Ed. iuscrim, Max-Planck-Institut für Ausländisches und Internationales Strafrecht
Abstract
This volume constitutes the first large-scale empirical analysis of illegal drug trade in post-Soviet Russia. It presents the findings of a research project, which was commissioned by the UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention. Under the coordination of Letizia Paoli, field research was conducted by Russian scientists and outreach workers in nine cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg. In cooperation with Russian authorities, the author additionally analysed a wide sample of drug-related judicial verdicts and intelligence documents, which were up until now inaccessible to scholars. The results of the project both prove and correct some 'major' theses about illegal drugs in Russia. There is no doubt that the country is experiencing an escalation of illegal drug consumption and trade, which is fostered by a deep social, political and economic crisis. However, contrary to the assumptions of most Russian and Western observers alike, the production, smuggling and sale of illegal drugs are not dominated so far by large-scale criminal organisations. Instead of a few mafia-type cartels, the trade in illegal drugs is carried out by a myriad of small groups, clans, gangs and individuals, who are independent of one another. This report does not merely pursue academic goals, but aims to provide Russian and international policy-makers with first-hand information on the growth of drug trafficking and use in Russia, in order to help them formulate realistic and effective policies
