Cuba should have a National Drug Observatory (OND) ready by next July. The agency will maintain surveillance over new substances and the phenomenon of emerging drugs, according to Cuban authorities.
It will have a structure that will not exceed four people and will be under the responsibility, for the moment, of the Ministry of Justice, said Pilar Varona Estrada, deputy minister of that entity, to Granma. The official explained that they are still “concretizing ideas” on how it should be formed, the location and the means it needs.
The Observatory will have an Early Warning System, which will make decisions and will have “greater effectiveness as a country” to reinforce this principle of “zero tolerance.” Experts will be used in a cooperative manner to carry out investigations, the official added.
To create it, the Ministry of Justice and the European Cooperation Program Copolad III, in charge of Fiiapp/Cooperación Española, organized two workshops in which “successful experiences” from other observatories in Latin America and Europe were presented, Granma reported.
Recent operations
The Havana police force are currently deploying anti-drug operations, in which they have arrested sellers and traffickers, and have confiscated the illicit substances in their possession.
According to authorities and official media, which highlight the “collaboration between the police forces and the community” and the “strong echo” of these actions on social media, it is an “intense exercise in prevention and confrontation of drug use.”
The disclosure of the police raids occurs at a time when the authorities themselves have recognized an increase in drug trafficking and consumption in Cuba, in the midst of the deep socioeconomic crisis that the island is suffering, and have reiterated their position of “zero tolerance” towards these events.
The operations have been carried out “in areas reported with an increase in drug use” and “not only seek to dismantle points of sale, but also offer support to young people at risk,” pointed out the government of Havana.
Internet users and profiles associated with the authorities and the police have followed the operations in neighborhoods of different Havana municipalities, sharing publications with images of the police actions, as well as information about the people arrested and the substances seized, including expanding synthetic drugs such as “químico” (chemical) as well as marijuana and medications.
The most recent event was announced this Thursday by the General Customs, which detected at the Havana International Airport “an international drug trafficking operation.”
Previously, it was also reported that a traveler was arrested for trying to bring drugs through the airport. He was found in possession of 3 kg of methamphetamine and electronic cigarettes with narcotics, Cubadebate reported.
At the moment, neither the Havana authorities nor other sources have provided details about the total number of people arrested in the police operations, nor about the amount of drugs and money seized in them.
