A Mexican plane forced down and destroyed in Venezuelan territory earlier in the week was full of cocaine, President Nicolas Maduro said.
Maduro said he was surprised that Mexico had asked for an explanation of the 4 November incident through diplomatic channels.
‘That was a plane that we found full of drugs,’ said Maduro on Saturday, speaking during his weekly radio and television nationally broadcast address.
He said that he told Foreign Minister Elias Jaua ‘to give all the necessary explanations’ to Mexico, but should ‘try to make the Mexican president know that he is standing up for an airplane that was full of cocaine.’
On Monday, Venezuelan air force warplanes forced a small executive jet with a Mexican license number to land in the state of Apure, near the border with Colombia.
Two days later Mexico formally asked Venezuela to explain the events ‘in strict accordance with international law.’
‘We are not going to accept that Venezuelan air space continues being used for narcotrafficking,’ Maduro said. ‘Let it be known, we are not going to be stopped, neither with international campaigns nor blackmail,’ he said.
Maduro said he was surprised that Mexico had asked for an explanation of the 4 November incident through diplomatic channels.
‘That was a plane that we found full of drugs,’ said Maduro on Saturday, speaking during his weekly radio and television nationally broadcast address.
He said that he told Foreign Minister Elias Jaua ‘to give all the necessary explanations’ to Mexico, but should ‘try to make the Mexican president know that he is standing up for an airplane that was full of cocaine.’
On Monday, Venezuelan air force warplanes forced a small executive jet with a Mexican license number to land in the state of Apure, near the border with Colombia.
Two days later Mexico formally asked Venezuela to explain the events ‘in strict accordance with international law.’
‘We are not going to accept that Venezuelan air space continues being used for narcotrafficking,’ Maduro said. ‘Let it be known, we are not going to be stopped, neither with international campaigns nor blackmail,’ he said.