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Deputy PM: â€œHeroin turnover increased by 1.9 times in Azerbaijan in the past 3 yearsâ€

17 October 2011 08:51 (UTC +04:00)

Department chief of the Presidential Administration on work with law-enforcement bodies Fuad Alasgarov read out the letter at the opening ceremony of the conference.

Delivering speech at the conference attended by 90 representatives from 42 countries and 7 international organizations, Deputy PM Ali Hasanov said that the advantageous geographical position of Azerbaijan attracts drug smugglers from different countries.

Speaking about the measures taken against illicit drug turnover, Hasanov said that 7108 kg of narcotic substances were withdrawn from the circulation in 2008-2010, 9346 criminal cases were launched in connection with it: â€œOne of the negative factors is that turnover of heroin has risen. 581 kg of heroin was confiscated during 2008-2010, up 1.9 times compared to the past 3 years. At the same time, 5150 kg of hashish, 498 kg opium and 28.6 kg of methamphetamine was withdrawn from the illegal circulation in 2008-2010â€.

To him, the number of registered drug addicts in Azerbaijan was 25,489 last year. But, according to experts, this does not reflect the reality. â€œLast year, 2723 HIV-infected people were registered in the country, of which 60% were drug addictsâ€.