320 kg of cocaine, 84 kg of cannabis, excluding the record 550kg cannabis haul on 13 October, and 13 kg of heroin were seized in 2017.
This is a drastic improvement from when compared to 2016, when roughly 145kg were seized, and the 25kg in 2013.
Figures tabled in Parliament by Home Affairs Minister Michael Farrugia in reply to a PQ by PL MP Glenn Bedingfield indicate that, the amount of cocaine seized this year so far increased by over 300kg when compared to 2016.
Tramadol, an opioid analgesic (painkiller), has also seen a dramatic increase in seizures, with 36 million tablets seized in 2016, rising to 96.8 million tablets in 2017.
Minister for Home Affairs Michael Farrugia has been sent questions to clarify the reasons behind this substantial rise.
With regard to cannabis specifically, a total of 71kg of cannabis resin and 13kg of cannabis grass was confiscated this year.
Synthetic drugs, which have entered the public consciousness after disturbing videos of suspected users emerged on social media, have seen an increase in seizures over the last couple of years.
In 2017, 13.5g of synthetic drugs and 1kg of synthetic powder were seized. 114g of legal highs were seized in 2016 but none have been confiscated so far this year.
The seizure of ecstasy pills has significantly decreased with 393 confiscated this year compared with the 3,739 this year, and the 30,372 in 2013.
A full table with the seizures from 2013-2017 is below.
from The Malta Independent http://ift.tt/2z2vNHR
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