Statements by the United States and Georgia that, maybe, the drug traffic passes through Abkhazia and South Ossetia, do not hold water. Such an opinion in an interview with IA "Res" has been stated by a representative of the Association of the cross-border cooperation in Central Asia and Caucasus, Mikhail Chernov, commenting on the recent statements by the American and Georgian authorities about the possible drug trafficking through the territory of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
According to the expert, in any flow of drugs must be political and logistical sense.
"It is known that large drug traffic just passes through Georgia and the Georgian ports-to Abkhazia. The situation with the consumption of hard drugs in Abkhazia is very complicated. Abkhazian security services have noted increase of penetration of heroin through the border of Gali district of Abkhazia into the territory of the republic. In parallel with this the program for rehabilitation of narcomaniacs–also oriented to the young people of Abkhazia-has been developed in Georgia. Thus, narcotization of the young population of Abkhazia and the simultaneous binding of drug addicts to rehabilitation system of Georgia is being carried out ", - said Chernov. According to the expert, besides the ports, one of the channels for transferring drugs from Afghanistan is the American military installations in the European and Asian states, including Georgia. "Participation of the Georgian contingent in the U.S. operation in Afghanistan and the elements of the American logistical structures in Georgia can be convenient channels for transferring drugs, uncontrolled by local authorities" - he stressed.
With regard to South Ossetia, according to Chernov, the Republic, in terms of drug trafficking, now represents a logistical impasse. "However, if imposed from the outside destabilization of the situation in the country and disrupt of the presidential election, it could become one of the channels for transferring drugs from Georgia to the North Caucasus region of Russia. To prevent such a scenario one should held at a stated time the impeccable, from a legal point of view, presidential elections in South Ossetia in accordance with the legislation", - said the expert.
He has also stressed that in a short space of time it should be completed the deployment of infrastructure of the FSS RF Border Control Agency in the Republic. One should also provide close cooperation of the above-mentioned structure with the Office of the Federal Drug Control Service of the Russian Federation. "It is also necessary for the FSS RF Border Control Agency of the Russian Federation and for the Federal Drug Control Service to provide prohibition of drug traffic through the Georgian Military Highway and cooperation for preventing drug spreading in the Kazbek region", - concluded Mikhail Chernov. In the recently released U.S. State Department report on International Strategy for Drug Control in 2012 it is said that "in the occupied regions of Georgia may be the presence of drug trafficking."
