Armenia to classify online drug sales as an aggravating circumstance

ArmInfo.In Armenia, the use of information technology to sell drugs may be considered a criminal offense with an aggravated circumstance. On April 14, the National Assembly will debate amendments to the Criminal Code put  forth by Hayk Sargsyan, a member of parliament from the ruling Civil Contract faction.

The deputy proposed significantly toughening penalties for drug  trafficking. Sargsyan noted that in 2023, Armenian law enforcement  agencies identified 5,070 drug-related cases. In 2022, this figure  was 2,266. Of these, more than 2,800 cases in 2023 were related to  the illegal sale of drugs. In this regard, he proposed, in  particular, considering the use of information technology in drug  trafficking as an aggravating circumstance.

 Furthermore, the parliamentarian proposed increasing the penalty for  the illegal trafficking of narcotics, psychotropic substances, and  their analogues from 3-6 years to 5-8 years. For the same act  committed by a group of individuals through prior conspiracy, for  mercenary motives, on a large scale, in entertainment establishments,  in places of detention or in a penal institution, in a military unit  or other place of service, in an educational institution or on  adjacent territory, using information technology, the parliamentarian  proposed a penalty of 8 to 12 years, rather than the current 4 to 8.  For the same act committed by a criminal organization involving a  minor, on an especially large scale, the punishment will be from 14  years to life imprisonment, instead of the current 6-12 years.

In turn, Deputy Justice Minister Gevork Kocharyan noted that the  government supports the amendments to the law regarding new  aggravating circumstances, namely, the involvement of minors and the  use of information technology. However, increasing sentences alone  will not solve the issue.