Manama: Kuwaiti authorities say they dealt with 516 major cases of drug trafficking - in hallucinogens and other narcotics - in the first six months of 2010.
General Department for Drugs Control Abdullah Ahmad Al Saqobi said a total of 689 people had been arrested, accused of being involved in the drug trade in that time.
He spoke at the 43rd session of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime's Sub-Commission on Illicit Drug Trafficking and Related Matters in the Near and Middle East.
"The department had confiscated large quantities of narcotics in the first half of 2010, including 16 kilograms of opium, seven kilograms of heroin and 256 kilograms of hashish," Al Saqobi said.
The Kuwait News Agency reported that the department also confiscated 287,637 tablets, including hallucinogens and amphetamines.
Al Saqobi attributed the department's success in detecting and thwarting smuggling attempts to the continuous development of its staff training and its participation in international conferences.
"Kuwait had seen a significant drop in smuggling attempts in recent years, with 2010 seeing a particularly sharp fall in drug-smuggling activities," he said.
Reasons for Kuwait’s success in helping to fight drugs included the country's higher levels of co-operation and information exchange with regional and international anti-drugs agencies and the establishment of liaison officers which linked anti-drugs task forces in Gulf Co-operation Council member countries, he said.
"The productive nature of the [General Department for Drugs Control]'s seminars and campaigns held to raise awareness of the dangers of drugs is another factor in the success to reduce demand for narcotics," he said.
