MOSCOW, October 27. /TASS/. The amount of narcotic and psychotropic substances confiscated in Central Russia since the beginning of 2021 has amounted to more than six tonnes, which is more than twice the amount seen in 2020, Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev said on Wednesday.
The Russian security chief pointed out that the implementation of additional measures to combat drug trafficking had facilitated better performance in that area.
"Thus, this year drug manufacturing at 132 clandestine production sites have been suppressed in the regions of the Central Federal District. More than six tonnes of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors have been withdrawn from illegal trafficking, which is a twofold increase from last year’s levels," he said.
Patrushev emphasized that almost 13,000 individuals (which is 10% more than in 2020) had been held criminally accountable. Among them are those involved in drug trafficking from Central and East Asia, and some European countries.
"In the course of crime prevention operations carried out in the [Central Federal] District, multiple facts of foreign labor migrants’ involvement in drug trafficking and distribution have been established. Over 600 citizens of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Ukraine have been brought to justice," the Russian Security Council’s Secretary stated.
He pointed to a positive sign that the number of drug-related crimes committed with the use of cyber technology, including the Internet, which were solved in the Central Federal District in the past year, has doubled.
"However, such crimes are on the rise," Patrushev added. "Last year, their number increased from 6,000 to 10,000 in the region. This trend calls for law enforcement’s work to be intensified and its effectiveness enhanced," he concluded.