Russian drug control chief briefs Putin on progress in battle against narcotics.

(From BBC Monitoring International Reports)

[Presenter] The head of the [Russian] state drug control authority, Viktor Cherkesov, has reported to President Vladimir Putin that the establishment of the agency has been completed. The State Committee for Control Over the Illegal Turnover of Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances was set up a year ago. Cherkesov emphasized that anti-drug efforts were not weakened during the formation period. Tens of thousands of officers were recruited to the committee within a short time, and the selection criteria were strict.

Cherkesov said that the committee focused its activity on combating the organized crime that …