DRUG TRAFFICKING IN RF CONTROLLED BY INTRL CRIMINAL GROUPS-VIEW
by Tigran Liloyan
ITAR-TASS News Agency
March 29, 2006 Wednesday 08:08 AM EST
The analysis of the drug situation in Russia proves that illicit drug
trafficking is fully controlled by different criminal groups, which
have trans-national ties, said Viktor Cherkesov, head of the Russian
Federal Service for Controlling Drugs and Psychotropic Substances
Circulation.
Speaking at a session of the CSTO Anti-Drug Coordinating Council on
Wednesday, Cherkesov said, “This problem remains topical. The routes
of drug transportation change permanently. International organised
criminal groups and communities penetrate into Russia’s drug market.”
“Russia is fighting drug crime in the context of an extensive criminal
network, which embraces most regions of Russia,” the official said. In
his words, “this network is rather organised and has vast international
criminal ties.”
Cherkesov said, “The major purpose of the Russian federal drug
control service is to take urgent measures to stabilise the drug
situation, create conditions for suspending the growth of drug use
and trafficking, and preventing nacrotisation of the population.”
Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Migranyan said illicit drug
trafficking became a global phenomenon. Illicit drug trafficking as
a dangerous social phenomenon “became global and trans-national and
turned into the most acute problems of mankind.”
Drug trafficking “wrecks political, social and economic stability of
states,” the Armenian prime minister stressed.
In his view, internationalisation of crime and “the growth of
international elements, which commit crimes in the territory of two
or more states, evoke the need to improve and develop international
and interstate cooperation between law enforcement agencies.”
Migranyan said the CSTO Anti-Drug Coordinating Council plays a
big role and have a great significance in the fight against drug
trafficking. “This will help work out and realise the common strategy
and new mechanisms to counteract illicit drug trafficking,” he said.
The Armenian prime minister proposed “to think together how we can
use our accumulated experience better and more efficiently in order
to deliver a sensitive blow against drug trafficking.”
The CSTO Anti-Drug Coordinating Council gathered for a session in
Yerevan on Wednesday to discuss the fight against trans-national
crime and analyse the results of the Kanal-2005 preventive operation.
The session will also focus on the CSTO joint efforts to counteract
drug trafficking from Afghanistan.
The agenda also includes a draft concept of the united database to
prevent illicit drug trafficking, psychotropic substances and their
precursors, and measures to battle their illicit trafficking.
The session is chaired by Viktor Cherkesov, head of the Russian
Federal Service for Controlling Drugs and Psychotropic Substances
Circulation. The meeting involves representatives of Armenia, Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and officials of the
CSTO secretariat.
The participants in the session will approve a document on the
Council’s working groups, cooperation on training personnel, exchange
of information, a plan of action and other issues.