Current legal positions of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation on some problematic issues of drug crimes qualification

The article presents an analysis of the legal positions of the highest court, as set out in the Review of Judicial Practice of 26 June 2024, regarding the qualification of crimes related to illegal drug trafficking. The paper focuses on key aspects that cause difficulties in law enforcement practice, such as establishing the intent to sell drugs, legal assessment of illegal drug production, and the application of qualifying characteristics such as «use of information and telecommunications networks» and «committing a crime against a minor». The criteria for serial drug production, the purpose and the moment of completion of this crime are considered. Special attention is paid to the issues of qualifying multiple drug sales through hidden stashes, drug shipments and voluntary surrender of drugs when concluding a pre-trial cooperation agreement.