Havana, August 5 (RHC) -- Cuban customs officials said on Monday that 69 cases of travellers from South and North America brought packages or parcels for others between January and May this year, with 19 of those packages identified as containing drugs.

Bringing packages for third persons in exchange for money or compensation has been identified as a growing trend over the past several years on the island, which implies the risk of operations to camouflage drugs and other items whose import is regulated or prohibited.

Senior Customs Inspector Daniel Noa said that people sometimes do not know what they are bringing in those packages and later they see themselves involved in penal processes for their naive attitude.

Customs regulations passed in 2007 establish that individuals, in their condition as travelers, are not authorized to bring packages or parcels for other individuals or entities.

Meanwhile, smuggling of Cuban cigars and precious metals has also been detected by people who have tried to take such items abroad, particularly to the Americas and Europe. In the case of metals, like gold, the action involves melted metals camouflaged inside objects such as laptops or religious objects.