Investigative activity as a tool for increasing the fight effectiveness against illegal mineral resources extraction

The author considers the specifics and potential of investigative activities in the context of solving the current problems of investigation the illegal mineral resources extraction, caused by insufficient forensic support that includes the following: the lack of a proven investigative methodology that takes into account the specific forensic characteristics of the type of crime under consideration, the imperfection of rule-making, in the absence of a corresponding direct prohibition in the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which causes contradictory investigative and judicial practice in different regions of Russia in prosecuting illegal mineral recourses extraction under Articles 158, 171 and 255 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, the growing contradictory investigative and judicial practice in various regions of Russia concerning the prosecution of illegal mining of common minerals under articles 158, 171 and 255 of the Criminal Code, high corruption in the sphere of state environmental control (supervision). The author of the article formulates and defends the thesis about the advantage of criminal intelligence analysis as a preparatory stage for investigation over procedural verification of a report of a crime due to the excessive duration and low efficiency of the latter.