Politics  

The governments of Spain and Venezuela will increase their cooperation efforts to fight drug trafficking, announced on Friday Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos.

Moratinos said that his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolás Maduro, "proposed the Spanish government to work together to counter illicit drug trafficking." He also added that "a high-level Spanish delegation will travel to Venezuela to expand cooperation," AFP reported.  

"In recent years, Venezuela has been declared a territory free of drug production," said Maduro at a press conference. He added: "Venezuela is now a marginal transit country."  

Spain is the main gateway to Europe of cocaine produced in Latin America. In August, two Venezuelan drug dealers were arrested in Barcelona,  Spain, during the "most important police operation carried out this year", in which 1.4 tons of cocaine were seized, according to Spanish police. 

Ending July, a Venezuelan ship with 2.5 tons of cocaine was intercepted on the high seas in the Atlantic Ocean.