Babiš calls sale of dangerous substances in central Prague a "disgrace" after nationwide crackdown

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has called it "a huge disgrace" that dealers can sell dangerous psychoactive substances with impunity right along the route between Charles Bridge and Old Town Square in Prague — products that have sent people to intensive care. He made the statement on Wednesday evening following a meeting of the government council for coordinating anti-drug policy, commenting on the results of a nationwide inspection dubbed "Korund."

During the raid, inspectors and police checked for illegal sales of kratom and synthetic psychoactive substances. According to Interior Minister Vít Rakušan's counterpart at the time, Lubomír Metnar, nearly 1,000 shops and distribution points were inspected, and violations of the law were found in 63% of cases. In total, more than 900 offences were recorded, a third of which show signs of criminal activity.

What the labs found

Laboratories analysed over 3,000 seized samples, and 87% of them contained dangerous synthetic psychoactive substances. Nearly half a million units of product were seized during the operation, with a further 17,000 ordered destroyed. The haul included almost 12 tonnes of low-potency cannabis, three tonnes of hashish, 1.5 tonnes of kratom and more than 22 kilograms of synthetic cannabinoids.

The minister also said that 169 suspicious internet domains had been identified, 25 online shops blocked, and offers removed from 96 vending machines.

What measures the government is preparing

An inter-ministerial working group led by the Interior Ministry has proposed 16 legislative and 17 non-legislative measures. These include a unified age-verification system for online orders — including checks upon parcel delivery — expanded powers for health inspection authorities, a simplified procedure for confiscating goods, and the right of municipalities to restrict where legal sales points can be located, for example near schools.

Health Minister Adam Vojtěch intends to propose a total ban on selling herbal smoking blends through vending machines. His ministry is also working on a so-called "generic ban" — that is, a ban on an entire category of synthetic cannabinoids rather than listing individual substances one by one. According to the minister, drafting this measure could take several months.

Prime Minister Babiš said that both ministers are required to submit draft legislation within 14 days, after which the government is prepared to convene an extraordinary session if necessary and reach a decision together with the opposition in order to protect children.

Criticism of a lenient sentence

Babiš also criticised a recent ruling by a district court in Karlovy Vary in the case of a shop assistant who sold synthetic marijuana containing a banned substance from the relevant list. The shop's owner received only a fine of 27,000 crowns. The prime minister said he would ask Justice Minister Jan Kněžínek [Teic] to review the ruling, calling it "absolutely scandalous" if the prosecutor considers such a punishment sufficient for what amounts to drug dealing.

Earlier reports described cases in which synthetic substances easily ended up in children's hands via vending machines near shopping centres and schools: a thirteen-year-old boy from the Šumperk region lost consciousness after just a few inhalations and ended up in intensive care, while a fifteen-year-old girl from Prostějov developed a severe dependence on cannabis treated with a banned chemical substance within just a few weeks.

Source: seznamzpravy.cz