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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY REPORT, MARCH 1996: KYRGYZSTAN
United States Department of State
Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
I. Summary
Kyrgyzstan is a significant conduit for drug traffickers seeking Western
markets for Southwest Asian opiates. The unsettled political situation
in Tajikistan, inexperienced and undertrained police authorities, and
potential corruption make Kyrgyzstan increasingly vulnerable to the drug
industry. Kyrgyzstan was once one of the world's largest suppliers of
licit opium poppy, and after the Soviet ban on opium poppy cultivation
in 1973, illicit cultivation continued. Although no official estimates
are available, Government of Kyrgyzstan (GOK) officials believe such
illicit cultivation is on the decline. The GOK became a party to the
1988 UN Convention in 1994 and has taken some limited steps to develop a
counternarcotics response. Most of these efforts in 1995 focused on
increasing interdiction efforts on the border, including the seizure of
a total of one ton of opium.
II. Status of Country
The drug trade is increasingly targeting Kyrgyzstan as a transshipment
point for smuggling opiates to Europe. The increased trafficking
through Tajikistan, combined with the Kyrgyz law enforcement agencies'
limited resources, suggests that drug trafficking will continue to grow.
In 1995, Kyrgyzstan officials seized one ton of opium that was destined
for Western markets. Kyrgyzstan's location makes it attractive to
increased transit trade, as heroin and hashish traffickers seek new
routes from Pakistan and Afghanistan to Russia and the West. The
growing use of this route by traffickers to channel drugs from
Afghanistan to the Newly Independent States (NIS) and the West has
resulted in a corresponding rise in drug related crimes in Kyrgyzstan.
Kyrgyzstan once supplied more than 16 percent of the world's raw licit
opium which was consumed in the Soviet Union. Although illicit opium
cultivation continues, there are no reliable estimates of its extent.
However, Kyrgyz officials believe that it is on the decline.
In 1993, President Akayev expressed concern that Kyrgyzstan has one of
the largest drug abuse problems in Central Asia with 50,000 consumers.
Officials believe that the recent decline in law and order, and the
increase in youth crime could fuel domestic opium use. Drug use,
particularly among youth is already becoming more prevalent in
Kyrgyzstan. Moreover, escalating drug trafficking from Afghanistan via
Tajikistan makes opiates, including heroin, more available.
Kyrgyz officials indicate that there have been allegations of drug money
laundering in the nascent Kyrgyz banking system. However, there are
currently no domestic laws to address this issue.
III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 1995
Policy Initiatives. Escalation of the drug problem in Kyrgyzstan
prompted President Akayev to increase attention to developing a
counterdrug response in 1995. At the end of 1995, he signed a decree to
make the Kyrgyz State Committee for National Security (GKNB) the lead
agency for combating illicit drugs and to give the Russian border guards
patrolling the Kyrgyz-Tajik border greater counterdrug responsibilities.
The Ministry of Interior (MVD), which controls the national police
force, was reorganized to include a counterdrug division.
Law Enforcement Efforts. The GOK still lacks many of the basic
resources to institute effective, coordinated law enforcement efforts.
Most current law enforcement efforts focus on eradication and
interdiction activities initially begun when Kyrgyzstan was part of the
Soviet Union. Bureaucratic rivalries and infighting limit coordinated
interdiction activities. In 1995, however, GOK authorities report that
they seized approximately one ton of opium.
Corruption. The USG does not have any reports of official narcoticsrelated
corruption in Kyrgyzstan. However, GOK law enforcement
authorities indicate that narcotics-related corruption is common at the
working-level. The GKNB has in place a special unit to deal with
corruption.
Agreements and Treaties. The GOK is a party to the 1988 UN Convention
Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances,
the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs and its 1972 Protocol,
and the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Effective
implementation of the 1988 UN Convention will require, inter alia,
stricter controls on trafficking and production, more effective law
enforcement, and imposition of criminal penalties for narcotics
possession. The GOK signed an antidrug agreement with all other NIS in
1992, and a bilateral agreement with Germany in 1993. The GOK does not
have an extradition treaty with the USG.
Cultivation and Production. Although Kyrgyzstan was once a key supplier
of licit opium poppy for the Soviet Union, the GOK continues the ban on
opium poppy cultivation, first imposed by the Soviet Union in 1973.
Prior to 1973, over 7,000 hectares of opium poppy were cultivated
annually and sent to a plant in Kazakstan for licit morphine processing.
Difficulties in controlling the licit cultivation and processing of
opium prompted Moscow to ban opium poppy cultivation and to begin
importing licit opium poppy straw from India.
Various sources indicate that opium poppy continues to grow wild and is
cultivated for illicit purposes. Most cultivation is in remote
mountainous regions, and authorities reported the discovery of a poppy
field in Bishkek two years ago. There are also reports that ephedra
grows wild in Kyrgyzstan. A UN report also indicates that ephedra is
collected for the licit manufacture of ephedrine at a plant in Chymkent
in Kazakstan; Kyrgyz officials indicate that such cultivation is
illegal. During the last four years, 48 illicit ephedrine laboratories
were destroyed. There are also indications that cannabis is grown in
Kyrgyzstan, possibly around Bishkek in the Chu Valley. Kyrgyz officials
estimated in 1994 that such cultivation was approximately 40,000
hectares and the product was consumed primarily in Central Asia and
other NIS. Despite the substantial quantity of cannabis harvested,
Kyrgyzstan has not been added to the 1996 "majors list" as a drug
producing country because such cannabis is consumed locally or is
exported to countries other than the United States, and thus does not
significantly affect the United States.
Domestic Programs. Economic conditions in Kyrgyzstan prompted the GOK
two years ago to slash funds allocated to the country's five drug
treatment centers in Bishkek, Osh, Karakol, Naryn, and Talas.
IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs
Policy Initiatives and Bilateral Cooperation. In 1995, the USG
continued to encourage Kyrgyzstan to modernize its legal framework for
combatting drug smuggling and to implement the international drug
control treaties. The USG also urged increased cooperation with United
Nations Drug Control Program and neighboring countries for regional
counternarcotics efforts. The USG provided limited training to GOK
officials during 1995 at regional workshops and seminars.
The Road Ahead. Over the next year, the USG will continue to encourage
Kyrgyzstan to implement the 1988 UN Convention, expand drug control
activities, and establish the necessary legislative institutions. The
USG will offer law enforcement training opportunities and will encourage
Russia and Western European countries to cooperate more closely with
Kyrgyzstan's law enforcement authorities.
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