Substantial liability: a passenger who flew to Russia was detained for cough pills
Customs officers at Domodedovo airport seized cough tablets containing banned substances from a Russian who had flown in. The man was returning from the United States, where, according to him, he fell ill and bought a medicine that did not require a prescription, a law enforcement source told Izvestia. It is about dextromethorphan - substitutes for codeine. Their transportation across the border is prohibited, experts explained. This is punishable by criminal liability, including imprisonment for up to seven years. On what to pay attention to when buying drugs abroad - in the material "Izvestia".
Dangerous pills
Russian, who arrived in Moscow by flight Cairo - Domodedovo, detained at the airport - he was carrying pills that seemed to customs officers suspicious, told "Izvestia" source in law enforcement agencies. The 41-year-old detainee's name is Alexander Plotnikov, he is registered in Moscow, he does not officially work anywhere and has no previous convictions.
The seized drugs were sent for examination and found in them the substance "dextromethorphan", which is a substitute for codeine - a narcotic analgesic, whichis part of some cough medicines.
In addition to its analgesic effect, dextromethorphan, like codeine, has a weak narcotic (opiate) effect and can develop narcotic dependence in case of prolonged uncontrolled use. For this reason, the drug is included in the list of potent and narcotic substances whose sale in pharmacies in Russia is prohibited without a prescription, Alexei Starchenko, a medical lawyer and member of the public council for the protection of patients' rights under Roszdravnadzor, told Izvestia.
As the detainee explained, he bought dextromethorphan pills in America, where he was temporarily residing. There he fell ill and went to a doctor, who prescribed him this drug. The passenger could not confirm the purchase with a prescription - in the USA these pills are not prescription pills, anyone can freely buy them there.
But when crossing the border with Russia, such a purchase can easily become a crime, namely smuggling of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their precursors or analogs (Article 229.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), told "Izvestia" lawyer Andrei Mishonov. Despite the small volume of the imported drug (a little more than 100 g) and the fact that the man was taking it not for sale, but for himself, the passenger may face criminal liability, the lawyer believes.
- The first part of the article on smuggling of narcotic drugs provides for punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of three to seven years with a fine of up to 1 million rubles, " he said.
The weight of 113 g is a large size, which means that the crime, if it is recognized as such, falls not under the first, but under the third part of the article on smuggling, believes the head of the Center for the Protection of Right Holders of the International Association "Anti-Counterfeiting" Alexander Nosenko.
- This is a particularly serious crime with sanctions from 10 to 20 years of imprisonment," he said.
According to a source in law enforcement agencies, the actions of the detained passenger have preliminary signs of a criminal offense. A check is being conducted, which will determine his measure of responsibility.
If during the investigation of the incident investigators will consider that there is no corpus delicti in the actions of the air passenger, he will get off with only a fine of 4 to 5 thousand rubles (a similar criminal article on illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances or their analogues is also in the CAO), the source said.
What drugs can't be taken across the border
The practice of prosecution for the transportation of prohibited drugs is quite common, said Alexander Nosenko.
- People are ignorantly burned by the fact that they carry medicines containing narcotic and psychotropic substances, - he said. - And someone deliberately carries different drugs, including for sale. The terms of punishment each time depend on the investigation, prosecutor's office and court, but in general they are very large.
Khabarovsk resident Andrei Moroztsev, who suffers from idiopathic hypersomnia, told Izvestia that in 2023 he ordered a drug from India that contained armodafinil, a psychotropic substance that is banned for sale in Russia without a prescription. A month after receiving the parcel, a criminal case was opened against the man, which is now being considered by the Central District Court of Khabarovsk. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
- Recently, I have toughened the charges, and now I am under two articles - in the illegal movement of psychotropic substances across the border and in its illegal sale, which is a heavier offense under the law, - said Andrei Moroztsev. - Although initially it was only "illegal transportation. I am going to appeal this decision and hope that the case will not go to a retrial.
According to him, in 2012, modafinil was included in the list of narcotic drugs. Acquisition of this drug as a general rule is possible only by decision of a consilium, which very rarely prescribes it.
When carrying any drugs, one should pay attention to their composition and check for the presence in the lists of substances prohibited for free circulation, advised Alexander Nosenko.
- There are a lot of different names of medicines, they vary from country to country, - said the expert. - Therefore, there is no sense to memorize them, just check the names of substances included in them.
Anti-cough tablets with codeine in Soviet times were sold in pharmacies without a prescription, recalled Alexei Starchenko. But now, because of the threat of criminal prosecution, doctors, he said, are afraid to write a prescription for medicines containing it.
How to understand that a substance is prohibited
There is no list of drugs banned for import, as it would be very voluminous due to the huge number of different trademarks for the same products in different countries, but the state forms lists of substances, confirmed "Izvestia" development director of RNC Pharma Nikolai Bespalov.
- It is quite possible to encounter such substances when buying a drug abroad legally, as their circulation is not regulated uniformly everywhere," the expert noted. - Transportation of such drugs for personal use is allowed in the presence of supporting medical documents - prescriptions or other prescriptions in Russian or with a notarized translation. These documents should also specify the quantity of the drug.
According to Nikolay Bespalov, there are no special applications in Russia where you can quickly and conveniently check whether a drug is authorized for transportation. It is difficult to check the lists for people who do not have medical education. Therefore, in his opinion, the safest option is to throw everything away before returning home or to have prescriptions with you.
Over-the-counter medicines can be over-the-counter, while in Russia they can be prescribed, the expert emphasized. When exporting them from the Russian Federation to another country, this is also relevant, Nikolay Bespalov added. For example, according to him, with regard to the drugs "valocordine" and "corvalol" in some countries may cause serious problems up to the initiation of criminal proceedings.
Nate Shariff, an anesthesiologist-resuscitator at the Children's Regional Clinical Hospital in Nizhny Novgorod, noted that special care should be taken when buying drugs in countries with less strict regulation in the pharmaceutical industry. Such as Egypt, Turkey, Mexico or Colombia, for example.
- It is better to buy medicines only from trusted, licensed pharmacies and spend them before flying to Russia, unless you are sure that such a drug is freely available in Russia," he added. - It is necessary to check the list or seek help from a medical lawyer.
Medicines should be taken only as recommended by the attending physician, and self-medication can be dangerous, experts remind.
