Cuba´s Foreign Affairs Ministry refutes note defamation on drug shipments

HAVANA, Cuba, Apr 14 (acn) The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a diplomatic note to the American Embassy in Havana that refutes the claim that the Newsweek magazine, in an article of April 3, 2020, adjudicates to a "senior official" of the United States Department of Defense and according to whom "the US Intelligence Community has evidence" that drug shipments have been made between Venezuela and Cuba.
Such statement, if it has occurred, is in complete contrast to the content of the "2020 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report" published by the US Department of State, in which it is recognized that "Cuba is not an important consumer, producer or  transit point of illicit drugs"; that "domestic production and consumption ... continue to be low due to active surveillance, strict sentences and national prevention and public information programs "and that" Cuba dedicates significant resources to prevent the spread of illicit drugs and their use, and regional traffickers generally avoid Cuba. "
The same report acknowledges the favorable results of the intense effort by the Cuban authorities to reduce the supply of drugs and prevent traffickers from establishing a foothold in the national territory.
It also mentions Cuba's international cooperation in combating illicit drug trafficking and the official bilateral agreements it has signed, including one with the United States and it emphasizes that, under this agreement, the authorities of both countries share information and coordinate responses to such confrontation.
The United States government and its specialized agencies have more than enough elements to disprove defamatory claims made by "a senior official" of the Department of Defense and also have evidence to reaffirm that what was said in Newsweek magazine is not true and that they know that Cuba has a zero tolerance policy against drug trafficking and actively participates in regional and global initiatives and programs to confront the consumption of narcotics.