With the aim of strengthening ties on anti-narcotics cooperation, Venezuela and the UK sealed a Memorandum of Understanding in the struggle against narcotics, during a ceremony which took place on the premises of the National Counter Narcotics Office (ONA) on Thursday,  8 October 2009.

On the British side, the document was signed by Foreign Affairs Vice Minister for the Americas Chris Bryant and, on the Venezuelan side, by the Director General of the governing body on the subject of narcotics,  Néstor Reverol.

Also present at this important act were the Vice Minister for Europe from the People's Ministry for Foreign Relations Alejandro Fleming, Her Majesty's Ambassador to Venezuela Catherine Royle, and the Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in the United Kingdom Samuel Moncada.

Vice Minister Chris Bryant said that his country supports the Venezuelan Government in the struggle against drug trafficking, conscious that British and European users in general are part of the drugs problem suffered by Latin America. Likewise, he indicated that the countries in this hemisphere producing the cocaine bound for the United Kingdom are precisely Peru and Colombia. Nevertheless, Venezuela is used as a bridge for these criminal activities.

To this effect, the British high-ranking official referred to the use and trafficking of drugs that not only affects the European population, but  the whole world.  Also, he mentioned the crimes that these unlawful activities unleash, such as violence, human rights violations, and populations that are threatened by organisations dedicated to drug trafficking.

Director General of the National Counter Narcotics Office Nestor Reverol, on his part, highlighted that every day that goes by Venezuela is strengthening  its  cooperation in the framework of shared responsibility, which allows an exchange of information in real time and joint operations with other nations.  

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