The Justice Ministry proposed toughening the punishment...

The Justice Ministry proposed toughening the punishment for drug trafficking, the Chairman of the Ministry's Committee on Drugs Serikkali Mukanov said. He said the Committee still had to coordinate the planned amendments to the Criminal Code with ministries and departments. After that, the bill will be submitted to the parliament.Drug-related crimes must be punished "in the severest way," up to the death penalty, Mukanov said. The minimum punishment should be seven years in a maximum-security prison, he noted.