Marat Kozhaev, the First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, spoke at the Mazhilis on May 23 about the scale of synthetic drug distribution in Kazakhstan.
He mentioned that in the first four months of this year, Kazakhstan has identified 2729 drug-related offenses, including 1117 crimes. Additionally, there were 734 cases of drug trafficking and 179 cases of possession of drugs in particularly large quantities.
"Eleven criminal cases have been initiated for the creation and leadership of organized criminal groups in the drug business sector. Nearly 2000 tons of drugs have been confiscated, including 234 kg of synthetic drugs. Over the past five years, the volumes of seized and ready-to-use synthetic drugs have sharply increased from 10 kg to over a ton," shared Marat Kozhaev.
He noted that since 2015, the use of synthetic drugs has become widespread. Previously, legislation did not allow for a rapid response to this threat, as until 2019, the list of drugs was updated exclusively at the legislative level, and developing the necessary norms took more than a year. During this time, the drug market was saturated with new uncontrolled substances, and their structure changed due to just one or two molecules, enabling drug dealers to circumvent existing legislation. Moreover, the makeshift nature of the process led to the emergence of new and practically lethal drugs.
"Synthetics" cause addiction and harm the body from the first use. Therefore, the most effective and preventive measure is to prevent illegal supplies, precursors, and laboratory equipment. However, currently, criminal liability is only established for their smuggling. The circulation of these items and substances within the country – such as constructors, various mixers, reactors – is proven only when ready-made drugs are seized from suspects," added Marat Kozhaev.
The proposed new amendments seek to strengthen accountability for the illegal circulation of precursors. The corresponding bill is under consideration in the Mazhilis.
On May 22, in Almaty, another drug den was dismantled. According to the Anti-Drug Trafficking Department, it was operating in one of the residential premises in the Zhetyssu district.
