Shavkat Mirziyoyev: “The drug business can be defeated not by weapons, but by cutting off its financial source”

Shavkat Mirziyoyev: “The drug business can be defeated not by weapons, but by cutting off its financial source”

A global forum against drug threats has opened in Samarkand. Representatives of more than 50 countries and international organizations are participating in it. Shavkat Mirziyoyev made an address at the forum on the topic “Combating transnational drug threats in ensuring health and security.” The address was read out by the Head of the Presidential Administration Saida Mirziyoyeva.

It noted that international cooperation is being carried out to combat drug crimes, prevent and treat drug addiction. The President emphasized the importance of eliminating its financial sources as the main way to combat the drug business. According to him, the drug business can be weakened by stopping the flow of criminal funds. 

According to the United Nations, more than 300 million people in the world are under the influence of drugs. In particular, in recent years, Uzbekistan has implemented large-scale measures to combat drug crimes, and last year alone, more than 15,000 drug crimes were revealed, nearly 3.5 tons of drugs, including 120 kg of synthetic drugs, were destroyed, 14 clandestine drug laboratories and 72 large online stores were shut down. 

The forum put forward important initiatives such as creating a single digital platform based on artificial intelligence to combat transnational drug crimes, blocking illegal financial flows, and developing treatment methods for synthetic drugs. 

Shavkat Mirziyoyev also expressed his readiness to establish the Central Asian Association of Narcologists and locate the head office of this organization in Samarkand.