English

Interior ministry calling for tougher penalties against drug traffickers

The interior ministry strongly believes that penalties for trafficking in narcotic drugs should be much harsher, Mikalay Karpyankow, head of the ministry`s drug control and human trafficking prevention directorate, said during an online question-and-answer session hosted by the Belarusian State Television and Radio Company, BelaPAN said.

The city of Salihorsk, Minsk region, currently has the highest rate of drug addiction, with 400 people per 100,000 population registered as drug addicts, Mr. Karpyankow said. Salihorsk is followed by Pinsk, Brest region, with 350 addicts per 100,000 population and Svetlahorsk, Homyel region, with between 300 and 350 addicts per 100,000 population, he said.

Although 180 criminal cases have been opened in Salihorsk over offenses involving narcotic substances, only 80 cases have been referred to court, only 24 people have been held in detention centers or prisons, and only 14 people have been punished, including only three for drug trafficking, Mr. Karpyankow said, describing Belarusian courts as “humane” toward such offenders.

The interior ministry believes that offenses such as drug smuggling, the sale of drugs to people under 18 years of age, the sale of large amounts of drugs, and the production of drugs in clandestine laboratories should carry between eight and 12 years in prisons, he said.

Mr. Karpyankow called for criminal penalties for illegal trade in poppy seeds, noting that drug traffickers were paid between 350,000 rubels ($39) per 100 grams of poppy seeds in the provinces to one million rubels in Minsk. One dollar spent on poppy seeds yields $20 in profits, he said.