FORMATION AND STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNATIONAL LEGAL MECHANISMS FOR COMBATING ILLICIT TRAFFICKING IN NARCOTIC DRUGS

Abstract

This article examines the historical and legal evolution of international legal regulation and international cooperation of States in combating the illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs. It analyses the principal stages of development from the International Opium Convention to the contemporary universal treaty-based system established within the framework of the United Nations. Particular attention is paid to the significance of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and the 1988 United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances in the formation and development of international legal cooperation. The article also explores the transformation of cooperation between States from treaty-based and control-oriented mechanisms to institutional, criminal-law and operational forms of cooperation. Special consideration is given to contemporary challenges arising from the digitalisation of drug trafficking, including the use of Darknet platforms, crypto-assets, electronic evidence and artificial intelligence. The study substantiates the need to develop a comprehensive model of international legal cooperation that integrates treaty-based, institutional, law-enforcement, digital and preventive mechanisms.