Azerbaijan showcases its achievements in combating drug crimes at Vienna meeting Over 33 tonnes seized

Azerbaijan has highlighted its successes in the fight against drug trafficking over five years at the 16th Meeting of Heads of National Drug Control Agencies in Vienna, Austria, held from October 28 to 31.

Azerbaijan was represented at the event by a delegation comprising officials from the State Security Service and the Interior Ministry, Caliber.Az reports.

Participants noted the country’s effective cooperation with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Interpol, and other international and regional organisations engaged in combating drug trafficking.

The Azerbaijani representatives emphasised that between 2019 and 2024, Azerbaijani law enforcement agencies identified 47,863 cases of illegal trafficking of narcotic and psychotropic substances and their precursors. Over the same period, 33.5 tonnes of various types of drugs were seized, and 39,002 individuals, including 510 foreign nationals, were brought to criminal responsibility.

According to official statistics, 10 attempts to smuggle drugs into Azerbaijan from neighboring countries were recorded over the past two years, resulting in the seizure of 600 kilograms of narcotics.

The Azerbaijani delegation expressed concern over the growing use of the internet for drug distribution and the employment of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by criminal groups to transport narcotics.

By Khagan Isayev