Russian Security Council reports small victory in war on drugs

MOSCOW, May 12. /TASS/. Russian law enforcement agencies and special services are working hard to prevent drug money laundering crimes, seeing success in the form of increased detection, the press service of the Russian Security Council (SC) told journalists. It said that the development of the black market drug trade in Russia in January-March 2026 "as before, was driven by domestic drug production, the smuggling of controlled substances from abroad, and the illegal cultivation and harvesting of narcotic plants, primarily cannabis." "Law enforcement agencies and special services are actively working to undermine the economic foundations of drug crime, as evidenced, in particular, by the 6.1% increase in detected drug-money laundering crimes," the Russian Security Council emphasized. The Security Council’s press service also specified that in more than 80% of cases, the direct sale of narcotics was carried out "using information and telecommunications technologies, including the internet." "Roskomnadzor (Russia’s telecom watchdog) and the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs continue to actively restrict access to such online resources," the Security Council stated.