Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 27 / Trend K.Zarbaliyeva /
Thirty-five percent of drugs illegally produced in Afghanistan is smuggled to other countries via Iran and Azerbaijan, the First Deputy General Prosecutor of Azerbaijan, Rustam Usubov, said on Monday.
Usubov was speaking at a conference on the "Relevant Problems in the Fight Against Illicit Trafficking of Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Precursors" held at the Science and Education Center of the General Prosecutor's Office.
Usubov said Azerbaijan's geographical position provides an opportunity to use its territory for this purpose.
Because the penalties for production, acquisition, storage, transportation and sale of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors are not so tough, the perpetrators of such crimes easily avoid detection and prosecution, Usubov said.
Usubov said illegal drugs are not mass produced in Azerbaijan, although there are individuals involved in the cultivation of narcotic plants. When law enforcement agencies name such individuals, they usually claim that their elderly parents grow these narcotic plants thus avoiding criminal liability, Usubov said.
Usubov recommended judicial and investigative bodies to make objective verdicts against the perpetrators of such crimes. He believes there is no need to make liberal decisions.
About 24,000 drug addicts are officially registered in Azerbaijan, it was reported at the event.