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Cuba reports rise in drug, firearms trafficking in early 2015

Xinhua, June 26, 2015 Adjust font size:

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. Enditem