Life Imprisonment Proposed for Drug Trafficking Involving Minors
Hayk Sargsyan, a member of the “Civil Contract” faction in the Armenian National Assembly, has introduced a draft law. It aimed at toughening penalties for the illegal circulation of drugs.
In the proposal, Sargsyan notes that more than 620 shops or channels are currently under surveillance by the authorities. In addition to these shops, there are over 100 chat rooms primarily used for drug advertising.
In 2024, 252 cases of illegal drug circulation via the internet were recorded, including 62 cases of drug distribution and 190 cases of procurement. The proposed legislation classifies the use of information or communication technologies for drug trafficking as an aggravating circumstance. Furthermore, acts involving minors are to be considered particularly aggravating. The draft also includes provisions for crimes committed by exploiting an individual’s helpless state.
The draft proposes 5–8 years of imprisonment for the illegal production, preparation, processing, acquisition, storage, transportation, delivery, distribution, advertising, or sale of drugs, psychotropic substances, their preparations, equivalents, or derivatives. Encouraging someone to acquire such substances illegally also falls under this provision.
For crimes involving minors, the penalties would range from 14–20 years of imprisonment to life imprisonment, using information or communication technologies for these crimes would result in 2–6 years of imprisonment.