Venezuelan troops seized control of a bottling affiliate of Coca-Cola as President Hugo Chavez made good on his threat to get tough with a six-week opposition strike that has disrupted fuel and food supplies.
National Guard troops wielding metal batons and firing tear gas dispersed a small group of protesters who tried to block the entrance to Venezuela's largest bottling plant - Panamco's water and soft drinks facility - in Valencia, about 100 miles (160 km) west of Caracas.
Troops drove away Coke trucks and seized crates of drinks.
They later forced their way into a warehouse of the beer and food maker Empresas Polar, Venezuela's largest private company, after shoving managers out into the street.
The moves were the first major action against food and beverage plants after Mr Chavez threatened to ease shortages by sending troops to seize manufacturing facilities withholding products during the strike that aims to force him to resign.
Outraged opposition leaders said the takeover was illegal. But it was unclear whether the troops maintain control of the plant after hauling away products.
The opposition strike, started on December 2nd, has cut off Venezuela's economic lifeline by slashing its vital oil exports to a fifth of normal levels, rattling global markets and causing long lines for scarce gasoline supplies.
Strike leaders, including political parties, unions, business groups and rebel managers at state oil firm PDVSA, have vowed to strike until Mr Chavez quits and stages elections.
World oil prices hit fresh two-year highs, with US futures briefly touching $34 a barrel as the Venezuelan crisis compounded fears of a US-led war in Iraq. Venezuela's bolivar currency, battered by economic uncertainty, dipped 2.3 per cent as it extended its slide.