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Azerbaijani customs officers removed 972.538 kg narcotic drugs and 201 272 psychotropic agents from illicit turnover in the past five years

20 February 2010 10:57 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Rashad Suleymanov â€“ APA. The officers of Azerbaijan State Customs Committee have removed 972.538 kg narcotic drugs and 201 272 psychotropic agents (ampules, capsules and tablets) within the past five years (2005-2009), the committee told APA.

162.076 kg of the narcotic drugs was opium, 509.843 kg hashish, 143.119 kg heroin, 157.047 kg marihuana.

329 people, including 191 Azerbaijanis, 86 citizens of Iran, 12 citizens of Georgia, 12 citizens of Russia, 7 citizens of Pakistan, 5 citizens of Nigeria, Ghana and other African countries, 5 citizens of Turkey, 4 citizens of Uzbekistan, 1 Lithuanian and 1 Cambodian were held accountable in connection with illicit drug turnover. The committee also said that women had been recently used more as drug mules. In the reporting period 46 of the detained drug mules (approximately 14%) were women. The usage of children as drug mules was also recorded.

An increase was recorded in the amount of the heroin removed from the illicit turnover. The officers of the customs service seized 1 487 g heroin in 2005-2006, while in 2008-2009 this figure was 130 125 g, 87.5 up compared with the previous two years.