CARACAS, July 15 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan authorities have seized 16 tons of illicit drugs so far this year, Juan Pedro Grillo, head of the National Anti-Narcotics Bureau (ONA), said on Sunday.

Venezuela has also deported several foreign drug cartel chiefs who were arrested in the country, Grillo said at a public event in Caracas called "5-Kilometer Walk for Peace and Life" to promote a healthy lifestyle.

The event is part of the government's drug prevention push, Grillo said.

The Interior Ministry, which oversees the ONA, for example, is working with the Youth Ministry, the Sports Ministry, the Education Ministry and the Culture Ministry to devise programs to steer young people away from drugs, said Grillo.

The walk and other similar recreational and cultural events offer youths a chance to meet with peers and strive for sound goals, he said.

In the past 10 years, Venezuela has captured 144 Colombian drug cartel leaders and destroyed 181 clandestine airstrips used by drug traffickers, Grillo said in a recent radio interview.?