The Minister of Internal Affairs, Cătălin Predoiu, stated that, at the political level, the seriousness of the drug-related problem was not perceived in time and mentioned that the law on combating high-risk drugs is from 2000. In these conditions, the institutions do not have the tools adapted to the times to combat this phenomenon.
Cătălin Predoiu stated, on Sunday, at Prima News, that the fight against drug trafficking does not start from scratch.
“Things don’t happen overnight, especially with a phenomenon of this size. But, on the other hand, I can assure you and the citizens that we are not even starting from scratch, with all the shortcomings and failures. This machine works and believe me it works hard and under pressure, not only from the challenges in the field. Personally, I also apply this pressure in a positive sense to move things forward”, said Predoiu, according to news.ro.
The Minister of Internal Affairs added that the phenomenon was not combated effectively.
“On the one hand, the phenomenon exists, it has not been combated effectively. We have a problem, we have to be better, but the conclusion is automatically drawn and nothing is done or nothing has been done about it. Here I have a reservation at least, not to say that I am ready to contradict”, explained Cătălin Predoiu.
The moderator drew his attention to the fact that, if he were to criticize the activity of the MAI, it would mean attacking his hierarchical superior from the party, that is, Lucian Bode, the former Minister of the Interior.
“The stakes are much too low for me. The Ministry of the Interior has no political stake. I don’t want to play it political. What these people do is far too important for every citizen to allow me the indecency to play politics with the performance of the ministry, but I am also obliged to this device with which from tomorrow morning, not that I will resume work, I will continue the work because it does not stop here work never, it’s non-stop, to recognize where work is done and to be fair in my assessments and conclusions. I mean we agree, we criticize, we show where it’s not right, we mobilize people, that this is the purpose of this discussion, we reorganize if necessary”, explained Predoiu.
He was also asked how the schools full of drugs ended up in Romania.
“On the one hand, the phenomenon has spread. It’s a global business. 85 million, between 15 and 64 years old, declared that they had taken drugs at least once. 85 million. 30 billion is the market in Europe alone. This business has become globalized, it has slowly penetrated Romania. The mechanism was not permanently adapted and there was a disregard for the phenomenon”, the Minister of Internal Affairs said.
Asked if the state protected the networks of traffickers, Cătălin Predoiu answered: “I have no information in this regard.”
He also added that at the political level, the seriousness of the problem was not perceived in time.
“In general, at the political level, the seriousness of the problem was not perceived in time. That’s why I can give you statements from three months ago. It is something that I initiated and did three years ago. The Ministry of the Interior also made a strategy against organized crime and human trafficking, and there are the statements from 2010-2011, when we were drafting laws. On the other hand, institutionally, the army was not prepared as the enemy evolved. Do you know when the law on combating high-risk drugs is in effect? Since 2000. 23 years have passed since then. So, how can an institution be prepared to fight against such a phenomenon with a law from 2000 against psychoactive substances?”, added Cătălin Predoiu.
He also stated that this phenomenon cannot be eradicated in a few months.
“I don’t know if we will be able to instantly, in a month, in two months, eradicate this phenomenon. I don’t even want to be frivolous in what I say. On the other hand, your exposition raises another problem that, with forgiveness, you did not touch. It is also an educational and cultural problem. You are describing a phenomenon that has penetrated many places, from schools, high schools to clubs, restaurants or the artistic world and beyond. It means that it is a phenomenon, an educational and a cultural problem. It means that the phenomenon must be approached from several sides. If we wait for the eradication of this phenomenon only through repression, it is very complicated because the fight is aimed at two sides: the traffic part goes to the supplier, the consumption part goes to the client, to the consumer. It is impossible to solve the drug problem only through this action, no matter how much you confiscate, no matter how much you send to court, no matter how much you destroy,” said Predoiu.
2023-09-17 21:03:36
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