Residents of Chechnya report mass detentions of young people

Mass detentions of people suspected of the use of narcotic and psychotropic substances are being carried out in Chechnya. The raids are of operational and preventive nature, the police explained.

On October 24 and 25, at least 30 people were detained in the village of Znamenskoe in the Nadterechny District, local residents reported.

"A suspected drug addict is forced to name those who can use drugs, and further along the chain ... However, this is not a guarantee that only drug addicts are detained," said Lechi, a local resident.

Late last week, in Tsotsi-Yurt, more than 50 people were detained, local residents reported.

"They say Ramzan Kadyrov has ordered to bring drug addicts to court even if they are his relatives," said Dokka, a resident of the Kurchaloi District.

Residents of the region believe the police raids will not yield results, since "detainees can bribe policemen to be set free."

The local residents also believe a surge in drug addiction in the republic was provoked by the ban on sale of alcohol, introduced several years ago.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.