FBIS3-21765 "jptdd010__l94070"
JPRS-TDD-94-010L Document Type:JPRS Document Title:Narcotics 7 March 1994
EAST EUROPE CZECH REPUBLIC

Police Official Says Legislative Loopholes Allow `Risk-Free' Drug Sales

AU2802124094 Prague CTK in English 1811 GMT 27 Feb 94 AU2802124094 Prague CTK Language: English Article Type:BFN [Text] Prague, Feb 27 (CTK) -- Loopholes in Czech legislation allow "comfortable and risk-free drug selling right in downtown Wenceslas Square," Josef Doucha, deputy director of the Criminal Police Center, has told CTK. In this situation it is very difficult to take effective steps against "the fingertips of the drug mafia," Doucha said, pointing to the growing numbers of local consumers of drugs, including the "hard" ones such as heroin and cocaine. Last year, the police seized 3.5 kilograms of cocaine, almost 11 kilograms of heroin, 2 kilograms of ephedrine, 3 kilograms of morphine and 540 LSD doses. The anti-drug police discovered the existence of 18 laboratories equipped for the home production of drugs, particularly the "popular" Czech-invented pervitine, Doucha said. The legislative loopholes do not allow the "operative drug purchase" as is possible in some states where the police can "arouse interest in drug sales, and detain the seller and confiscate the drug at the moment of the sale," Doucha pointed out. He also spoke about organized crime, stressing that Czech criminal gangs have been ever better organized and ever more tightly integrated into international crime structures. This trend is expected to continue in the next years, Doucha added. "Czech organized criminal groups target practically everything that is profitable, from thefts of expensive foreign-made cars, to financial frauds, to illicit trade in drugs, fission materials and weapons, to financially-advantageous people smuggling," Doucha said. The Crime Police "disintegrated" in 30 operations last year 16 crime gangs, all of which included foreigners. Out of the 93 persons prosecuted, 21 were foreigners. The groups specialized in qualified criminal activity, such as bribery, people smuggling, murder, robbery and restraint of personal freedom. The police seized in these operations 1.6 million crowns (about $54,000)--264 kilogram of Czech-made Semtex explosive, 186 kilogram of perunit explosive, 1,532 electric fuses, 500 detonators, 0.6 grams of radioactive californium 252, 33 illegally possessed weapons, 10 short-wave transmitters, more than 1,000 forged or illegally possessed passports and various forging instruments, Doucha said. The police also registered 17 cases of racketeering. Foreign gangs are particularly Russian, Ukrainian, Chinese and Italian. "Excellent" among them are the Russian gangs which specialize in money laundering, racketeering, organized prostitution, murders of uncomfortable people and illicit trade in drugs, weapons and works of art. They bribe not only Russian and Ukrainian, but also Czech entrepreneurs. The mafia-type Camorra from Naples focuses on trade in "fake goods", such as imitation leather and silver. Chinese groups specializing in people smuggling combined with passport forging, money laundering and bribing Chinese businessmen is no longer any "novelty" in the Czech Republic, Doucha said.