The judicial authority of the Russian Federation has issued a verdict against a woman who is a citizen of Tajikistan, sentencing her to eight years of imprisonment. This was reported by Upl.uz.
The reason for this severe punishment was an attempt to illegally bring into the country a plant called isirik or garmala. This information was provided by the Prosecutor General's Office of Tajikistan.
The woman was detained at an airport in a Russian city. Following investigative actions, she was charged under two articles of the Russian Criminal Code.
Specifically, she was accused of committing crimes under Part 2 of Article 228 ("Illegal actions related to the possession, transportation, preparation, and processing of narcotic drugs not intended for sale") and Part 3 of Article 229.1 ("Illegal transportation of plants containing narcotic substances across the Russian customs territory"). After the investigation was completed, the criminal case was sent to court, and the accused was sentenced to eight years of imprisonment, reported the Tajik oversight authority.
The Prosecutor General's Office once again reminded citizens that bringing isirik into Russia is strictly prohibited. Russian legislation provides severe penalties for such actions.
Possession or transportation of more than 10 units of garmala can result in a fine of up to one million rubles or a long-term, even life imprisonment sentence. Since February 2024, isirik has been officially included in the list of plants containing narcotic or psychotropic substances in Russia.
This decision is explained by the presence of a substance called garmin in garmala. Experts describe garmin as a hallucinogen and a stimulant of the central nervous system.
Even a single use can cause serious harm to a person's physical and mental health. Garmala (isirik) has been used for centuries in many cultures of Central Asia and the Near East in ceremonies and traditional medicine.
Its smoke was used to cleanse rooms from evil spirits and diseases, and it was also used as an antiseptic.
