KAZAKHSTAN TO TOUGHEN PUNISHMENT FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING

ASTANA - The Justice Ministry of Kazakhstan has proposed toughening the
punishment for drug trafficking, Chairman of the Ministry's Committee on
Drugs Serikkali Mukanov said at a press conference in Astana on Monday.

He said they still had to coordinate the planned amendments to the Criminal
Code with ministries and departments. After that, the bill will be
submitted to the parliament.

Drug-related crimes must be punished "in the severest way," up to the death
penalty, Mukanov said. The minimum punishment should be seven years in a
maximum-security prison, he noted.