Number of officially registered drug addicts in Azerbaijan not reflects reality: deputy PM

"A total of 23,254 drug addicts have passed a state registration in Azerbaijan. I believe this figure does not reflect reality," said Ali Hasanov, the Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers' State Commission on Struggle against Drug Addiction and Drug Trafficking.

He said it is necessary to reveal a real number of drug addicts in the country.

"We applied to the UN regional organization to assist in monitoring. There is no need to decrease figures on drug addicts. If a real figure is known, we should try to reduce it," Hasanov said.

The deputy prime minister said some 37 of 113 illegal drug routes pass via the Azerbaijani territory.

"Particularly, narcotics are transported to Azerbaijan via Afghanistan and Iran. Azerbaijan has strengthened joint cooperation with the regional countries to prevent illegal narcotics turnover," Hasanov said.

/Trend News/