The Cuban authorities dismantled an operation of drug trafficking for the entry of drugs to the island, according to official media.
Lieutenant Colonel Rigoberto Cordovés, of the Ministry of the Interior (Minint)explained in a television report that it was an organized group of Cubans residing abroad, which illegally introduced narcotics into the country.
The investigation, according to the official, began after the detection by the Border Guard Troops of 114.33 kilograms of marijuana in Bahía Honda, province of Artemisa, refers Latin Press (PL).
The drug trafficking operation also employed people who acted as drug mules or couriers through an air channel. These people “introduced the drugs into household appliances, using non-commercial cargo for the first time,” the office notes.
Similarly, the Minint together with the General Customs of the Republic, verified “the introduction of cocaine into batteries of electric motorcycles that came in the name of people who were in charge of receiving this merchandise, extracting it and trading it, Cordovés explained.
Official information specifies that, based on the investigations carried out, there are 26 defendants and more than 300 kilograms of drugs have been seized, including marijuana, cocaine and amphetamine. Also, almost 9 million pesos were seized, means of transportation such as speedboats, cars, electric motorcycles, and a firearm.
The Cuban authorities have “reiterated on numerous occasions their policy of zero tolerance towards narcotics,” he recalls. PL.
The report states that Cuba “is a signatory to the main multilateral legal instruments approved by the United Nations, including 11 extradition treaties, 34 legal assistance treaties, 42 drug treaties, and 31 treaties for the transfer of sanctioned individuals with other countries.”
In addition, it highlights that “due to its geographical position, the island is located between the United States, the main consumer in the world, and the Central American and Caribbean region, where several of the main producers and traffickers of narcotics are located,” which, it assures, “requires permanent vigilance.”
Periodically, the Cuban authorities report on the detection of drug entry attempts at the border, or of landings on the island’s coasts, although the figures are normally not significant when compared with those of other countries in the region.
