Cuba Reports Rise In Drug, Firearms Trafficking In Early 2015

Cuba Reports Rise In Drug, Firearms Trafficking In Early 2015

HAVANA, June 26 (BERNAMA-NNN- XINHUA) -- Officials from Cuba's border
control agency on Thursday reported 29 attempts to introduce drugs to
the island during the first half of 2015, an increase compared with the
same period last year.

At the end of May, about 51 kilograms of narcotics were seized at the
island's entrance points, according to Jose Luis Munoz, technical
director of the General Customs of the Republic of Cuba, the country's
border control agency.

The majority of confiscated drugs were marijuana and cocaine with small
amounts of synthetic cannabinoids and hashisha, said the Cuban National
Information Agency (AIN) on Thursday.

In the whole of 2014, the border control agency detected 49 cases of
drug trafficking and seized 49.38 kilograms of drugs.

The methods for hiding the drugs are diverse, including inside auto
parts, headlights, swivel chairs, ceramic figures, TV screens, bicycle
tubes, shoes, pots and other items or containers, said Munoz.

Many people who have been caught trying to smuggle drugs into the island
are unaware of the contents of the package(s), said Munoz, adding they
claim they had agreed to transport other people 's baggage into the
country in exchange for money or another form of compensation without
knowing what was inside.

It is very common for Cubans returning home from overseas, especially
from the U.S., to bring packages from other family members and friends
in their luggage. Often these packages, unopened by the transporter,
contain drugs.

Also in the first five months of 2015, 73 attempts to smuggle firearms
and other ammunition into the country were thwarted. In total, 1,554
items of that type including shotguns were seized.

Over 618 computers and devices on wireless and satellite reception
considered illegal in the Caribbean country were also confiscated, said
the official.

Cuba is located on the drug traffickers' route from South America to the
United States, s leading global drug market. For this reason the
island's authorities undertake a constant crusade against drug
introduction and trafficking in the country.

President Raul Castro has called on his officials to fight drug
trafficking, considering it as the biggest threat for the socialist
revolution in the Caribbean country.

Source: BERNAMA - Cuba Reports Rise In Drug, Firearms Trafficking In
Early 2015 - http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v8/wn/newsworld.php?id=1147563