Combating Illegal Drug Trafficking Has Become Quite Complex: Kyaramyan

During the government meeting on February 1, Chairman of the Investigative Committee Arghishti Kyaramyan presented statistics regarding the fight against drug trafficking for the years 2022-2023. According to this report, 4,025 criminal cases have been initiated, with charges filed against 1,063 individuals, of which 287 individuals have been subjected to pre-trial detention.

Throughout 2023, the pre-investigation of 1,105 criminal cases related to illegal drug trafficking has been completed, and cases involving 1,307 individuals have been sent to court. There is also separate statistics on drug smuggling cases. “Additionally, 106 cases have been concluded regarding these matters, with criminal cases against 116 individuals sent to court. In total for 2023, there are 1,423 individuals concerning illegal drug trafficking and drug smuggling cases that have been submitted to court,” said Kyaramyan, emphasizing that combating illegal drug trafficking has become quite complex due to changing mechanisms.

“To put it more vividly, the drugs were given, the money was taken, and the operational body went to arrest—such a scenario mostly does not exist anymore. The mechanisms have primarily shifted to various shop platforms, and transactions are being conducted through internet applications. Consequently, the law enforcement system is slowly starting to adapt and change its methods of operation as is typical with the qualitative increase in any type of crime. I believe, based on our assessment, that the law enforcement system is currently in the phase of developing new methodologies,” he stated.

Kyaramyan recalled that last year, through close cooperation with police and the prosecution, they were able to uncover a significant criminal group for the first time, applying exclusively different methods that were not previously known to law enforcement to expose drug trafficking cases. “In the past year, we have uncovered over 150 Telegram platforms in collaboration with our partners and discovered eight laboratory rooms. It is crucial to mention that we have also attempted to view illegal drug trafficking in the context of money laundering, and I have that statistic as well. Last year, more than 5.1 billion in money laundering was charged, with cases involving 3.6 billion submitted to court. Additionally, I want to highlight a very important fact: through investigative means, 30 Telegram platforms were shut down last year, which involved tens of thousands of people,” he said.

Minister of Internal Affairs Vahe Ghazaryan also presented statistics on illegal drug trafficking through the internet. “In 2023, there were 489 recorded incidents via the internet, of which 128 were sales, and 361 were cases of drug acquisition,” he noted, adding that this is a significantly better statistic compared to 2022.