Effectiveness of work on combating drug-related crimes, and in the field of cybersecurity and prosecutorial oversight to be enhanced

In recent years, drug-related crime has become one of the global threats to humanity. According to analysts, more than 400 million people worldwide suffer from drug addiction, and about 300,000 people die each year as a result of drug use.

Unfortunately, this threat has not bypassed our country. Since the beginning of the year, over 11,000 drug-related crimes have been identified, and about 2,5 tons of narcotic substances have been seized.

Each year, new forms and methods of drug crimes emerge, and their scale continues to grow – indicating the urgent need for a comprehensive and well-coordinated approach to combating drug-related crime and addiction.

The meeting also examined negative trends observed in this area.

In particular, psychotropic and synthetic substances in the form of pharmaceutical products, convenient for storage and sale, are becoming increasingly widespread, especially among young people. The production of synthetic drugs is organized in underground laboratories, their distribution is carried out mainly online in a contactless manner, and transnational criminal groups have become the main source of their spread.

- Therefore, it is time to introduce into national legislation provisions aimed at preventing such threats, fighting them uncompromisingly, and completely eradicating this evil, - noted the Head of State.

Responsible officials presented proposals for eliminating illegal drug trafficking. A set of comprehensive measures and mechanisms was proposed to ensure effective protection of public health and the nation’s gene pool from this threat.

It was emphasized that implementing effective practical measures to prevent the spread of drugs among school and university students and to foster zero tolerance toward drug use among young people should be defined as one of the key priorities for all relevant agencies and organizations.

The need to eradicate illegal drug trafficking, especially among youth, was underlined — through stricter criminal mechanisms, tougher penalties for drug-related crimes involving young people, and large-scale operational and investigative efforts to identify and suppress the activities of online dealers, organized groups, clandestine laboratories, and officials who provide them with cover.

The system of diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation for minors and young people suffering from drug addiction will also be fundamentally improved.

Following the presentation, the President approved the draft National program of comprehensive practical measures to prevent and combat drug crimes for 2025–2026, which includes over 100 operational, preventive, educational, and awareness-raising activities. Instructions were given to ensure continuous and coordinated work in this area.

The meeting also addressed issues of combating cybercrime.

Today, more than 31 million citizens of Uzbekistan use the Internet. Over the past five years, the number of cybercrimes has increased 68-fold, with over 46,000 cases recorded this year alone. The financial damage caused to individuals and legal entities has exceeded 1.2 trillion soums.

It was noted that there has been a sharp rise in fraud cases involving personal data, bank cards, and electronic signatures. Many crimes are committed online, and cyber fraud involving bank cards remains one of the most widespread schemes.

At the same time, reliable mechanisms for protecting personal data are lacking, and some business entities store client information in open databases. Cybersecurity measures are also insufficient when using biometric identification and electronic signatures in the provision of public services.

It was also noted that the measures to prevent cyberattacks in the banking system and to detect suspicious financial transactions remain insufficiently effective.

In this regard, the need for comprehensive improvement of the legal, technological, and methodological framework of the sector was emphasized.

Special attention was drawn to the importance of introducing mandatory cybersecurity requirements when handling personal data, establishing a registry of operators working with such data, and tightening liability for their unlawful use.

It was proposed to introduce modern protection systems for issuing online microloans, to provide for the release of citizens from obligations on microloans fraudulently issued without their knowledge, and to ensure round-the-clock blocking of suspicious bank accounts.

The necessity of conducting scientific research aimed at preventing new types of cybercrimes, such as attacks on smart devices and the illegal seizure of crypto assets, was also underscored.

The President approved the proposals and instructed to enhance the capacity of the Cybersecurity Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, increase the effectiveness of combating cybercrime, and introduce seven new types of expert examinations to ensure the prompt detection of cyber offenses.

The main goal of digitalizing industries and government agencies is to reduce bureaucracy and corruption, and to ensure transparency and openness.

Thanks to the digitalization of procurement procedures, 7,5 trillion soums have been saved this year. Around one thousand types of public services are now provided remotely to citizens and entrepreneurs.

At the same time, since the beginning of the year, more than 7,000 illegal documents have been adopted by government agencies, and the activities of supervisory bodies have resulted in violations of the rights of 12,500 entrepreneurs.

In this regard, it is necessary to create a remote system for monitoring law enforcement and to fully digitalize the process of verifying the legality of decisions made by government bodies.

The presentation provided information on proposals for introducing digital prosecutorial oversight within the General Prosecutor’s Office system, as well as automating verification and monitoring processes.

This will make it possible to promptly detect violations of the law, track the actions of officials in real time, and ensure transparency in supervisory activities.

It was noted that the lack of a unified system for evaluating investigators’ performance and the manual reporting process negatively affect efficiency. Preparing reports currently takes up to a week, and most case materials are still stored in paper form.

Since the beginning of the year, procedural violations have been committed by investigators in 1,300 cases, and 637 cases have been returned by the courts for additional investigation due to shortcomings in the inquiry.

In this regard, the task was set to digitalize the entire process – from the moment a crime report is received to the execution of the court decision, and to introduce artificial intelligence technologies into investigative activities. This will help accelerate investigations, reduce the human factor, and increase staff accountability.

It was also instructed to begin training specialists in the fields of artificial intelligence, cyber law, and digital law to enhance the capacity of law enforcement agencies in preventing and investigating digital crimes. It was emphasized that the outcome should be the formation of a class of professional personnel capable of applying modern analytical methods, identifying digital risks and threats in advance, and responding to them effectively.

Following the discussion, the President gave specific instructions to the responsible officials on the implementation of the outlined tasks.