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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


KYRGYZSTAN

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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