Venezuela finds big cocaine haul, bound for Mexico

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan authorities found four tonnes of cocaine buried on a ranch on Thursday after stopping a plane presumably on its way from Mexico to pick up the illegal drug haul, state media said.

"This is the biggest haul in the last few years in Venezuela," Interior Minister Tareck El Aissami said. He added that soldiers were still searching the area in central Guarico state to see if more cocaine was stashed there.

Two Venezuelan air force F-16 fighter jets intercepted a King-200 commercial aircraft late on Wednesday, forcing it to land near the ranch, authorities said.

The crew fled, but belongings in the plane indicated they were Mexican, state media said. The cocaine was later found on the property, leading authorities to conclude Mexican traffickers were en route to pick it up.

One person was arrested during the operation at the ranch, but the detainee's nationality was not given.

Venezuela is a major transit route to Europe and the United States for Colombian-produced cocaine.

Accused by critics of leniency in the drug fight and collusion with Colombian rebels who depend on smuggling for financing, the government of President Hugo Chavez counters it has stepped up efforts against producers and traffickers.

El Aissami said Venezuela had captured nearly 47 tonnes of drugs so far this year, compared to 60 tonnes throughout 2009.

About half of last year's total haul was cocaine.

Caracas says anti-narcotics operations have actually improved since cooperation ended with the United States in 2005 as bilateral relations deteriorated. U.S. officials dispute that.

Chavez, Latin America's leading critic of Washington, frequently says consumption in the United States and Europe is the main factor driving the illegal drug trade.

(Reporting by Diego Ore; Writing by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Eric Beech)