Drug trafficking surged after the pandemic – Shavkat Qayumov

Since 2020, the number of drug-related crimes in Uzbekistan has nearly doubled. This increase is primarily attributed to the influx of synthetic drug “formulas” across borders alongside traditional narcotics. QALAMPIR.UZ’s correspondent reported this today, January 30, from a press conference dedicated to a comprehensive operational and preventive month-long campaign to combat the spread of narcotic and psychotropic substances among young people.

At the event, Deputy Head of the Agency for the Control of Drugs and Firearms Shavkat Qayumov stated that the trade in synthetic narcotics became particularly widespread during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to him, the doubling of drug-related crimes over the past five years has been driven by the growth of online drug sales and the production of synthetic substances in laboratory conditions.

“The issue is that drug-related crimes intensified sharply during the COVID-19 period. Even a look at the statistics shows that synthetic narcotic substances began to emerge as a pressing problem after 2020. Now, it is not the drugs themselves that are being smuggled across borders, but their formulas,” Qayumov said.

He added that while drug trafficking was previously carried out mainly on the streets, today it is conducted remotely, often from home. In particular, drug dealers use special bots and covert online platforms for this purpose.

It was also noted that over the past year and a half, a special strategy has been developed to counter these platforms, with the system implemented based on artificial intelligence. Using these technologies, thousands of bots and cyber trafficking channels are currently being exposed.

For reference, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, during a videoconference meeting held on January 27 this year, issued critical and firm instructions on the need to foster an uncompromising public attitude toward drug use and to strengthen measures to combat drug-related crimes.

It is worth noting that on January 28 this year, the Director of the Agency for the Control of Drugs and Firearms, Ravshan Mamajonovich Mamatov, was dismissed from his post by a presidential decree.