On Friday, the Venezuelan government said that a fighter jet had crashed on the border with Colombia during an operation to intercept an “illicit aircraft,” killing both pilots.
Venezuela and Colombia, South American neighbors, have been embroiled in a border conflict for the past month, after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro claimed some of his military had been attacked by Colombian paramilitaries in an anti-smuggling operation and closing major border crossings in response.
The Venezuelan jet had been chasing an illicit aircraft that had entered the northwestern part of the country, said Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said in a statement.
"An illicit aircraft entered via the northwestern region on its course to the south towards the border with Colombia, an area where mafias linked to narcotrafficking want to use our territory as a distribution platform for drugs produced in the neighboring country," Padrino added.
Colombia is a major producer of cocaine, with over 300 tons produced annually.
Tensions between Venezuela and Colombia have been high, as Maduro had deported 1,500 Colombians in what he calls a crackdown on crime.
20,000 more people had fled the country out of fear of being expelled, reported Yahoo News.
On Monday, Maduro will meet with his Colombian counterpart Juan Manuel Santos in Quito to try to resolve the border squabble.