Anti-Drug Operation Nets 40,000 Nationwide in One Week

Russian authorities instituted criminal proceedings against 40,000 people for drug trafficking and sales from March 31 through April 5, 2003 as part of its all-Russian anti-drug operation 'Teenager-Needle,' according to Head of the Main Directorate for Providing Social Order of the Internal Ministry Vladimir Golubovsky. He said that of the total number of people whom criminal proceedings were instituted against, 12,000 people were minors.

In all for the period, 3,302 crimes were uncovered. Of those crimes, according to article 150 of the Russian criminal code (involving minors in committing crimes), 277 were minors, said Golubovsky. Moreover, 72 crimes were uncovered under article 151 (involving minors in committing anti-Social activity) and 357 crimes under article 156 of the Russian criminal code (failure to fulfil responsibility for upbringing minors). In addition, 1073 crimes were uncovered under article 228 (illegal manufacture, acquisition, preservation, transportation, and sales of narcotics, he said. 11 crimes under article 230 (inclination to use narcotics) and 13 crimes connected with organizing of a hang-out for the use of narcotics.