VOA常速英语2008年-Colombian General Ties Venezuela to Major Drug

By Zulima Palacio
Bogota
15 February 2008
 

Colombian and American officials say nearly half of the cocaine¹ produced in Colombia is shipped through Venezuela and mostly goes to Europe. Producer Zulima Palacio traveled to Colombia to examine the drug trade. Barry Wood narrates² the story.

Colombian and U.S. officials say Colombia's multi-billion dollar drug trade is finding a new and easier path through Venezuela.

Perry Holloway is the director of the Narcotics³ Affairs Section at the U.S. Embassy in Colombia. He says, "We have noticed a trend in recent years of the actual trans-shipment of cocaine -- after it is processed -- going over Venezuela's air space. There has been a reduction of about 70 percent in the illegal flights over Colombia in the last four years and most of that is shifted to Venezuela," Halloway said.

The U.S. and Colombia have worked together for years in the fight against illegal drugs in Colombia, targeting remote airstrips, eradicating⁴ isolated⁵ coca fields and intercepting⁶ clandestine⁷ drug shipments.

Eastern Colombia shares a long border with Venezuela. Most of the area is sparsely⁸ inhabited jungle region, where police have uncovered numerous illicit⁹ drug labs and elements of the guerrilla group known as FARC [Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia].

The head of Colombia's anti-narcotics police says 90 percent of FARC's financial resources comes from the production of illicit drugs. General Alvaro Caro Menendes says, "It is very easy for the drug dealers¹⁰ to produce the cocaine and move it to Venezuela, so they can send it through Africa in a new market for Europe. At this moment all the drug produced in the east of Colombia goes out through Venezuela. We believe it is nearly 40 percent of all the drug."

The Colombian and U.S. alliance has spent $5 billion in the past five years to combat illegal drugs. Authorities from both governments say they have seen a 30 percent reduction in drug production in the past few years.

Holloway says it is still worth about $50 billion a year. "If you look at how much profit you make at an ounce [28.35 grams] of this substance, there is probably nothing more profitable in the world."

Holloway says that 90 percent of the cocaine and most of the heroine found in the U.S. comes from Colombia. General Caro admits as much, but he says Colombia is not entirely¹¹ to blame. "We are the drug producers. But it is produced and sold because there is a great population of consumers," he said. 

General Caro calls Colombia's drug trade his country's worst nightmare. He says, without it, Colombia would be a nation at peace and enjoy greater prosperity and development.

1 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

2 narrates   

v.故事( narrate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• It narrates the unconstitutional acts of James II. 它历数了詹姆斯二世的违法行为。 来自辞典例句
• Chapter three narrates the economy activity which Jew return the Occident. 第三章讲述了犹太人重返西欧后的经济活动。 来自互联网

3 narcotics   

n.麻醉药( narcotic的名词复数 )；毒品；毒

参考例句：

• The use of narcotics by teenagers is a problem in many countries. 青少年服用麻醉药在许多国家中都是一个问题。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Police shook down the club, looking for narcotics. 警方彻底搜查了这个俱乐部，寻找麻醉品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 eradicating   

摧毁，完全根除( eradicate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Objective: To study the acute and chronic toxicity of Ten-flavor-acne eradicating-capsule. 目的：探讨复方中药合剂十味平痤胶囊的急性及慢性毒性。
• We are on the verge of eradicating polio in the world. 我们已在世界消除小儿？痹症的边缘了。

5 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

6 intercepting   

截取（技术），截接

参考例句：

• The police had been intercepting my mail, ie reading it before it was delivered. 警方一直截查我的邮件。
• We've been intercepting radio transmissions from Moscow. 我们已从莫斯科拦截到无线电信号。

7 clandestine   

adj.秘密的，暗中从事的

参考例句：

• She is the director of clandestine operations of the CIA.她是中央情报局秘密行动的负责人。
• The early Christians held clandestine meetings in caves.早期的基督徒在洞穴中秘密聚会。

8 sparsely   

adv.稀疏地；稀少地；不足地；贫乏地

参考例句：

• Relative to the size, the city is sparsely populated. 与其面积相比，这个城市的人口是稀少的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The ground was sparsely covered with grass. 地面上稀疏地覆盖草丛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 illicit   

adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。

10 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

11 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。