Politics According to Tarek El Aissami, Venezuela's Minister of Interior and Justice, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) "is an accomplice of and is engaged with the main international drug cartels."

El Aissami compared the work of Venezuela's National Anti-drug Office (ONA) with the activities of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) upon leaving a meeting with transportation leaders.

"They (the DEA) know the names of the US drug-traffickers but the US authorities have not implemented any effective measures against these mafias in their territory."

The minister explained that Venezuela is making "huge" efforts to arrest the leaders of drug cartels as well as drugs distribution and use. El-Aissami wondered why the United States had not made similar efforts.