News (Media Awareness Project) - Russia: Wire: Russia Police Seizing Just 12 Percent Of |
| Title: | Russia: Wire: Russia Police Seizing Just 12 Percent Of |
| Published On: | 1999-02-18 |
| Source: | ITAR-TASS (Russia) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-09-06 13:06:20 |
RUSSIA POLICE SEIZING JUST 12 PERCENT OF NARCOTICS: OFFICIAL.
MOSCOW, - A senior official said on Thursday
that police at the present time only seize 10 to 12 percent of all
drugs smuggled into Russia.
Moscow accounts for some 80 percent of the incoming drugs, head of the
city department for combating drug-trafficking Vladimir Kharetdinov
told a news conference. Participating in the conference were officials
from the State Customs Committee, or GTK.
Kharetdinov said the Russian capital has the highest rate of crimes
related to drug-trafficking in the country. It reported some 10,000
such offenses last year from about 1,500 in 1993.
Hard drugs, such as cocaine and heroine were very rare cases in the
early 90s, he said, adding that last year police seized heroine in
almost 6,000 cases.
"The most deplorable fact is that drug-addiction and related crimes
are notably spreading not only among young people, but also
schoolchildren, Kharetdinov stated.
City police have files on some 400 schoolchildren and about 4,000
college students and pupils at vocational training schools.
In all, more than 7,000 people were charged with drug-related
offenses. Of those, 70 percent were aged below 24.
According to the State Customs Committee, hard drugs mostly come
through channels located in the Asian region: Afghanistan, Pakistan
and Tajikistan. Other sources are Nigeria and Latin America.
Soft drugs come from the Commonwealth of Independent States: Central
Asia,
Ukraine, Georgia and Azerbaijan. The drug-traffickers operating in
Moscow
form ethnic clans, as a rule.
Customs agents seized more than 43 million drug dosages last year.
They confiscated 43.7 kilograms of heroine, 50.1 kilograms of cocaine
and 128.9 kg of opium.
However, the GTK said there had been an increase in the volume of
heroine smuggled into Russia. Heroine is now cornering cheaper drugs
on the black market.
Profits from drug-trafficking may reach up to 2,000 percent. Russia's
drug turnover in the first half of 1998 was estimated at 1.2 billion
US dollars, the GTK said.
MOSCOW, - A senior official said on Thursday
that police at the present time only seize 10 to 12 percent of all
drugs smuggled into Russia.
Moscow accounts for some 80 percent of the incoming drugs, head of the
city department for combating drug-trafficking Vladimir Kharetdinov
told a news conference. Participating in the conference were officials
from the State Customs Committee, or GTK.
Kharetdinov said the Russian capital has the highest rate of crimes
related to drug-trafficking in the country. It reported some 10,000
such offenses last year from about 1,500 in 1993.
Hard drugs, such as cocaine and heroine were very rare cases in the
early 90s, he said, adding that last year police seized heroine in
almost 6,000 cases.
"The most deplorable fact is that drug-addiction and related crimes
are notably spreading not only among young people, but also
schoolchildren, Kharetdinov stated.
City police have files on some 400 schoolchildren and about 4,000
college students and pupils at vocational training schools.
In all, more than 7,000 people were charged with drug-related
offenses. Of those, 70 percent were aged below 24.
According to the State Customs Committee, hard drugs mostly come
through channels located in the Asian region: Afghanistan, Pakistan
and Tajikistan. Other sources are Nigeria and Latin America.
Soft drugs come from the Commonwealth of Independent States: Central
Asia,
Ukraine, Georgia and Azerbaijan. The drug-traffickers operating in
Moscow
form ethnic clans, as a rule.
Customs agents seized more than 43 million drug dosages last year.
They confiscated 43.7 kilograms of heroine, 50.1 kilograms of cocaine
and 128.9 kg of opium.
However, the GTK said there had been an increase in the volume of
heroine smuggled into Russia. Heroine is now cornering cheaper drugs
on the black market.
Profits from drug-trafficking may reach up to 2,000 percent. Russia's
drug turnover in the first half of 1998 was estimated at 1.2 billion
US dollars, the GTK said.
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