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The Armenian government approved the 2025-2027 Strategy and Action Plan for Combating Drug Trafficking during the June 5 Cabinet meeting.
Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan said the move marks the first time that combating drug trafficking is viewed in a balanced concept of public health and safety.
She said the situation was concerning but some positive trends have been recorded in the past few years as a result of changes in state policy.
“In 2018 there were 877 recorded cases, and in 2023 there were 5070 cases. But in 2024, as a result of revising the strategy and targeting the smuggling and production networks, the number of cases dropped to 3639,” Sargsyan said.
In 2024, around 426kg of drugs were seized, which is 200kg more than in 2023.
During the first months of 2025 the amount of seized drugs has already amounted to 173kg.
The strategy includes 13 directions: Education, healthcare, empowerment of law enforcement agencies, as well as targeted work with parents and teachers, as well as the media and other stakeholders.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that combatting drug trafficking must be a complex process with primary focus on targeting the smuggling and production sources.
“We arrest the sellers, they get sentenced, but new sellers replace them. But when we hit the source, the smuggling and possible production, then we can expect far more effective results,” he said.
Pashinyan said the statistics likewise require deep studies, because the higher number of recorded cases could mean both good anti-trafficking measures or higher trafficking levels, while a decrease could mean ineffective work or possible flaws.
“This strategic approach must enable us to make the results visible,” Pashinyan said.
So far there’ve been no known cases of synthetic drug production in Armenia, but cases of organic drugs have been recorded, he said.
Pashinyan called for vigilance in order to rule out the development of such dangers.