Drug seizures in Cuba drop to three-year low

HAVANA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Cuba seized 2.43 tons of drugs in 2018, the lowest in the past three years, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday.

The authorities said that the narcotics seized included 2,071 kilograms of marijuana, 363 kilograms of cocaine, 3 kilograms of cannabinoids, 1 kilogram of crack and 0.15 kilograms of hashish, the official daily Granma reported.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, the majority of the narcotics confiscated was marijuana abandoned by international drug traffickers at sea or close to Cuba's coast although Cuba was not the intended destination.

More than 90 percent of drug trafficking operations around Cuba occur via sea in 2018, the ministry said.

Among them, two attempts to introduce drugs via speedboat were foiled with four people arrested and 144 kilograms of marijuana seized.

At the airports, there were 49 attempts to bring drugs into the country. As a result, there were 90 arrests (54 Cubans and 36 foreigners) and 81 kilograms of drugs seized, more than the 64 kilograms from the previous year.

Some traffickers attempted to hide the drugs in food and parcels, while others concealed them in capsules and even body cavities.

Cuba maintains a "zero tolerance" policy against drugs. For decades it has had an active national program focused on prevention with personalized, free medical attention for addicts.

According to Granma, the 2018 figures reinforce Cuban government's absolute commitment to building a drug-free society, a vital element in achieving sustainable development and well-being of the people.