Administrative and criminal law analysis of countering cybercrimes in the field of illicit drug trafficking at the regional and local levels
Author(s): Pylyp Yepryntsev, Anatoly Nikitin, Maksym Maksimentsev, Andrii Korenev, and Roman Mrochko
Abstract
Aim: The purpose of this article is to reveal the administrative, legal, and criminal law analysis of countering cybercrime in the field of illegal drug trafficking at the regional and local levels. Methods: The methodological basis of the study is a set of general scientific, special legal and interdisciplinary approaches that provide a comprehensive analysis of counteraction to cybercrime in the field of illicit drug trafficking at the regional and local levels. The dialectical method was used to clarify the patterns of drug crime development in the context of digitalization and the interconnection of administrative legal and criminal-legal mechanisms. An example is the analysis of the transformation of traditional forms of drug sales into digital ones (online platforms, messengers, darknet) and the corresponding evolution of legal means of response. The system-structural method made it possible to consider counteraction to cyberdrug crime as a holistic system that includes regulatory legal acts, public administration entities, law enforcement agencies and digital control tools. For example, at the regional level, the interaction of local governments, units of the National Police and cyberpolice within the framework of the implementation of drug crime countermeasure programs was analyzed. Results: As a result of the conducted administrative-legal and criminal legal analysis of counteraction to cybercrimes in the field of illicit drug trafficking at the regional and local levels, it was established that the digitalization of drug crime necessitates a comprehensive and systematic response from the state and local governments. Cyberspace significantly expands the possibilities of illicit drug trafficking, complicates the detection of offenses and requires the use of special legal and technical tools. It is substantiated that administrative-legal mechanisms play a key preventive role, ensuring prevention, monitoring and elimination of conditions conducive to the commission of cybercrimes in the field of illicit drug trafficking. At the same time, their effectiveness at the regional and local levels is limited by insufficient clarity of powers, resource limitations and fragmentation of interagency interaction. Conclusion: Administrative and legal means of combating cybercrime in the field of illicit drug trafficking at the regional and local levels are a necessary element of a comprehensive system of ensuring public safety. Their effective application is possible only if they are systematically combined with criminal law measures, taking into account regional specifics and adapting to modern digital challenges. It has been proven that effective counteraction to cybercrime in the studied area is possible only under the condition of coordinated application of administrative and criminal law instruments, strengthening of coordination between law enforcement agencies, executive authorities and local self-government, as well as active involvement of civil society institutions.