TRAFFICKING IN SYNTHETIC DRUGS IN THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA AND THE BALKANS

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of synthetic drugs, often of clandestine origin, presents a multifaceted challenge to law enforcement agencies and legal frameworks. The following paper will present the legal implications surrounding the production, distribution and consumption of synthetic drugs, offering insight into the development of the prevalence of narcotics legislation in the Republic of North Macedonia and the Balkans. We will also focus on the routes used for smuggling synthetic drugs into and through the country, highlighting the country’s strategic location as a crossroads for drug trafficking between Eastern and Western Europe. In addition to the criminological analysis of the phenomenon that will set out the basic postulates of the problem, we will also review the legal frameworks for combating synthetic drug trafficking in the Republic of North Macedonia and the Balkans, which address issues related to drug production, trafficking, possession and related criminal activities. The importance of the work lies in the fact that it offers current, updated data on a living issue, both criminological, criminal-legal, and statistical, and enables monitoring of the results of the fight that the authorities wage daily, which is necessary to create a solid foundation for developing current and modern techniques for prevention and suppression.