The number of drug-related crimes in Poland skyrocketed by around 50 percent in the first five months of the year, according to a Central Investigation Bureau (CBŚ) report obtained by Rzeczpospolita.

Around 32,000 criminal cases involving 10,000 suspects were launched during that period, compared with around 23,000 cases during the same period of last year.

“The increase in cases is mainly the effect of greater police activity in pursuing narcotics crimes,” Paweł Wojtunik, head of CBŚ, told Rzeczpospolita. He also noted that drug trafficking is one of the most lucrative rackets for crime groups.

Judging by the National Police Headquarters’ records on confiscation of illegal substances, ecstasy appears to have gained the most popularity in recent years. Over 609,000 tablets of the drug were taken by the police last year, while the average number taken over the previous five years stood at approximately 302,000.