On Detention in Flagrante Delicto of Persons Engaged in Committing Crimes Related to Illegal Trafficking of Drugs

The purpose of the work is to consider certain problematic issues arising in the course of the implementation by law enforcement agencies of activities to suppress crimes in the sphere of illegal circulation of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances committed using the capabilities of the information and telecommunication network «Internet», in particular technologies that make it difficult to identify specific users of this networks. Methodology: analysis of law enforcement practice, taking into account the current legislation. The conclusion based on the results of the study is that understanding the illegal schemes and technologies used allows law enforcement officers to timely and correctly assess the possibility of suppressing the criminal activities of drug traffickers and determine the forces and means necessary for this, as well as the tactics of their actions, to conduct detention at the right time and with maximum effect red-handed specific individuals, collect evidence and prosecute all accomplices in criminal activity. Scientific and practical significance: highlighting the features of online stores used for the sale of drugs, substantiating the elements of a tactical operation — the arrest of a drug dealer red-handed.

Criminal Liability for the Use of Substances and (or) Methods Prohibited in Sports in Respect of a Sportsman

Purpose: assessment of criminal law and criminological problems of combating crime in the field of sports related to doping. Research method: doctrinal analysis of criminal legislation, conducting surveys of specialists in the field of justice and non-such citizens interested in sports, analysis of survey results. Conclusions: amendments to the criminal legislation providing for liability for acts related to doping is justified and timely. Scientific and practical significance: the significance of surveys for assessing decisions made in the field of criminal liability for acts related to doping is shown; the point of view is substantiated according to which, when doping is used against an athlete by taking pills or powder inside, injection, etc., regardless of his consent, the respective athlete should be recognized as a victim of this illegal act.

The Status and Tendencies of Drug-Related Crime at Transport Infrastructure Objects

Purpose: based on the analysis of the official statistics of the Federal State Institution “GIAC of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia” (information on the state of crime and the results of the investigation of crimes for the period 2015-2019; on crimes related to the illegal circulation of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors or analogues, potent substances, plants (or their parts) containing narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances or their precursors, new potentially dangerous psychoactive substances, and the persons who committed them; on the state of crime in the air transport of the Russian Federation; summary report on the state of crime in transport) to assess the state and trends of drug-related crime at transport infrastructure facilities. Methodology: fundamental provisions of national criminology, a set of general scientific and specific scientific research methods. Conclusions: drug trafficking at transport infrastructure facilities is one of the main threats to Russia’s transport security. The decrease in the number of registered crimes in the sphere of illegal drug trafficking recorded in 2019 and the number of persons who committed them, both in Russia as a whole and at transport infrastructure facilities, is primarily due to the effectiveness of preventive activities. Scientific and practical significance: the results of the study presented in this article contribute to expanding the scope of criminological knowledge about the current state and trends of drug-related crime at transport infrastructure facilities, justifying the development of more effective preventive measures (scientific significance); will allow the subjects of preventive activity to timely identify new criminal threats in transport, determine priority areas of prevention and optimize management decisions.

Crime Subject Under Clause “a” Part 3 Article 230 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation: 16 or 18 Years?

Purpose: legal analysis of theoretical and practical aspects of determining the age of criminal responsibility for inducing a person under the age of 18 to use narcotic drugs. Methodology: the fundamental method was dialectical. When studying the regulations governing the issues of bringing minors to justice, the formal legal method was used. The hypothesis about the correctness of the wording of paragraph «a» of Part 3 of Art. 230 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Analyzed judicial practice and scientific publications on the issue under study. Conclusions: the author concluded that the absence of a legislative limitation makes it possible to assess according to paragraph «a» of Part 3 of Art. 230 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation actions of a person aged sixteen to eighteen years. Scientific and practical significance: the scientific significance of the research is expressed in the development of scientifically grounded proposals containing the answer to the question about the age of the person involved in paragraph «a» of Part 3 of Art. 230 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The noted problem can be further disclosed in detail in scientific research. Practical significance is determined by the fact that the conclusion reasoned by the author can serve as a guideline in the investigation and consideration of criminal cases under paragraph «a» of Part 3 of Art. 230 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation for the formation of a unified approach.

A Criminological Analysis of the Correlation Between the Dynamics of the Afghan Opium Expansion and the Heroin Abuse Situation in Russia

The purpose of the work is to establish criminologically significant information about the relationship between the dynamics of opium expansion of Afghan origin and the heroin drug situation in Russia. The methodological basis is the method of SWOT analysis and four-element strategic PEST analysis (Policy — policy, Economy — economy, Society — society, Technology — technology), implemented to identify and study the political, economic, socio-cultural and technological aspects of the development of the object under study. Consideration of the correlation relationship led to the conclusion that active international, cross-border and interagency cooperation reduces the “heroin pressure” on the Russian Federation along the «northern route» of drug trafficking. This interaction serves as a point-by-point combination of political efforts to normalize the opium drug situation in the Central Asian region. In turn, the growing popularity of synthetic drugs reduces the demand for plant-based opium drugs. The consequences of the transformation of drug trafficking routing are noted. It was found that the increased risks of detaining drug traffickers and the overall unprofitability of the contact method of distributing heroin led to the widespread use of international mail channels, mobile communications and electronic communications. The practical significance of structuring the correlation under consideration through four aspects makes it possible to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of the domestic mechanism for combating illicit trafficking in opium drugs.

State Regulation of Circulation of Drugs and Psychotropic Substances in Medical Institutions

The article presents a brief summary of the conference State Regulation of Circulation of Drugs and Psychotropic Substances in Medical Institutions. Relevant Legal Changes held on June 5, 2020 at the Professorial Academy of Education.

Criminal Liability for Crimes Related to Illegal Trafficking of Drugs and Psychotropic Substances: The Status and Prospects

The purpose of the work is to assess the state of the criminal legislation on responsibility for crimes related to the illegal circulation of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. The subject of the research was criminal legislation, judicial practice and doctrinal sources. Methodology: the author used general scientific research methods, as well as a special legal formal dogmatic method. Conclusions: the author of the study, defining the current state of affairs in the field of criminal law combating illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their analogues in our country, notes the inconsistency and illogicality of the work of criminal law institutions in establishing responsibility for some crimes in this area, and also draws attention to the fact that the determinants of such a problem originate in an insufficiently objective assessment by the legislator of the current state of affairs. Scientific and practical significance: the necessity of taking measures aimed at differentiating the provisions of criminal legislation in this area, as well as introducing such a concept as «illegal drug business» into the current legislation is substantiated.

On the Improvement of Operations of Internal Affairs Agencies in the Area of the State Service of Issue of Certificates of Being Punished for Illegal Drug Use

Purpose: to show the need for improvement of the administrative activities of the internal affairs bodies in the field of drug trafficking based on the analysis of the regulatory framework which regulates the state service for the issuance of certificates on the absence of punishment for illegal drug use, the existing law enforcement practice and statistical data. Methodology: to achieve this goal, some statistical data and regulatory legal acts were analysed, and methods of analysis and synthesis, as well as a comparative legal method were used. Conclusion: the study has shown the need for increasing the efficiency of the administrative practice of the internal affairs bodies in the field of illegal drug trafficking and the need for amending the Regulations for the provision of public services for issuing certificates of no punishment for drug use. Scientific and practical significance: the use of the materials presented and analysed in the article will make it possible to increase the efficiency of the administrative practice of the internal affairs bodies in the field of illegal drug trafficking, minimising the possibility of persons who use drugs without a doctor’s prescription receiving a certificate of the absence of punishment for drug use.