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.