VIDEO: 47 Drug-Addicted Police Officers Identified and Punished, Says Minister

In Armenia, 47 police officers have been removed from the system this year for drug use. This was stated by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Vahe Ghazaryan, during parliamentary hearings on the theme "Issues and Challenges Related to Crime Rates, Structure, Dynamics, Registration, and Disclosure in Armenia from 2019 to 2024, and the Real Results of Reforms."

The minister noted that a certification process is currently ongoing within the police force, one of the mandatory requirements of which is to pass a drug test. The 47 officers were dismissed as a result of these checks.

According to the minister, the detection of cases of illegal drug circulation has increased by an average of 46.6 percent over the past five years. "Out of the 4,564 illegal drug circulation cases discovered in 2023, 1,811 were identified by patrol officers," Ghazaryan emphasized.

He added that between 2021 and 2023, 631 cases of illegal drug circulation via the internet were uncovered. To coordinate efforts in this area, the Ministry of Internal Affairs is collaborating with the investigative committee, and a specialized unit has also been formed. Ghazaryan promised that there will soon be many revelations in this direction.