The regional prosecutor's office analyzed the level of the fight against drug-related crime

Countering the spread of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, and preventing their use, continue to be among the most important areas of activity for the law enforcement system, as well as the healthcare and education systems of the Republic of Belarus.

Despite the significant work done in this direction, both classic and synthetic types of drugs are still actively spreading in society – such as smoking mixtures, salts, spice, mixes, and tabs. Criminals are developing and using new methods and schemes for their distribution, including through the Internet.

The main source of drugs entering the region is their illegal supply from abroad.

The implementation of preventive measures in the region within the framework of the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus of December 28, 2014 No. 6 "On urgent measures to combat drug trafficking" has significantly increased the level of legal literacy and legal awareness of citizens in the sphere of drug trafficking, which has undoubtedly also affected pre-trial crime in this area.

The regional prosecutor's office constantly analyzes information related to investigative work in this area.

It should be noted a general trend towards a decrease in the total number of statements and reports of crimes related to the illegal trafficking of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their precursors and analogues, as well as crimes registered by internal affairs bodies.

For 10 months of 2020, a downward trend in the detection of drug-related crimes (-96 or 29.2%) persists in the Vitebsk region, while in October of this year the rate of decrease decreased by 9.2%.

For 94 crimes, the actions of the perpetrators were qualified as sale, compared to the same period last year (APPG) – 116, of which suspects were identified in 40 cases (specific weight 42.5%) (APPG – 46.5%).

At the same time, a number of crimes remain unsolved, mainly where the sale was carried out by contactless method of " закладка" (hidden stash).

In this regard, it is being improved

methodology for the operational identification and disclosure of "Internet dealers," encrypted communication channels, as well as Internet resources closed to public access are studied.

Thus, the analysis conducted showed that within the region, preventive entities, in the exercise of their powers, take measures to organize activities aimed at taking effective measures to counteract the illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs, and the prevention of their consumption, as evidenced by a certain decrease in crimes related to the illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their precursors and analogues, and a reduction in the number of persons who have committed crimes in this category.

Prosecutor of the Department for Supervision
of Inquiry and Operational-Investigative Activities
of the Regional Prosecutor's Office Alexey Lysakov