2005:  President Chavez Accused the DEA of Spying and Suspended Cooperation  

The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) operated in Venezuela in the 1990s under agreements signed with the Venezuelan government. DEA agents were given diplomatic immunity, they could carry weapons, fly reconnaissance missions above Venezuela and, on their own, make arrests. The DEA had a floor of offices in the building that housed Venezuela’s anti-drug trafficking agency and no Venezuelans were allowed in.

Hugo Chavez was elected President of Venezuela in 1998. In 1999, he suspended DEA’s authority to fly reconnaissance missions over the Country. Chavez stated explicitly that he would not allow what he regarded as a violation of his country’s sovereignty.[1] Venezuela continued to cooperate with DEA and was certified by President Bush1999-2004 for adhering to its obligations under international narcotics control agreements. Drug seizures doubled after Chavez’s election.

In August 2005 Chavez suspended Venezuela’s cooperation with the DEA alleging that DEA agents were spying on Venezuela. US officials asserted that the accusations were “baseless and outrageous.” [2] The US revoked visas for three Venezuelan officers. [3] Venezuela announced that it would no longer grant diplomatic immunity for DEA agents [4] In September 2005, President Bush designated Venezuela as a country that had failed demonstrably to adhere to its obligations under international narcotics agreements. [2] Venezuelan officials maintained that Bush’s decision was purely political and had nothing to do with Venezuela’s actions against drugs.[2]

On August 18, 2006, The Director of National Intelligence, John Negroponte, announced the establishment of the position of Mission Manager for Cuba and Venezuela responsible for integrating collection and analysis across the US Intelligence community [5] The only other countries with Mission Managers were Iran and North Korea. Although DEA was not officially part of the US Intelligence Community, it regularly provided information on foreign countries to the National Security Agency (NSA) [6].

Press reports in late June and July 2006 indicated that the US and Venezuela were on the verge of signing a new anti-drug agreement that would allow the DEA to continue working in Venezuela [2] Venezuelan officials said that the Agreement needed to be rewritten to not allow DEA agents to act on their own. However, in August 2006, Venezuelan officials said they were reconsidering signing the agreement in response to Negroponte’s announcement[2].The new agreement was never signed. Chavez stated that DEA agents were not needed in Venezuela. Drug seizures in Venezuela increased following the suspension of the agreement with DEA.  


 

1.      New York Times, Pullout from Panama and Venezuelan Reluctance Leave Gap in US Air War on Drugs, August 14, 1999

2.      Congressional Research Service, Venezuela: Political Conditions and US Policy, Updated, September 4, 2007.

3.      New York Times, US Revokes Visas for 3 Top-Ranking Venezuelan Officers Suspected of Drug Trafficking, August 13, 2005.

4.      Venezuelanalysis, Venezuela to Deny Diplomatic Immunity to DEA Agents, August 15, 2005

5.      Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Mission Manager for Cuba and Venezuela Announced, August 18, 2006

6.       The Intercept, Data Pirates of the Caribbean, May 19, 2014

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