In five months, 150 kg of various types of drugs seized in Sarajevo Canton, database of registered users being created

(Patria) - In the first five months of this year, the Department for Combating Drug Abuse of the Police Administration of the Ministry of Interior of Sarajevo Canton seized more than 150 kg of various types of drugs: cocaine, heroin, marijuana, amphetamines, ecstasy, etc.

Three complete indoor laboratories for the cultivation and production of narcotic drugs were found and seized.

According to the Strategy against Drug Abuse in Sarajevo Canton, the Team for Monitoring the Implementation of the Strategy has intensified activities on creating a unique database of registered drug users in Sarajevo Canton.

At the Team meeting, a preliminary solution of the database was presented, created by the Ministry of Interior of Sarajevo Canton, which aims to monitor indicators of drug abuse in Sarajevo Canton, as well as the implementation of the Strategy against Drug Abuse in Sarajevo Canton itself, for the period 2024-2028.

The database will contain information on the number of addicts registered through the Institute for Addiction Diseases of Sarajevo Canton and other institutions, the number of criminal offenses recorded by the Ministry of Interior of Sarajevo Canton, data on seizures, types of drugs, gender and age of addicts, number of education sessions/classes and other measures held preventively in school institutions, and more. The database is expected to become operational within a few months, when the implementation of a new campaign against drug abuse in Sarajevo Canton is also planned. This will be the first time that such a database is formed in Sarajevo Canton in a strategic manner and by linking all relevant institutions. It is important to emphasize that the database will not contain personal data, and entry will only be made by authorized persons.

The Ministry of Interior of Sarajevo Canton adopted the Strategy and Action Plan against Drug Abuse in Sarajevo Canton at the end of 2023, and the Government of Sarajevo Canton adopted it in December of the same year. After that, the Minister of Interior of Sarajevo Canton, Admir Katica, formed the Team for Monitoring the Implementation of the Strategy, thanks to which the measures provided for in this document are being implemented at a very good pace.

Since the beginning of the implementation of the Strategy in Sarajevo Canton, the first Counseling Center for minors experimenting with drugs has been opened, devices have been procured and testing of drivers for the presence of drugs in the body has begun, a campaign against drug abuse called "Sharpen your mind – keep substances at a distance" has been implemented, the first activities have been undertaken to introduce a so-called "women's house" in the Therapeutic Community Campus, the introduction of an effective penal policy and changes to legal solutions (decriminalization) have been initiated, strong inter-institutional cooperation has been established in implementing measures with the Ministry of Health of Sarajevo Canton, the Public Institution Institute for Addiction Diseases, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Labor, Social Policy, Displaced Persons and Refugees, the Ministry of Culture and Sports, and the Ministry of Transport.