Legal Mechanisms for Combating Organized Crime in the Field of Illicit Drug Trafficking in Cyberspace: European Experience and Prospects for Ukraine
Author(s): Yurii Vykhodets*, Yurii Pavliutin, Hanna Teteriatnyk, Liudmyla Holynska, Volodymyr Dryshliuk , Natalia Kalynka
Abstract
Aim: The article examines legal mechanisms for combating organized crime in the field of illicit drug trafficking in cyberspace, taking into account modern trends in the digitalization of the drug market and European experience.
Methods: The methodological basis of the study is the systematic, comparative law, formal law, criminological and legal modeling methods. The European Union’s approaches to combating digital drug crime are analyzed, in particular the activities of the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA), Europol, European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) and European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust), as well as international mechanisms for combating transnational organized crime, cybercrime and money laundering. It has been established that effective counteraction to the digital drug business requires a combination of criminal law, criminal procedure, information, financial monitoring and international legal instruments.
Results: It is substantiated that the use of web resources, darknet platforms, social networks, encrypted messengers, cryptoassets and other digital tools by organized criminal groups leads to the transformation of traditional forms of illicit drug trafficking and creates new challenges for the criminal justice system. The purpose of the study is to determine the features of legal support for combating organized drug crime in cyberspace, analyze European mechanisms and formulate proposals for their adaptation in Ukraine.
Conclusion: The need to move from a fragmented response to individual facts of illegal drug trafficking to a comprehensive impact on the digital infrastructure of organized crime networks is proven. Directions for improving Ukrainian legislation and law enforcement practice are proposed, in particular regarding the documentation of electronic evidence, the detection and confiscation of crypto assets, blocking digital channels of illegal trafficking, strengthening interagency cooperation and the development of Ukraine’s cooperation with Europol, Eurojust and other international law enforcement agencies. The feasibility of forming an integrated system for monitoring the digital drug market and a risk-based approach to detecting organized crime networks in Ukraine is substantiated.