In 2006, 530 to 710 metric tons of cocaine departed South America toward the US.About 17,000 Americans lose their lives to illegal drugs annually. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Joseph Nimmich, director of the U.S. counternarcotics command center: “All these countries are embattled by drug cartels, primarily because of the demand for cocaine and the funds that are generated by cocaine,”.An estimated 200 metric tons of cocaine travel annually through Venezuela. Because of its location and lax counterdrug enforcement, Venezuela has become a focal point for drug cartels, says Nimmich. Twenty percent of the narcotrafficking goes by air, while 80 percent...