Number and Type of Drug Crimes Known to Authorities in Russia, 2006

"There were more than 240,000 drug crimes (acquisition, sale, manufacture etc.) registered by the Russian law enforcement agencies in 2006 - a 23 percent increase over 2005.
"Most of the crimes were committed in the large cities and industrial centres such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, Krasnodar, Kemerovo, Samara and Rostov. All these regions are located along the major drug trafficking routes.
"The number of crimes classified as “serious”and “extremely serious” has increased by 13 percent (from 134,988 cases in 2005 to 152,824 cases in 2006), although the overall number of drug crimes dropped by 5 percent (from 77 percent in 2005 to 72 percent in 2006). However, the definition of an “extremely serious crime” includes those cases where the offender has been arrested for possession of more than 2.5 grams of heroin.
"A similar trend is observed in drug trafficking cases where the number of these crimes increased by 12 percent in 2006 (100,000 cases in 2005 to 123,000 cases in 2006). However, in the context of all drug crimes, the proportion of drug trafficking cases actually declined by 5 percent (from 63 percent in 2005 to 58 percent in 2006)."