« Combating drug trafficking is priority »
Combating drug trafficking is ‘a clear priority’ of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the fight is taken ‘firmly’ and ‘concrete results’, Minister Cătălin Predoiu said on Friday, according to a press release of the MAI.
‘Although I have not spoken public so far about this tragedy, I am deeply affected by the drama of the 20-year-old who has lost his life after an overdose. It is an event that rushes us and reminds us how serious and present is the threat of drug use, especially among young people. At the same time, I took note of Mr. Simion’s intervention, sprinkled with inappropriate political accents and political accents at such an emotional load. I will not answer them on the same wavelength, but I consider it necessary to reaffirm things that I have already said and demonstrated: combating drug trafficking is a clear priority of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the fight is firmly and concrete results, « said Predoiu.
He added that, since taking over the mandate, he transmitted that he is aware of the risk represented by drug use and trafficking, especially among young people.
‘The problem of drugs is a priority, not only in Romania, but throughout the world. As we know, drugs are everywhere, both in real life and in the online environment, they can affect anyone, anytime, ‘the minister added.
According to him, in the last two years, the anti-drug structures have been supplemented with over 300 functions, specialized laboratories have developed, the number of canine teams has increased, and the operative forces were equipped with mobile scanners.
‘We intensified the operative actions: 279 criminal groups were destroyed, impressive amounts of high -risk drugs were removed from the circuit – we are talking about over 2,300 kilograms of dangerous substances, millions of tablets, tons of precursors, plugant substances and other concealed products, all having the potential to destroy lives. We have strengthened international cooperation, because the phenomenon has a global dimension and only through partnerships can we be efficient ‘, said Cătălin Predoiu.
He recalled that the National Plan for School Safety was launched – a mechanism that involves, together with May, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health and other structures.
‘Every day, police and gendarmerie patrols act in areas of pre -university education units to discourage any facts that endanger society. (…) In 2024 they were organized and carried out, in the premises and the area adjacent to the educational units: 33,388 (+55.85% compared to the year 2023) of specific actions, of which 3,331 to prevent and combat the consumption of prohibited substances’, explained Predoiu.
The phenomenon of drug trafficking and consumption represents global challenges whose long -term settlement cannot be exclusively police, the Minister of the Interior added.
‘These actions confirm the correct direction. But we all know that the problem does not disappear from day to day. Traffic and drug use are global challenges, and the long -term response cannot be exclusively police. There is a need for a real partnership between family, school, doctors, psychologists and society, « said Cătălin Predoiu.
He will continue to do his duty, stressed the minister, who has also transmitted that collective success depends on the involvement of all.
‘In the face of such a tragedy, I think it is essential to show decency, empathy and responsibility. At such times, it is not about political confrontations, but the awareness of the severity of a phenomenon that deeply affects the society and the need for a sustained, concrete effort, from all, ‘said Predoiu.
