The use of mass media and information and telecommunication networks as an evidence of offences punished for illegal trafficking of items and materials

Abstract

In This paper is dedicated to the examination of one of the most relevant and significant problems of Russian society – illegal trafficking of items and materials, carried out using mass media andinformation and telecommunication networks. Top officials of the state raise the issue of the importance of special control in this area by law enforcement agencies. Despite this attention, comprehensive study on the criminal-legal significance of the use of mass media and information and telecommunication networks in illegal trafficking has not been yet undertaken in the frame of criminal law of Russia. The author examines the concept of «illegal traffic», analyses the texts of the articles of the criminal code of the Russian Federation, which explicitly criminalize illicit trafficking. The author makes a conclusion about the reasonableness of making changes to certain articles of the criminal code of the Russian Federation, in regard to the part concerning establishing stricter penalties for committing socially dangerous acts using mass media and information and telecommunication networks.