russian submarines
· Fleet would help Chávez thwart future US embargo
· Sale to worsen relations between Putin and Bush

Jawa shows these are the Russian subs Chavez is buying:

Unlike nuke boats, the Kilos rely on diesel-electric power for propulsion so they must regularly operate on the surface or at snorkel-depth to run the diesels. Therefore, their operating capabilities are limited. Yet, they are sneaky bastards that could cause trouble by exploiting weaknesses.

kilo-class-type-636

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Filed Under: Caribbean, cocaine, Colombia, crime, drugs, Russia, Venezuela Tagged With: Fausta's blog

May 6, 2009 By Fausta

Spain’s El País: Venezuela offers sanctuary to the FARC

<i>FARC members captured by Colombian army</i>” title=”1241565569_0″ width=”300″ height=”196″ class=”size-medium wp-image-12178″ /></a><figcaption id=FARC members captured by Colombian army

According to this report at Spain’s daily El País, Venezuela is now serving as sanctuary for the FARC’s top leaders. My article Venezuela Offers Sanctuary to FARC, is now up at Real Clear World. Please go read it and leave a comment.

rcwlogo_sec

This was also the subject of this morning’s podcast. You can listen to the archived podcast here.

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Filed Under: cocaine, Colombia, Hugo Chavez, Spain, Venezuela Tagged With: Fausta's blog

May 3, 2009 By Fausta

Surely Jimmy Carter can’t be that stupid,

can he?

mrpeanut

Jimmy Carter reported to accept coca invitation from Evo Morales

Let’s hope it’s a hoax.

UPDATE
Well, it’s starting to look like Jimmy really is. El Universal also has the story:

“Puesto que el presidente Morales ha venido a mi propiedad y evidentemente ha cosechado algunos maníes, yo espero que en mi próxima visita pueda ir al Chapare, donde él me va a llevar a cosechar hojas de coca”, respondió Carter, lo que también arrancó una mueca de felicidad en Morales.
(my translation:)
“Since president Morales has come to my property and evidently harvested some peanuts, I hope that in my next visit I can go to Chapare, where he’ll take me to harvest coca leaves,” replied Carter, which brought out a smile on Morales.”

Best Friends Forever!

(h/t Larwyn & Ronald Saucedo M)

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Filed Under: Bolivia, cocaine, Evo Morales, Jimmy Carter Tagged With: Fausta's blog

January 25, 2009 By Fausta

Mexico’s Ominous Drug Wars

UPDATE
Bomb found in Laredo TX border bridge

El Universal reports that a bomb was found on the bridge between Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, and Laredo, TX. The bomb was detonated by American firemen. The controlled explosion was strong enough to shake the bridge.
The bridge, which is used by 12 million people annually, was later reopened.
——————————————————————–

mexicopozero1-24-9
My latest article, Mexico’s Ominous Drug Wars is up at Real Clear World Blog. Please read it and leave a comment.

Recent posts on Mexico:
“U.S. military report warns ’sudden collapse’ of Mexico is possible”
Report: Drug cartels move beyond borders
From the Mexican war zone: Kidnapping Negotiator Is Now a Victim in Mexico
Nuclear Latin America: Today’s 15 Minutes on Latin America

Related podcasts:
The JOE 08 Report on Mexico
Mexico’s Drug Cartels

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Filed Under: cocaine, drugs, Mexico Tagged With: Fausta's blog, Real Clear World, Real Clear World Blog

September 12, 2008 By Fausta

The US replies to Chavez and expels the Venezuelan ambassador to the US; Honduras joins in the fray. Oil drops.

In response to Chavez’s outburst yesterday where he insulted the US ambassador to Venezuela and requested he leave, the US State Department announced Friday it has informed Venezuela’s ambassador to Washington that “he will be expelled” in retaliation for the expulsion of the US envoy to Caracas.

Noticias24 has it in Spanish.

Of course, Chavez has not halted oil exports to the US, in spite of all his threats.

Worth noting,

The move was announced after the US Treasury said Friday it was freezing any US assets of two senior Venezuelan officials and a former official after accusing them of aiding Colombian rebels involved in drug trafficking.

Simon Romero points out that the drug trade is at the core of the dispute:

The United States and Venezuela have been sparring over a variety of issues, like claims that Venezuela is growing as a transshipment point for cocaine, Mr. Chávez’s plans for military exercises with Russia’s navy in the Caribbean and the safety of Venezuela’s airports for American airlines.

The Chávez government said Thursday that it would reduce the number of flights by airlines from the United States to Venezuela, which now number about 70 a week, after the Bush administration complained that American inspectors were not allowed to review the security of Venezuelan airports.

The airline issue offers a window into tension over claims of drug trafficking, with news reports here saying that government officials are hesitant to allow inspectors into facilities thought to be used to smuggle cocaine to the United States and Europe.

This week the US also froze the assets of two senior Venezuelan officials it accuses of aiding the FARC, and imposed sanctions on a third, all members of Chavez’s inner circle.

Bolivia was first. Honduras is now joining in the fray:

Expulsions stoke US-LatAm dispute

A series of tit-for-tat expulsions has left the US without ambassadors in three Latin American countries.

Bolivia and Venezuela have expelled their US envoys, accusing Washington of trying to oust Bolivia’s government.

Washington has responded by throwing out envoys from Bolivia and Venezuela and freezing the assets of three aides to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Meanwhile, Honduras has refused the credentials of a new US ambassador, postponing his appointment.
…
Now Honduran President Manuel Zelaya has refused to accept the credentials of a new US ambassador.

“We are not breaking relations with the United States. We only are [doing this] is solidarity with Morales, who has denounced the meddling of the United States in Bolivia’s internal affairs,” Mr Zelaya said.

In a rare display of what passes for moderation,

In a separate development, Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega said he supports Bolivia, but did not announce whether he would take any action against the US envoy in Managua.

The Russians are flying Blackjacks over the region while three Latin American countries are suspending ambassadors. You would think people would be talking about this.

You would be wrong.

It’s up to the bloggers, again.

Venezuela News and Views sees the alleged assasination plot as a ploy for internal consumption. The Devil’s Excrement notices that

Baduel has been saying for months that Chavez was going to create disturbances that would allow him to justify the postponement of the upcoming November 23 regional elections.

If Chavez is going through all these contortions for that purpose, he must be in much worse shape that anyone ever thought.

And adding to his troubles, the price of oil is now at $100, after falling below $100 a barrel in New York today for the first time since April. No matter the Russians, the diplomats, or hurricane Ike.

I dare predict that if oil falls to $80, Hugo’s gone.

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Filed Under: Bolivia, Caribbean, cocaine, Honduras, Hugo Chavez, Latin America, oil, Russia, Venezuela Tagged With: Fausta's blog

April 4, 2007 By Fausta

When I die…

… make sure to keep Keith Richards away from my ashes.

Separated at birth?


I post, you decide.

Update, Thursday, 5 April: And don’t turn me into a lifetime supply of pencils, either.

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Filed Under: cocaine, drugs, entertainment, music, news, Sigmund Carl and Alfred

February 7, 2007 By Fausta

More cocaine caught. Port of origin: Venezuela

Aleksander Boyd has the details: Mexico: 1 ton of cocaine seized, port of origin Venezuela

Mexican daily El Universal reports that nearly a ton of cocaine was seized aboard a plane arriving from Venezuela in Mexico City’s International Airport: 25 pieces of luggage -from flight 374 of Mexicana de Aviacion- were detected containing the drugs.

Alek’s RCP article on The Venezuela Connection explains the context of the situation:

Venezuela, under Hugo Chavez’s tenure, has become, for all intents and purposes, a gangster’s paradise. Drug traffickers, wanted terrorists and criminals seem to be able to live quite comfy under the lenient watch of a Venezuelan administration that has characterized itself for being totally immersed in the destruction of the country’s institutions and international agreements to which it once formed part. As Chavez’s savage political discourse rules the official agenda, activities destined to arrest activities of organized crime are nearing irrelevancy. For instance the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) was kicked out of Venezuela on August 2005, under the spurious and unsubstantiated charges that its staff was a) spying and b) involved in drug trafficking, as denounced by Hugo Chavez himself. Since 1999, military and DEA over flights are forbidden in Venezuela. Arguing violations to the country’s sovereignty, the president suspended monitoring of drug trade activities by US agencies.

Statistics reveal a correlation between Venezuela’s lax policies vis-à-vis drug trafficking and the substantial increment of large seizures of narcotics by international authorities. It seems that the Chavez administration is hell bent in providing safe haven and support to Colombian narco-guerrillas, which some believe have succeeded the former cartels in the production, trans-shipment, international commercialization and related operational aspects of the drug trade. The capture in Caracas of FARC leader Rodrigo Granda on December 13 2004 shed light upon the rather cozy relationship between top guerrilla leaders and Venezuelan officials. Granda, who was granted Venezuelan citizenship by the present administration according to former president of Congress Cristóbal Fernández Daló, had been, at the time of capture, living in Venezuela for a while. His wife and step-daughter entered Venezuela thanks to the assistance and explicit orders of former Chavez’s Minister of Interior, Ramón Rodríguez Chacín. It is worth bearing in mind that Colombia is, after the US, Venezuela’s second largest commercial partner. That fact notwithstanding, Hugo Chavez brought diplomatic and commercial relationships to a halt over the capture of Granda.

Last April I posted on the Caribbean drug trade originating from Venezuelan ports and airports.

As I said then, Hugo needs money for financing his “Bolivarian Revolution”, i.e., his desire to control all of Latin America’s politics. For that he needs money. A huge amount of money. The drug trade is one source.

Update
American Thinker is also posting on the story.
Also on Venezuela, Gustavo Coronel’s article, Ahmadinejad and Chavez Ride a Downward Spiral

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Filed Under: Caribbean, cocaine, Hugo Chavez, politics, Venezuela

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