actions connected with laundering of drug proceeds. The Venezuelan military has continued to focus resources on eradication of opium poppy cultivated in a small area in the mountainous Serrania de Perij region on the northern part of Venezuela's border with Colombia. In 1998 the military conducted two eradication operations in this area including one in conjunction with spray aircraft from INL. Eradication operations reduced opium cultivation to less than 50 hectares in 1998. The military has established as a priority a program of regular eradication operations against cultivators (who cross over from Colombia) to prevent expansion of cultivation in this area. Working in conjunction with U.S. law enforcement officials at the U.S. Embassy, Venezuela expelled several third-country nationals wanted for drug trafficking or money laundering either to the U.S. or to third countries in 1998. One prominent case involved a convicted Trinidadian drug smuggler who escaped to Venezuela in late September from a prison in Trinidad. Working with DEA, the Venezuelan authorities captured and expelled the smuggler to Trinidad in less than one week. In another case, an important Dominican narcotics trafficker wanted in the Dominican Republic was arrested and expelled to that country from Venezuela in April in a joint DEA-Venezuelan operation. These cases demonstrate Venezuela's readiness to cooperate on the transfer of non-Venezuelan narco-traffickers for trial in other countries. However, no progress was made in updating the 1922 bilateral extradition treaty to allow for the extradition of Venezuelan nationals. The U.S. Customs Service Business Anti-Smuggling Coalition (BASC) Program continued its outreach programs to the private sector in 1998. Venezuelan business response to this program has been extremely strong and the program conducted seminars with more than 100 companies on methods to use to avoid infiltration of drugs in shipments to the U.S. In ...
