A top Venezuelan official says his country will fight drug trafficking without the help of the United States.
Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro said Tuesday that Venezuela is a sovereign nation that does not need what he described as "money from the devil."
Maduro's comments come after the release of President Bush's budget, in which a request for aid for anti-drug efforts in Venezuela was eliminated.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez severed ties with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in 2005, claiming agents were involved in espionage.
The South American country is a major transit route for cocaine destined for the United States or Europe.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
