Federal Drug Control Service of Russia

The Federal Drug Control Service of the Russian Federation or FSKN (in Russian: Федеральная служба Российской Федерации по контролю за оборотом наркотиков, ФСКН России) was a federal law enforcement agency of executive authority responsible for drafting state policy, legal regulation, control and monitoring in combating trafficking drugs, psychotropic substances, and their precursors. The Federal Drug Control Service of the Russian Federation was specially authorized to address and solve problems relating to traffic in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, and their precursors; the Federal Drug Control Service is also authorized to combat the illicit drug trafficking. Commonly was known as The Drugs Police (Наркополиция).

Federal Service for the Control of Narcotics
Narco-Control
Наркополиция
Emblem
Flag
AbbreviationFSKN
Agency overview
FormedMarch 11, 2003
Preceding agencies
  • State Committee for the Control of the Circulation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances
  • UNON MVD – MVD's Anti-Drugs Department
DissolvedMay 31, 2016 (Under a Presidential decree from April 5, 2016)
Superseding agencyMain Directorate for Drugs Control
Employees~40,000[1]
Annual budget24,737,452 million RUB (2011)
(810,794 million U.S. dollars)[2]
Jurisdictional structure
Federal agency
(Operations jurisdiction)		RUS
Operations jurisdictionRUS
Legal jurisdictionRussian Federation
Russian foreign drug-related investigations
Primary governing bodyPresidential Administration of Russia
Secondary governing bodyState Anti-Narcotics Committee
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersMoscow, Russia
Elected officer responsible
Agency executives
  • Viktor Ivanov, last Director of the Federal Service for Drug Control
  • Vladimir Kalada, First Deputy Director (last)
Parent agencyPresidential Administration of Russia
Child agency
  • Grom Unit, Narcopolice Spetsnaz
Notables
Anniversary
  • March 11
Website
http://www.fskn.gov.ru/

The FSKN shared concurrent jurisdiction with the Federal Security Service of Russia and MVD. The FSKN also has sole responsibility for coordinating and pursuing Russian drug investigations abroad, especially in Central Asia.

On April 5, 2016 the Federal Drug Control Service was dissolved, and its functions and authorities are transferred to Main Drugs Control Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.[3]

History

The first Anti-Drugs Independent Russian Agency was born on 24 September 2002 under the name "The State Committee for Combat the Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation" (UNON MVD).

On March 11, 2003 the State Committee for combat the illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation was transformed into the State Committee of Russian Federation to Monitor the Trafficking of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (GOSNARCOCONTROL). That organization eventually became the Federal Drug Control Service of Russia. Viktor Cherkesov was appointed to the chairman of the committee. The Committee passed the material base and the majority (40,000 units), staff number of the abolished Federal Tax Police Service of the Russian Federation. The Committee began its operations on July 1, 2003.

On June 6, 2003, the Duma approved the Regulations on the State Committee of Russian Federation for the control of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. On March 9, 2004, The Russian Federal Drug Control Service was renamed the Federal Service of the Russian Federation for the control of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and on July 28, 2004, the Russian Federal Service for Control over Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances was renamed the Russian Federal Service for Drug Control. On May 12, 2008, the President of Russia dismissed Viktor Cherkesov as Director of Russian Federal Drug Control Service. On May 15, 2008, President Dmitry Medvedev appointed the former KGB general Viktor Ivanov as a Director of Russian Federal Drug Control Service.

On June 1, 2016 the FSKN will be replaced by the Main Directorate for Drugs Control of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.

Structure
  • State Anti-Drugs Committee (Государственный антинаркотический комитет)
    • Federal Drug Control Service
      • Directorate for Analytical Coordination
      • Operative Directorate
      • Operation and Search Directorate
      • Directorate for coordination of Operative Activities
        • Directorate for combating against Drug Crimes in Transportation
        • Directorate for combating against illegal activities in narcotics sphere
        • Directorate for combating against Money laundering
      • Department for International Cooperation
      • Investigative Department
      • Dept. for Special Technic Activities
      • Department for Internal Security
      • Directorate for Special Communications (Wiretapping and eavesdropping)
      • Directorate for Special Purpose (Spetsnaz Directorate)
        • "Grom" Unit («Гром») – A special unit designed to fight against illegal drugs crimes and Narco-Mafia[4]
      • Medical Directorate
      • Directorate for Technic Support

Tasks and missions
SURPAT wearing Grom Special Purpose Unit member of the Federal Drug Control Service

The main tasks of Russian Federal Drug Control Service are:

  • monitoring the trafficking of drugs;
  • detection, prevention, suppression, detection and preliminary investigation of crimes attributed to the investigative jurisdiction of Federal Drug Control Service of Russia;
  • coordination of enforcement authorities to combat drug trafficking;
  • establishment and maintenance of a unified data bank on issues related to drug trafficking, as well as to combat their illegal trafficking.

Day of Drug Control Authorities

On February 16, 2008 the Decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the day on March 11 announced the official professional holiday – the Day of Drug Control Authorities.

Criticism

Criticism of the organization is related to legal collisions. For example, in 2004, the use of analgesic medication ketamine has been explicitly forbidden for use in veterinary clinics after it has been qualified as a drug of abuse. Veterinarians, to alleviate the suffering of animals, broke the law as a result of a conflict between the legal and moral implications. The most "sensational" case was the process of Alexandra Duque.

Criticism is also drawn by the Federal Drug Control Service supposedly rigging results of substance inspections (for example, identifying UR-144 as JWH-018 and finding drugs that were never there), improper scheduling (such as qualifying Modafinil as a cocaine substitute) and using very vague and unspecific drug analog laws

Directors
# Picture Director Years President Notes
1 Viktor Cherkesov September 24, 2002 – May 12, 2008 Vladimir Putin Head of the State Committee for Narcotics Control;
later the Director of FSKN
2 Viktor Ivanov May 2008 – May 2016 Dmitry Medvedev, Putin

See also

Two famous films were made in Russia about and paid by it:

Further reading

Russian
  • Специализированным подразделениям по борьбе с незаконным оборотом наркотиков МВД России – 19 лет, Отдел общественных связей – Департамент уголовного розыска // МВД РФ
  • Алексей Мухин. Путеводитель по спецслужбам России. Центр политической информации, 2006.
  • Владимир Овчинский. Правовые основы деятельности органов Госнаркоконтроля: сборник документов. Инфра-М, 2004
  • Бахаудин Батирович Тангиев, Наркотизация России – угроза национальной безопасности, Северно-Западное управление внутренных дел на транспорте МВД России, 2004 – 155 pages
  • Г. М Миньковский. Наркотизм: профилактика и стратегия борьбы, Институт научной информации по общественным наукам (Российская академия наук), Главный информационный центр МВД России, 1999.

English

References
  1. Ряды ФСКН поредеют, russian source
  2. Official report, fskn.gov.ru
  3. Putin closes Russia's Drugs Agency; casts aside longtime supporter Ivanov, The Moscow Times
  4. Russian Source
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