Drug-related deaths are decreasing in Tatarstan, but the involvement of minors is growing

“A 14-year-old child understands what he is doing”

In the first 10 months of 2024, 65 minors were detained in Tatarstan, 45 of them were involved in drug trafficking, said head of the Drug Control Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the republic Alexander Mikheyev.

According to him, the problem is becoming more pressing every year. This is due to the fact that the drug market has almost completely moved to the Internet, and the conditions of anonymity “cause children to feel a sense of impunity.”

The use of drugs led to the death of four children. For comparison, last year there were no such cases at all. At the same time, the overall mortality due to substances fell by almost 30% over the year. And in general, according to the assessment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the number of fatal cases has been steadily declining for five years.

The lowering of the age limit for involving teenagers in drug crimes is also alarming, Mikheyev expressed his concerns:

“For example, in March, a 13-year-old college student was detained in Nizhnekamsk who was making stashes with synthetic drugs in the city. In April, a group of stash makers was detained in Almetyevsk, they used an 11-year-old child to transport drugs.”

In this regard, the State Duma is considering the issue of lowering the age for criminal liability for drug-related crimes to 14 years (currently, minors who have reached 16 years of age can be prosecuted). Deputy Chief Pavel Fominykh emphasised that this initiative must be adopted:

“A 14-year-old child understands what he is doing and why he is doing it. Some try to avoid responsibility due to the fact that they have not reached 16 years of age.”

Mikheyev added that as a preventive measure, it is necessary to conduct unannounced preventive examinations in schools:

“They will allow, among other things, to objectively assess the situation with the involvement of young people in drug use and conduct appropriate work with them at an early stage.”

More than 4,000 drug crimes

In the first 10 months, 4,500 crimes related to illegal drug trafficking were detected in Tatarstan, 75% of them — with distribution.

“About 5,500 administrative offenses in the sphere of illegal drug trafficking were stopped. About 160 kg of various psychoactive substances were seised from illegal circulation, 28 channels of their supply were blocked. The total number of drug users registered with the republic's health authorities has decreased by almost 400 compared to last year. Despite the socio-economic tension, there has been no surge in drug addicts' involvement in criminal activity, Mikheyev reported.

In general, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the drug situation in Tatarstan remains calm: consumption volumes, as well as mortality, are decreasing annually.

“The terrible 90s when harder drugs were widespread and one in three or four cases resulted in death are over,” Fominykh stated.

Mikheyev also spoke about drug labs — four of them were closed in 10 months, three of them in Tatarstan. Nine participants were detained, 25 kg of prohibited substances were seized.

Unfound owner of drug network

Separately, law enforcement agencies focused on a recent criminal case related to a large drug shop.

Stanislav Moiseyev started out as a retail drug dealer, but “made a career” on the dark net on the Hydra platform — he went from being a custodian of 100 kg of “dope” to the organiser of a network of drug shops that covered 20 regions of Russia and Belarus. On December 2, the shadow tycoon received a life sentence from the Moscow regional court.

Along with him, 15 more people were sentenced in the case of a ton of drugs, including a resident of Naberezhnye Chelny and a Muscovite driver of a Dodge RAM, in which more than 100 kg of drugs of six types were found during a routine check in Kazan in 2018. That case led to the uncovering of an entire network for the sale of illegal substances. Six years later, some details of the case were revealed to journalists at a press conference

The work of the security forces began with the arrest on 9 September 2018. All the identified defendants in the case were found in almost a month. Everyone, except for Moiseyev himself — he was detained only in April 2019, said te head of the department of the drug control department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tatarstan Anvar Karimov.

“Moiseyev knowing and understanding that all his employees were detained went to live in Ukraine. He was there until April 2019. At that time, he arrived in Russia for his personal business affairs, already with a Ukrainian passport. He was detained in Russia. The evidence base in the case made it possible to bring charges against him at the initial stage,” said Karimov.

Another interesting detail was revealed: Moiseyev's partner, the second leader of the drug shop under the nickname OMG, has not yet been identified.

“His fate is currently unknown, he simply remains under a nickname, as an unidentified person,” said the head of the department. “Cases against unidentified persons of a criminal community always remain open. We are currently conducting activities, but, given the technical aspects and how much time has passed...”

Karimov added that the case was the first of its kind. According to data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tatarstan, there have been no previously recorded cases in which life imprisonment was imposed for drug-related crimes.