VIENNA, March 11 (Xinhua) -- The international community has taken great strides in combating illicit drugs over the past ten years, but drug-related crime remains a serious problem, a UN official said Wednesday.

    Statistics show the scale of drug production, trafficking and abuse is still enormous, said Antonio Maria Costa, executive director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Antonio Maria Costa attends the High-level Segment of the 52nd Session of Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna, capital of Austria, on Mar. 11, 2009. Antonio Maria Costa said here on Wednesday that the drug trafficking crime across the world is still tough even though the international community contributed quite a lot to the crackdown of illegal drugs in the past decade. (Xinhua/Liu Gang) Photo Gallery>>>

    The world illicit drug industry is currently estimated to be up to 300 billion U.S. dollars, Costa said at the High-level Segment of the 52nd Session of Commission on Narcotic Drugs held in Vienna.

    He said that the drug problem has tremendous impact on a country's security and development and urged all governments to enhance their efforts in combating drug production and trade.

    Yang Fengrui, Vice Secretary-General of China National Narcotics Control Commission, told Xinhua that due to unremitting efforts over the past decade, drug-related crimes in China have been largely under control.

    High-ranking representatives from about 130 countries participate in the two-day meeting.