SOME ISSUES OF IMPROVING CRIMINAL LIABILITY FOR THE ILLICIT TRAFFICKING OF NARCOTIC DRUGS OR THEIR ANALOGUES

Abstract

The article analyzes the problems of improving criminal liability for the illegal trafficking of narcotic drugs, their analogues, and psychotropic substances in Uzbekistan, their socio-legal danger, and the effectiveness of existing criminal-legal mechanisms. The subject of the research is the criminal law norms related to drug crimes and the qualification of acts related to the illegal trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances; the purpose of the work is to develop scientifically based proposals for improving national legislation. The relevance of the article’s topic is explained by the expansion of global drug trafficking, the rise of “shadow trade” through digital platforms, as well as the increasing prevalence of drug addiction among youth. The study employed methods of normative-legal, comparative-legal, criminological analysis, statistical dynamics, and the study of qualification errors in practice. According to the results of the article, terminological ambiguities in criminal legislation, the inefficiency of the institution of administrative prejudice, and the need to define the participation of officials in the form of sponsorship as a separate criminal offense were identified. Advanced foreign experience was also studied, and proposals were developed for the differentiation and strengthening of sanctions for serious types of drug crimes.