Belarus pays considerable attention to the development of effective strategies and measures to counter the spread of drugs, Belarusian Minister of Internal Affairs Ivan Kubrakov said during the 25th meeting of the CSTO coordinating council of the heads of the competent authorities combating illicit drug trafficking, BelTA has learned.

"The Republic of Belarus pays considerable attention to the development of effective strategies and measures to counter the spread of drugs," Ivan Kubrakov said. “We see that organized crime has integrated with the use of the internet, thus covering all CSTO member states. Drug warlords use our countries to sell drugs, while being on the territory of other states, and the money received from criminal activities increasingly goes into digital currency.”

Being more transit countries for the drug business in the past, many of our countries are now considered by drug dealers as promising markets for the sale of psychoactive substances, the minister said. "In the CSTO, we have made significant progress in a number of areas of activity through joint efforts," he stressed. “We have stepped up work to identify and disrupt international drug supply channels. In cooperation with the Russian Federation, we have gained a certain amount of experience in the organization of complex operational and preventive special programs and operations. The exchange of operational information is ongoing.”

"At today's meeting we will sum up the intermediate results of cooperation, exchange the necessary information, and develop new practical recommendations in the interests of cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking. We need to take into account all modern challenges and threats emanating from drug crimes," Ivan Kubrakov added. “Despite the difficult geopolitical situation, the unprecedented military, political and economic pressure on our countries, the drug threat has not lost its relevance. The decisions we will take today will not only contribute to enhancing the role of the council itself as the main coordinating center for anti-drug activities in the CSTO but will consolidate the efforts of our states in the fight against drug trafficking, and will give a new impetus to the interaction of the competent authorities of our countries in the fight against drug trafficking."

The meeting brought together representatives of Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, and the CSTO Secretariat.