Venezuela Arrests U.S. Man on Drug Charges

An American pilot has been arrested in Venezuela and accused of drug trafficking.

Prosecutors say that Edward Broff was arrested last week after he landed a plane at an airport in eastern Monagas state.

A court issued a warrant for the pilot's arrest and confiscation of the plane. Authorities said they suspected the aircraft was being used to smuggle drugs.

Broff is accused of "cooperating in the crime of drug trafficking," the Attorney General's Office said in a statement issued Thursday.

Officials at the U.S. embassy in Caracas could not be immediately reached to confirm Broff's arrest.

Venezuela is a hub for traffickers smuggling illegal drugs — mostly Colombian cocaine — to the United States and Europe.