Session of the Joint Collegium of the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Belarus and the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation devoted to interaction in the fight against illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic s

On October 27, 2017, a meeting of the Joint Collegium of the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Belarus and the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation devoted to interaction in the fight against illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their precursors and analogues took place.

The following persons took part in the event: Prosecutors General of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation Aleksandr Konyuk and Yuri Chaika, Deputy Head of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus Valeri Mitskevich, Deputy State Secretary of the Security Council of the Republic of Belarus Vladimir Archakov, Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Belarus Ivan Noskevich, First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Ivan Podgurski, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Belarus Aleksandr Surikov, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Committee – of the Executive Secretary of the Commonwealth of Independent States Konysbek Zhusupbekov, prosecutors from Belarus and Russia.

During the opening of the Joint Collegium, Prosecutor General of the Republic of Belarus Aleksandr Konyuk communicated that in the relations between prosecution offices of Belarus and Russia there formed a good tradition to hold joint events devoted to topical issues of countering crime and exchange of best practices of prosecutorial supervision in various spheres.
 
The problem of spread of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their precursors and analogues is common for the world community. According to different estimates, more than 200 thousand persons die annually from drugs. Attempts to use the territory of our country for transit of psychoactive substances from the West also pose a problem.

Aleksandr Konyuk underlined that in view of absence of a formalized border on land between our states, interaction of law enforcement bodies of Belarus and Russia should have a special character. Only joint coordinated actions shall ensure control over criminogenic processes and minimize the damage caused by illegal trafficking in psychoactive substances.

It was noted by the Joint Collegium that illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances constitutes a serious demographic threat and acquires transnational character. Technologies used to conceal criminally punishable acts are developing. Their organized forms become more widespread.
 
These challenges require strengthening professional ties between the prosecution bodies of Belarus and Russia and taking effective agreed measures to counter drug-related crime, including in the framework or realization of the Programme of Cooperation of CIS Member-States in the Fight against Illegal Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances, their Precursors and Counteraction to Narcomania for 2014-2018.

Joint efforts contribute to suppression of channels for inflow of narcotic drugs and their transit, identification and bringing to criminal responsibility members of international organized criminal groups. However, the number of crimes connected with smuggling of psychoactive substances across state borders of the two countries does not decrease.

In 2016 and first half of 2017, more than 316 thousand crimes in the sphere of narcotic drugs traffic were detected in Belarus and Russia, which makes up accordingly 7% and 9% of all crimes in the countries concerned.

Experience shows that interaction of Russian and Belarusian competent bodies can be more active, this would promote prevention of smuggling of narcotic drugs into the territories of the two states.

In view of a high level of latency of crimes related to smuggling of narcotic drugs and unregulated mechanism of cooperation in course of carrying out of such an operational-search activity as controlled delivery, it is often impossible to entrap all participants of illegal trafficking in narcotic drugs. Use of operational information, as a rule, results in arrest of a drug courier and recipient of a lower level; however, organizers of such a delivery remain unreachable for law enforcement bodies of the two countries. In this case only consolidation of efforts can ensure taking preventive measures aimed at detection of channels for inflow of drugs and psychotropic substances.

In conclusion of the Joint Collegium, it was decided to activate prosecutorial supervision in the sphere of illicit traffic in psychoactive substances; improve coordination of activity of law enforcement bodies, including by organization of interagency workgroups in regions; ensure intensification of exchange of information important for operational purposes; improve the quality of bilateral cooperation in rendering legal assistance in criminal matters; hold a scientific and practical conference on “Prevention of crimes in the sphere of illicit trafficking narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their precursors and analogues” in Minsk.
 
Additionally, the Scientific and Practical Centre for Problems of Reinforcing Law and Order of the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Belarus and the Academy of the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation were charged with making a comprehensive analysis of relevant legislation of the countries and developing, basing on the results of the analysis, recommendations regarding further unification of national legal systems in the sphere of the fight against illegal trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their precursors and analogues.