The Interior Ministers of Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine are expected to attend the session. They will compare the current crime rates in CIS member states and assess progress in implementing joint programs to combat drug trafficking, international terrorism and other forms of extremism, the press release says.
On March 22 through 26, the Russian Interior Ministry carried out a large-scale police raid in cooperation with its counterparts from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Ukraine. According to ministry's spokespeople, this collaborative effort led to the detention of some 7,000 people believed to be involved in various crimes, including 2,500 suspects wanted by the Interpol.
Preemptive interagency operations have proved particularly effective in detecting and blocking channels used for smuggling drugs into Russia from adjacent countries of the CIS. Six such operations have been held in CIS border areas since the start of 2003. These led to the detection of some 2,700 drug-related crimes, including 222 drug smuggling cases and 718 incidents of trafficking, as well as to the seizure of 237 kilograms of narcotic substances and raw material, including 65 kilograms of heroin, 107 kilograms of marijuana, 39 kilograms of poppy straw, and 4.5 kilograms of opium, the Interior Ministry says in its press release.
Another joint police operation carried out in the CIS last year was aimed at preventing terrorist acts, the illegal manufacture of and trade in arms, ammunition, and explosive substances and devices. This operation helped detect nearly 22,500 crimes and bring to justice 8,900 individuals and eight groups suspected of criminal activity. Over 1,300 pieces of arms, a large amount of ammunition, more than 600 kilograms of explosive substances, and 36 explosive devices were seized from those detained in the raid, the Russian Interior Ministry reports.
Joint measures to combat human trafficking and illegal migration will also be the key-issues on the agenda of the CIS Interior Ministers Council's forthcoming session in Chisinau, ministry's spokesmen say. According to them, in recent years, interaction between CIS police forces made it possible for them to track down several dozen criminal organizations involved in the recruitment of Russian nationals for work as sex workers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and North America.
At their two-day meeting, CIS Interior Ministers will discuss ways to step up cooperation and make plans for further joint moves.
