Counteraction to the Involvement of Minors in the Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Their Analogues, Сommitted by the Information and Telecommunication Technologies

The subject of this article is countering to the involvement of minors in the illicit traffic in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their analogues, committed by information and telecommunication technologies. The authors investigate the state of the problem, the means of criminal legal counteraction, the main causes and conditions of the commission of the crimes under consideration. It is noted that, in general, the means of criminal legislation are adequate to the state of the problem, however, a complex of reasons has formed that contribute to the increase in the involvement of minors in illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their analogues, committed through the use of information and telecommunication technologies. The authors cite and characterize these reasons. It is noted that the basic determinants are problems in the socio-economic organization of society, and the main catalyst for this negative social phenomenon is the high latency of this type of crime, due to the technical component – the availability of means of operational and anonymous commission of crimes. The complex of the main counteraction measures taken is analyzed, their effectiveness, problems, prospects are determined. Separate issues of the relevant experience of foreign states are considered. Some aspects of the problem and the measures taken are illustrated by statistics and examples of law enforcement activities. The measures that, according to the authors, will contribute to the fight against this type of crime are proposed.