Since the beginning of 2024, more than 100 people have been brought to criminal responsibility for drug crimes in Astana. One of those convicted of drug distribution told how she received a prison sentence at the age of 16, the official website of the capital's akimat reports.
In search of easy money, even teenagers agree to a seemingly dusty job as a drug dealer. They do not realize how their actions can ruin hundreds of lives, including their own.
The Astana resident, using her own example, told how this could affect her future fate.
"At the age of 16, I started dating a guy. After a while, I realized that he was dealing drugs. Over time, he began to involve me in his work. And I started selling drugs too. I knew it was a dangerous job, but I thought they wouldn't do anything to me because I'm underage. Then I got interested and tried it myself too. As a result, when I was hiding the bookmark, I was detained by the police. I was imprisoned for 6 years. What I want to say by this is that criminal cases are also initiated against minors, so never get involved with drugs," the girl said.
It is worth noting that in Kazakhstan, criminal liability begins at the age of 14. Pawnbrokers or drug couriers can be sentenced to imprisonment for a period of 7 to 15 years.
In 2023, about 70 people were brought to justice for drug crimes in the capital, this year – already 100.
To date, 1,148 drug-related facts have been registered (982, an increase of 16.9%).
In 2024, criminal offenses related to drug trafficking were committed by 7 minors. As part of the investigation, 671 kg of narcotic drugs were seized.
To reduce involvement in the drug environment, law enforcement agencies monitor the Internet space. For almost a year, about 200 sites have been targeted for blocking.
The work on the prevention of vandalism is carried out under the coordination of the city Prosecutor's Office and the Department for Combating Drug Crime of the DP of Astana.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/astana/press/news/details/893364