OPENING OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER MAY BECOME NEW SOURCE OF DRUG TRAFFICKING
PanARMENIAN.Net
31.03.2010 20:16 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Illegal circulation of drugs is a scourge to
society and provides a financial base for terrorism and corruption,
Hrayr Karapetyan, head of the NA Standing Committee on Defence,
National Security and Internal Affairs, member of the ARF group told
parliamentary hearings on the fight against illegal circulation of
narcotic drugs in Armenia.
According to Mr. Karapetyan, unfortunately due to its geography Armenia
is sometimes used as a transit for drug trafficking. According to
the Armenian Police data, last year 1238 crimes and 130 offenses were
revealed in the struggle against illegal circulation of narcotic drugs,
while in 2008 only 763 crimes and 22 offenses were reported.
Hrayr Karapetyan said, Armenia still lacks a universal strategy to
combat the illicit circulation of drugs, which complicates the joint
fight against drug trafficking.
Armenian First Deputy Chief of Police Hunan Poghosyan said, the
struggle against illegal circulation of narcotic drugs is strengthened
every year in Armenia. "Heavy drugs such as opium and heroin are
mostly detected, entering the country from Iran," he said.
In case of opening of the Armenian-Turkish border a new flow of drugs
from Turkey may enter Armenia, Hunan Poghosyan said, stressing that
in order to prevent that flow the Armenia’s border checkpoints should
be significantly reequipped.
By RA President’s decree, an interdepartmental committee has already
been established and currently is developing a universal strategy to
fight against the illicit circulation of drugs.