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HAVANA, June 26 (Xinhua) — Cuba seized more than 5.5 tons of narcotics in 2017, marking the most dramatic increase of seized narcotics in Cuban history over 2016 when the figure was 1.7 tons, Cuban National Drug Commission (CND) announced on Tuesday.
In 2017, the authorities prosecuted 104 traffickers.
In a press conference, CND Secretary Antonio Ybarra said 95 percent of the narcotics confiscated was packages of marijuana or cocaine abandoned by traffickers at sea or close to Cuba’s coast.
According to the CND, 94 smuggling attempts were intercepted at Cuban airports and 56 citizens were prosecuted for international drug trafficking, most attempting to take cocaine into the country by swallowing drug packages.
“Cuba is not a country of transit nor destination for drugs and consumption (in the country) is very low,” said the official, who reiterated the government’s “zero tolerance” policy on narcotics.
According to a survey conducted in 2016, the use of drugs in Cuba stands at 0.038 percent.
Ybarra said new technological equipment was purchased in the last few months and has already been installed at most terminals.
As part of ongoing operations on the Caribbean island, security forces also identified and destroyed 67,000 marijuana plants.
The country also imposes severe punishments on the handling of illicit substances, and on international drug trafficking.
Prison terms for drug trafficking are in the range of six years to life imprisonment depending on the quantity of drugs that was found and the overall severity of the crime, said the Cuban official.
Regarding cooperation with neighboring nations, particularly the United States, Ybarra said talks resumed last year after an impasse between the two countries, and authorities now meet twice a year to discuss ongoing collaboration.
“In the last ten years, Cuba and the United States have collaborated in almost 500 cases and have seized more than 40 tons of drugs,” he said.
According to Cuba’s customs authority, nine foreigners have been arrested for bringing drugs into the country this year.

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