US removal of Venezuela from drug list
The Trump administration dropped Venezuela from its annual list of countries deemed major producers or transit points for illegal drugs, and signaled it is weighing similar removals for Colombia and Bolivia. In a statement submitted to Congress, Trump credited the change to 'growing cooperation' with Venezuela's interim government following what he described as the arrest and removal of former president Nicolas Maduro. The US took Maduro into custody in January and is prosecuting him on drug-trafficking charges in a New York federal court; Washington has since worked with interim leader Delcy Rodriguez, including securing access for US oil firms to Venezuelan resources. Under US law the designation determines eligibility for certain kinds of American financial assistance.