UN chief pledges to deny "safe haven" to drug traffickers

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 24 - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday that efforts must be made to deny a "safe haven" to drug traffickers.

Addressing a high-level event, called the "Global Call to Action on the World Drug Problem," the UN chief said that the situation of drug problem is "alarming."

The meeting was organized by the United States and attended by U.S. President Donald Trump and high-ranking officials of many other countries.

Noting that drug problem is very "personal" and could "knock on our door any moment," the UN chief said "it's our duty to act and act now."

"Global production of opium and manufacturing of cocaine, as the President (Trump) has just said, has never been higher," he said.

"In recent years, some 31 million people around the world required treatment because of their drug use," he added, noting that "some 450,000 people die every year from overdoses or drug-related health issues."

To tackle this complex issue, he said efforts must be made to crack down on drug trafficking and those who profit from human misery and make sure that those who need treatment get it, he said.

"These two principles guided the drug policy launched by my government when I was Prime Minister of Portugal two decades ago," said the UN chief.