"Illegal drug turnover has become widespread in Chechnya lately, which is facilitated by the grave social and economic situation in the republic," Chechen Security Council Secretary Rudnik Dudayev told Interfax on Sunday.
He spoke of a massive number of drug-related crimes, saying over 900 of them have been registered since the beginning of last year.
"According to our information, heroin is coming from Ingushetia and Dagestan, while opium poppies are grown in Chechnya," Dudayev said.
In his opinion, the efforts of law enforcement bodies to combat the illegal drug trade have been weak. "Some 600 criminal cases have been sent to court but not a single organizer or major dealer has been detained. Neither have criminal groups trafficking and selling drugs been exposed," he said.
Dudayev added that out of the 230 registered HIV-infected people in Chechnya, 204 are drug addicts.
He said the Chechen Security Council has worked out a number of measures aimed at tightening efforts against this phenomenon. "However, in order to achieve tangible results, people should be provided with jobs, the leisure of young people has to be organized and the public educated," he said.
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