The General Prosecutor's Office, as part of the implementation of the principle of "Law and Order", held a meeting of the Coordination Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan for ensuring the rule of law, law enforcement and combating crime, timed to coincide with the International Day of the Fight Against Drugs.

At the Council's platform, modern challenges and threats related to illicit drug trafficking were discussed and joint measures were developed to neutralize them at the national and international levels.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Presidential Administration, the Government, members of Parliament, heads of state agencies, international partners, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the OSCE, CARICOM, CADAP, diplomatic missions of foreign countries (the Embassies of the United States, Germany, China, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Turkey), as well as representatives of non-governmental organizations.

In his speech, Prosecutor General Berik Asylov noted that, on behalf of the Head of State, the country is implementing a systematic anti-drug policy based on the tightening of criminal liability for the organizers of drug trafficking, the digitalization of mechanisms for identifying and suppressing drug channels, the interruption of financial flows, and the expansion of international cooperation.

Kazakhstan, which has ratified all three major UN conventions on drug control, has been elected to the UN Commission on Narcotics and will represent the Asia-Pacific region until 2029, which places a significant responsibility on our country.

Over the past five years, the volume of synthetic drugs seized from illicit trafficking has increased 100-fold, from 13 kg to 1.5 tons.

Since the beginning of this year alone, 9 organized criminal groups have been dismantled, including 3 transnational groups. 111 drug supply channels have been blocked, including 19 international channels.

In total, law enforcement agencies have seized drug proceeds worth over 10 billion tenge.  

Criminal schemes involving cryptocurrencies were dismantled using the "follow the money" principle, and more than 50,000 drop accounts worth over 2.4 billion tenge were frozen.

During the meeting, specific examples of high-profile investigations were presented.

In Mangystau Region, a criminal group was dismantled, and cash and digital assets worth 2.3 billion tenge were seized.

In Ұlytau Region, the largest drug trafficking network, "Kaef-mafia," organized by foreign citizens, was identified and dismantled. Cryptocurrency worth 6 million US dollars was seized, three people were detained, and four were put on the wanted list.

Special attention was paid to international cooperation.

For the first time, an international investigative team was established in the city of Shymkent by special prosecutors and the U.S. Department of Justice's Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to investigate the "Carbon" drug market. Foreign accounts, including cryptocurrency transactions, were identified.

As a result, an international criminal scheme was uncovered, 500,000 illegal transactions worth 70 billion tenge were identified, and property worth 500 million tenge was confiscated. 24 individuals were detained, and 18 of them are currently in custody.

As B. Asylov emphasized, the digital drug network has become a new reality for Kazakhstan. Almost all drug-related crimes are committed online and are often organized from abroad.

The globalization of the drug trade requires new approaches and the consolidation of efforts by government agencies, international partners, and civil society.

It was also announced that as part of the legislative reform, the punishment for drug production has been increased to life imprisonment. At the same time, the punishment for drug dealers has been reduced.

These changes have affected more than 3,800 convicts, with 328 already released and more than 2,600 having their sentences reduced.

During the discussion, representatives of international and non-governmental organizations confirmed their readiness to participate in joint efforts.

In addition, the Prosecutor General drew the attention of the authorized bodies to the need to take additional measures to counter transnational drug crime, cooperate with international financial institutions and crypto exchanges, and prevent drug advertising.

Special attention was paid to the rehabilitation of drug addicts.

The Head of the Supervisory Agency emphasized the importance of building a strong public immunity against the drug threat, especially among young people.

In this regard, local executive bodies, together with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, were advised to intensify preventive measures and involve citizens in the fight against drug addiction.

Public organizations, including the Council for the Prevention of Drug-Related Offenses under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, have put forward initiatives to conduct information campaigns involving bloggers, athletes, and youth associations aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle.

At the end of the meeting, law enforcement and special agencies were recognized for their significant contributions to the fight against drug trafficking, as well as international partners and representatives of the civil sector for their assistance in developing anti-drug policies and international cooperation.

Following the meeting, recommendations were developed aimed at further suppressing the transnational drug business, blocking its financial flows, strengthening international coordination, developing digital tools for analysis and monitoring, and expanding preventive and rehabilitation programs.

Work in this area will be consistently continued based on interagency cooperation, international partnerships, and the use of modern technologies.