Ildar Khalikov: “We must declare large-scale war against illegal trafficking of alcohol”

On January 23, speaking at a session on results of activity of the State Alcohol Inspection  in Tatarstan in 2014 and tasks for 2015, Tatarstan Prime Minister Ildar Khalikov said that it is necessary to declare large-scale war on illegal trafficking of alcohol in Tatarstan in 2015.

Head of Directorate of Federal Service for Alcohol Market Regulation in Volga Federal District Gennady Odintzov, representatives of Tatarsan President Administrative Office, Tatarstan State Council, ministries and departments, alcohol producers, wholesalers and retailers took part in the meeting.

“In 2014 we again did cope with a great problem of illegal alcohol in Tatarstan. The problem is still of great concern. Legal sales of vodka dropped  from 4.5 million decaliters in 2012 to three million deciliters in 2014. We uderstand that people did not drink alcohol 30 per cent less, unfortunately,” Khalikov said in particular, speaking at the meeting. According to him, the decline in sales of legal alcohol means, first of all, the growth in sales of surrogates. Russian Agency for Health and Consumer Rights Tatarstan Directorate’s data on increase of alcohol poisoning, announced by deputy head Marina Patyashina at the meeting, proved that. According to her, the number of alcohol poisonings grows not only among adults in the republic, but children as well, including children under the age of 14 years. Only in Kazan, 12 such cases were registered last year as against three cases in 2013. The figure is even higher in Naberezhnye Chelny.

"The second important problem is shortfalls of excise to Tatarstan budget, which amounts to 700 million rubles a year,” the Prime Minister said. In particular, Verkhniy Uslon, Cheremshan, Spassk, Bavly and Agryz regions reduced the legal vodka sales by 20-25 percent in 2014.

At the same time, Ildar Khalikov noted a hard work against illegal alcohol turnover carried out by the Interior Ministry Tatarstan Directorate.

TheHead of Directorate Rafail Gilmanov reported results of the work done. As many as 287,000 deciliters were taken out from illegal turnover in Tatarstan last year.

"December raids proved that the presumptions that almost every third bottle is illegal, unfortunately, was confirmed. A joint work of state authorities, local authorities, law enforcement agencies achieved the result. There was not only set off, but criminal groups with large warehouses," Khalikov said.

He noted that sales of legal vodka grown significantly due to to the large-scale work against illegal trafficking of alcohol held in December last year.

He appealed to the leaders of the State Alcohol Inspection  in Tatarstan, law enforcement agencies, Russian Agency for Health, Consumer Rights Tatarstan Directorate and Tatarstan Ministry of Healthcare, which oversees pharmacy, and Ministry of Industry and Trade of the republic to intensify their efforts to struggle against illegal alcohol trafficking.