Venezuela is a "significant challenge" in anti-narcotics efforts in the Western Hemisphere, an official of the US Department of State said on Friday after commenting that talks with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez "have not been very fruitful."

"Venezuela poses a significant challenge on drug interdiction," said David Johnson, United States Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, during a debate at the Organization of American States (OAS), AFP quoted.

Talks with Chávez's government "have not been very fruitful" at a time of increasing flights carrying illicit drugs from Venezuela to the Caribbean or Central America, Johnson noted.

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