Venezuela seizes over 54 tons of drugs in 2 years: top prosecutor
Xinhua
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Criminology specialists test cocaine seized in Maracaibo, Venezuela, on April 25, 2013. (File photo: AP)

CARACAS, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan authorities have seized more than 54 tons of drugs in less than two years, Prosecutor General Tarek William Saab said on Thursday.

The top prosecutor, while presenting an overview of his tenure that began on August 2017, said that 35 tons were cocaine.

"We have lodged 8,604 charges and obtained 3,203 convictions," Saab added.

The Venezuelan official warned about the surge of so-called "narco mulas" (drug mules), or people who transport drugs by swallowing them or concealing them in a body cavity.

The authorities have initiated 60 investigations for the "illegal traffic of narcotic and psychotropic substances," Saab said.

He said 110 people have been arrested for trafficking drugs through their bodies, in belts, or inside suitcases. Some drug trafficking founders and drug lords have also been detained.

The official said he believes Venezuela will become drug free and praised the fight against drugs carried out by the country.