Issue "Counteraction to drug trafficking" discussed during broadcast "Conversation with the Minister" at radio station "Militia wave"

аMW. In the letters our listeners send us, they often touch upon the problem of drugs, their distribution, the mission of preventing the Russians from being involved into the drug addiction and the necessity to struggle against this evil. Addressing these letters today we have decided to talk about the illegal drug trafficking. The visitor of our studio is the RF Minister of Interior Rashid Nurgaliev.

Rashid Gumarovich, is the drug trafficking situation in our country really that crucial that it required accepting a national counter-drug strategy?

Minister. The problem you mentioned is indeed one of principal threats of safety. This is confirmed by both the national safety strategy and the national counter-drug strategy.

Here I would like to make a note that the leading department which ensures counteraction to the illegal drug trafficking is the RF Federal drug prevention service.

Considering the scale of the problems caused by illegal distribution of drugs, other ministries and departments participate in the counteraction to the illegal drug trafficking beside the federal drug prevention service. The Ministry of Interior of the Russian Federation is among them. After all, drugs are a concomitant factor of commission of mercenary and violent crimes: thefts, robberies, plunders.

MW. Are drugs consumed by our citizens domestic or produced abroad and brought in from there?

Minister. The share of imported drugs in the in illegal circulation of drugs in the territory of Russia is more. The basic threat is the expansion of opium based drugs from Afghanistan. About 350 organized groups and criminal communities specialize in their delivery and distribution, it is a real "death factory".

MW. There is also a problem of distribution of synthetic drugs...

Minister. Yes, certainly. When "developing" the Russian market of drugs the international criminal communities specialize in the manufacturing and sale of synthetic drugs.

For this purpose, the cocaine consumption is promulgated in certain social classes such as the so-called VIP-youth. For this purpose, the club subculture power is widely taken advantage of.

MW. Anyway, the law enforcement bodies will not shy away. What measures are taken in this respect? What role do law enforcement bodies play in the struggle against the illegal drug trafficking?

Minister. Certainly, all subjects of the law enforcement activity are engaged in the solution of this problem. The basic component of this system, the coordinating body is the RF Federal drug control and prevention service.

To see how efficient the taken measures are we would need to turn to the statistical data which is at the Ministry of Interior's disposal today. In the period from January to April of this year law enforcement bodies revealed over 81,000 crimes relating to the illegal circulation of drugs, psychotropic, potent agents and precursors.

Within criminal cases already accomplished, militia employees withdrew over 3 565 kg of drugs, psychotropic substances and potent agents from the illegal circulation. I consider that this is a good result which proves that today all law enforcement bodies including the Ministry of Interior of Russia carry out this mission with high proficiency.

MW. It is obvious that it is impossible to solve the drug trafficking issue only by efforts of once individual state...

Minister. The higher authorities of the state give special attention to taking measures aimed at the struggle against the most dangerous kinds of drug crimes. For these purposes the Ministry of Interior of Russia continues developing the interdepartmental and international interaction. For example international operations are regularly performed by means of a so-called "controllable delivery".

For example, in April and May of this year the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ministry of Interior of Russia together with Republic Kazakhstan's law enforcement bodies arranged and carried out an international controllable delivery of drugs. As a result, the active participants of this very group are now facing criminal responsibility.

Also it is planned to participate in the international large-scale operative preventive operation "Channel" aimed at revealing and suppressing channels of smuggling drugs through the border of our country. This operation is performed every year under the aegis of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

By the way, I would like to mention that we have had a corresponding specialization for our experts for some years at the All-Russia advanced training institute. We also teach our colleagues from Afghanistan these rather difficult skills. Experts who take these courses are offered excellent practice opportunities and master skills perfectly. We have unrivalled laboratories and training programs which help prepare highly professional experts.

MW. Well, time for a pause now. Thanks a lot, Rashid Gumarovich, for this conversation, and see you next week.

Radio broadcast "Conversation with the Minister" at radio station "Militia wave",

www.mvd.ru

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