Cherkesov with GAK

The head of drug control received additional powers

On Saturday, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree “On additional measures to combat illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors,” which provides for the creation of a new structure - the State Anti-Drug Committee (SAK). The new structure will be headed by the director of the Federal Service for Drug Control (FSKN), Viktor Cherkesov. The new state committee will not have the status of an independent law enforcement agency, but will become an interdepartmental coordination structure designed to resolve issues in the fight against drug trafficking on a nationwide scale. According to the decree, the SAC will include representatives not only of the security forces, but also of many other ministries and departments, as well as representatives of the Federation Council and the State Duma.

The main tasks of the SAC almost completely repeat the powers set out in the regulations on the Federal Drug Control Service. Thus, according to the new decree, the State Attestation Commission is authorized to prepare proposals for the president on the formation of state policy in the field of combating illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors, on improving legislation in this area, and also report annually on the results of its activities. In addition, the SAC in this area will coordinate the activities of federal executive authorities and anti-drug commissions in the regions, develop measures to combat drug trafficking and its prevention, and participate in international cooperation.

As observers note, the idea of ​​creating such a committee has been in the air for quite some time. However, it was possible to materialize it only now, in the midst of the outbreak of an interdepartmental war between the security forces. This constantly flaring conflict reached its peak on October 1, when a group of drug police officers led by Lieutenant General Alexander Bulbov was detained and charged with giving bribes, violating the secrecy of correspondence, telephone conversations, postal, telegraph and other messages, exceeding and abusing official powers. A week later, the head of the Federal Drug Control Service, Viktor Cherkesov, spoke in the media, essentially admitting the fact of the “war of the special services” - the FSB and the Federal Drug Control Service, the victims of which were his subordinates. He also suggested that employees of the Investigative Committee under the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation are biased in their actions. To which the committee responded with the statement: “No position or affiliation with any department can be a guarantee of evasion of responsibility for crimes committed.” Then, Deputy Director of the Federal Drug Control Service Vladimir Zubrin accused the Investigative Committee of numerous procedural violations in relation to his detained colleagues. The Prosecutor General’s Office also joined the “war”, siding with the drug police. Last Wednesday, she filed a cassation appeal against the arrest of General Bulbov, which the Prosecutor General's Office considered illegal and the detention itself unfounded.

And the next day, the president commented on the conflict between the security forces in the media. Vladimir Putin, without naming Mr. Cherkesov out loud, disapproved of his attempts to engage in proceedings with the help of the press: “If I were the people who defend the honor of the uniform, I would not blame everyone in response, especially through the media.” The head of state recalled that until the court verdict, the arrested drug police officers “are innocent.” It is the court, according to the president, that is the very place where one should “protect one’s rights and interests.”

It looked like the president, in the current situation, supported the FSB and, at a minimum, did not support the FSKN, not approving, in particular, that its leadership wash dirty linen in public. However, literally two days later, the decree he signed on the creation of the State Attestation Committee and the appointment of the director of the Federal Drug Control Service as its head simultaneously strengthened the influence of this department.

In this regard, we may recall that in February last year the president signed a decree on the creation of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) , which is headed by the director of the FSB. The provisions on NAC and GAK are like twins, with the only difference being that in the first case we are talking about countering terrorism, and in the second about countering drug trafficking.

The tasks are the same: coordination of the activities of federal and regional executive authorities and local governments in this counteraction, preparation of proposals to the president on the formation of state policy, development of various countermeasures and participation in international cooperation. In addition, as in the case of the NAC, the creation of the SAC also presupposes the emergence of regional branches, only in the NAC they are called “anti-terrorist commissions”, and in the SAC they are called “anti-drug commissions”. Called to solve the problem of combating terrorism at the national level, the NAC also includes representatives of various ministries, departments and parliament.

Thus, some observers believe, President Putin has once again confirmed his reputation as a politician who always remains above the fray and does not give any of the warring parties a clear advantage. On the one hand, the president criticized the leadership of drug control, on the other hand, he gave him additional powers.

The Federal Drug Control Service itself notes that the decisions of the new state committee will be binding on other departments, including the security forces, which they affect. “A similar structure existed before in the form of a government commission,” Lieutenant General Alexander Mikhailov, head of the department of interdepartmental and information activities of the Federal Drug Control Service, told Vremya Novostey. — There were also commissions in the regions, but their composition was very different; they could be headed by governors, for example, and local heads of internal affairs. But until now people did not understand what they should do; drugs are a minor matter for many people. Now we have come to the creation of a committee and a single vertical structure of relevant commissions in the regions. The most important thing is that we have moved from the recommendatory decisions of the former government commission to mandatory decisions of the committee. That is, those decisions that will relate to the responsibilities of, for example, the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the FSB, will have to be carried out through these departments.” Mr. Mikhailov also added that the SAC is a “parallel structure” and that the Federal Drug Control Service, as before, “will do its job.” “Nobody removed our responsibilities from us,” he said.

Ekaterina BUTORINA, Victor PAUKOV