United States Drug Czar John Walters told the Associated Press that Venezuela is not taking steps to stop the flow of cocaine through its country.

From the AP (via IHT):

The U.S. drug czar appealed to Venezuela’s government on Friday to take action against the flourishing flow of cocaine being smuggled through the country.

White House drug czar John Walters told The Associated Press that Venezuela has shown no willingness to cooperate with U.S. officials against drugs.

“Cooperation’s gotten worse and the problem’s gotten bigger,” Walters told the AP in a phone interview from Washington.

The flow of Colombian cocaine through Venezuela has quadrupled since 2004, reaching an estimated 282 tons (256 metric tons) last year, he said.

“The flow is increasing as dramatically as it is because it is operating in a condition of impunity,” Walters said. “The failure of the Venezuelan government to go after this is a failure to be serious.”