From cocaine to escort services. All this and more is available for purchase on various “Telegram” channels. Their activity has recently increased, and it is also possible to buy goods such as electronic cigarettes there. Anyone, including minors, can do this in the communication app, reports the program “Neka personalia”.
From the first of January next year, a ban on the sale of flavored electronic cigarettes will come into force. Even now, the devices are freely available in underground markets and “Telegram” channels, but no one has a plan how to fight against it.
The circulation of illegal goods has been talked about on the communication site “Telegram” for a long time. It is considered one of the most popular apps, where you can buy all kinds of goods that are prohibited in official circulation. Not only organized crime groups, but also ordinary individuals operate underground.
You don’t have to look long to find the product you like. There are larger channels where different individuals or groups trade at the same time. These groups are like virtual marketplaces where a person can choose the one he likes from different providers.
Many are not shy about promoting their illegal business.
Such transactions are not allowed. The law states that it is prohibited to buy all types of cigarettes on the Internet. The penalty for both sale and purchase is identical – up to 200 euros for a person and up to 700 euros for a company. The implementation of this provision is monitored by the State Revenue Service. The service’s ability to limit the sale of illegal goods on the Internet is limited, so there have been calls to change the law.
As Santa Garanča, director of the tax payment promotion department of the SRS, explains, “the way we can do something, when we have such legal rights, is to ask our Internet service provider to block certain addresses in the territory of Latvia. That is, when talking about the Internet. If we are talking about “Telegram” and all these communication apps.There we have tried to understand what we can do. [] Here we have done everything we could and reached a wall where we can’t go any further, because we are unable to identify the person who it is and what sanctions to apply.”
In the meantime, the Ministry of the Interior submitted its plan for increasing the salaries of those working in the Ministry of the Interior over the next three years for public consultation. The Minister of the Interior is sure that if the plan is approved, new recruits will be attracted to the services and, therefore, it will be possible to more effectively control the trade in illegal goods.
Tags: Electronic cigarettes actively sold Telegram channels plan close illegal business
