TURKMENISTAN 2007-2008 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ASHGABAT 001180

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/CA (SNELSIRE),SCA/RA, INL (BUHLER)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL SNAR TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN 2007-2008 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL
STRATEGY REPORT (INCSR) PART I, DRUGS AND CHEMICAL CONTROL (EUR,
SCA)

Ref: SECSTATE 136780


I. Summary:

Turkmenistan remains a transshipment route for traffickers seeking
to smuggle contraband to Turkish, Russian and European markets from
neighboring drug-producing countries, primarily Afghanistan and
Iran. Turkmenistan is not a major producer or source country for
illegal drugs or precursor chemicals. Turkmenistan shares a rugged
and remote 744-kilometer border with Afghanistan as well as a
992-kilometer boundary with Iran. Most of its illegal drug seizures
occur along Turkmenistan's borders with Afghanistan and Iran.

Counternarcotics efforts are carried out by the Ministry of National
Security (MNB),the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD),the State
Customs Service (SCS),the State Border Guards Service (SBS),the
State Agency for the Registration of Foreigners, and the Prosecutor
General's Office. The MNB's primary responsibility is to interdict
illegal drugs on the borders while the MVD deals with drug related
crimes inside the country. The State Counternarcotics Coordination
Commission (SCCC) at the Cabinet of Ministers is an
inter-departmental body responsible for coordinating the activities
of concerned government departments. The SCCC also coordinates
counternarcotics assistance received from the international
community. It has responsibility for overseeing implementation of
the government's "National Program on Fighting Illegal Drug
Trafficking and Assistance to Drug and Psychotropic Substance
Addicts for 2006-2010." According to Government of Turkmenistan
statistics, law enforcement officers seized a total of 1,417 kg of
illegal narcotics in the first six months of 2007.

On June 22, 2007, at the Cabinet of Ministers meeting, newly-elected
President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov publicly stated
that the fight against drugs is one of the priorities of the
Government of Turkmenistan. Turkmenistan continues to increase
cooperation with international organizations and diplomatic missions
present in Turkmenistan; however, its law enforcement agencies are
hampered by a widespread lack of resources, training and equipment.
Mounting evidence, together with increased contacts with government
officials and non-governmental organizations, strongly suggests that
domestic drug abuse is steadily increasing, although concrete
statistics are not publicly available. Turkmenistan remains
vulnerable to financial fraud and money laundering schemes due to
its dual exchange rate. Turkmenistan is a party to the 1988 UN Drug
Convention.

II. Status of country:

Turkmenistan remains a key transit country for the smuggling of
narcotics and precursor chemicals. The flow of opiates from
Afghanistan, such as heroin, opium and other opium-based drugs
destined for markets in Turkey, Russia and Europe, enter
Turkmenistan from Afghanistan, Iran, and Uzbekistan. The bulk of
the Government of Turkmenistan's law enforcement resources and
manpower are directed toward stopping the flow of drugs from
Afghanistan and Iran. Common methods of transporting illegal
narcotics include concealment in cargo or passenger vehicles,
deliveries by pedestrian carriers or animal transport, and in some
cases by concealment in the body cavities or stomach of humans and
animals. Turkmenistan's law enforcement efforts at the
Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan border are focused more on interdicting
smuggled commercial goods than on narcotics, thus providing an
attractive transshipment route. Commercial truck traffic from Iran
continues to be heavy, and Caspian Sea ferry traffic from
Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan and Russia continues to be a viable
smuggling route. On December 21, 2006, Turkmenistan's leader,
Saparmurat Niyazov, passed away. Newly-elected President
Berdimuhamedov on several occasions stressed the importance of
countering the flow of narcotics. In June 2007, on the eve of
International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking,
the president stated that Turkmenistan should declare a large-scale
war against drugs and counternarcotics efforts must continue until
this threat is completely eradicated.

III. Country actions against drugs:

Policy initiatives:

In January 2007 during his presidential campaign, Berdimuhamedov
called on all citizens of Turkmenistan to fight drug trafficking and
accentuated the importance of improving border, customs and law
enforcement capacities. About drug demand reduction, he encouraged
civil society and public organizations to increase their role in
raising awareness among youth. In April 2006, the government
adopted a national multi-year plan for counternarcotics activities,
the "National Program on Fighting Illegal Drug Trafficking and
Assistance to Drug and Psychotropic Substance Addicts for 2006-2010"
(2006-2010 National Drug Program). This program supersedes the

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2001-2005 National Drug Program, and includes: increased regional
cooperation to prevent drug and precursor trafficking, prevention of
drug-related crimes committed by minors, enhanced technology-based
border security, enhanced training for law enforcement agencies to
combat organized crime, increased counterterrorism efforts, and
training on drug trafficking and money laundering. The national
program also addresses drug demand issues. The plan has a research
and treatment of drug addiction and HIV/AIDS component and includes
a national survey on the spread of drug use and HIV/AIDS within
target populations. The plan calls for the creation of drug abuse
"hot lines." The government specifically includes in the 2006-2010
program continued cooperation with U.S. government programs as well
as with international organizations and diplomatic missions. In
August 2004, the government introduced a new draft criminal
procedure code in an effort to transform the Soviet-era criminal
justice process; the parliament has not yet adopted the new code.
In September 2007, Turkmenistan hosted a Paris Pact Expert Round
Table on the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus in which 16 countries and
13 international organizations participated. In his address to
conference participants, President Berdimuhamedov stated that the
decisive and uncompromising struggle against drugs is one of
Turkmenistan's priority issues.

Law enforcement efforts:

The government continues to give priority to counternarcotics law
enforcement, and President Berdimuhamedov has paid special attention
to improving technical capacity of the law enforcement agencies.
For example, a military academy for MNB and SBS officers was
opened, the MVD received new vehicles and equipment, and Customs
started operating the mobile Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System
(VACIS) that was purchased through a Chinese Government-provided
grant. Law enforcement agencies with counternarcotics enforcement
authority received equipment and training from the United States and
international organizations. In 2007, members of diplomatic
missions and international organizations were invited to witness
three inter-agency drug destruction events. The government is
enhancing border security efforts and plans to start construction of
a new border crossing station in Bekdash (on the Kazakh border) in

2007. The United States sponsored the construction of two new
border crossing checkpoint facilities on the Iranian border in
November 2006 and on the border with Afghanistan in August 2007.
Construction of a third facility on the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan
border will commence soon. The EU is also planning on building a
new checkpoint on the border with Uzbekistan. In January 2007, the
European Commission and UN Central Asia Drug Action Program assisted
in establishing a Drug Profiling Unit at Ashgabat's International
Airport by renovating an office and providing special equipment.
The Customs Service solicited support from international and
diplomatic missions to develop and improve a customs training
facility. The U.S. and British governments are co-sponsoring a
Customs-hosted interagency English language course to equip law
enforcement officers with language skills requisite for
participation in international conferences and training.
Turkmenistan's border forces are moderately effective in detecting
and interdicting narcotics. The government reported that 1,417
kilograms of illegal narcotics were seized on Turkmenistan's borders
during the first six months of 2007. The "Adalat" (Justice) weekly
newspaper is the only local paper that occasionally publishes
information on law enforcement agencies' activities related to
illicit drug trade activities.

Corruption:

In an effort to oversee law enforcement activities, President
Berdimuhamedov established the State Commission on Reviewing
Citizens Complaints Related to Law Enforcement Agencies Activities
on February 19, 2007. The Commission reports directly to the
president and monitors unlawful activities by law enforcement
officials. The government does not encourage or facilitate illicit
production or distribution of narcotic and psychotropic drugs or
other controlled substances as a matter of government policy.
However, law enforcement officials' low salaries, combined with
their broad general powers, foster an environment in which
corruption occurs. A general distrust of the police by the public,
fueled by evidence of police officers soliciting bribes, indicates a
problematic level of corruption in law enforcement. Payments to
lower level officials at border crossing points to facilitate
passage of smuggled goods frequently occur. Reports persist that
senior government officials are directly linked to the drug trade.
Stating that corruption is widespread in almost all units of the MVD
-- including in the departments working on economic crimes,
organized crime and others -- President Berdimuhamedov publicly
accused MVD employees of corruption in October 2007. In 2007,
President Berdimuhamedov fired and replaced his Minister of Internal
Affairs twice due to corruption allegations.

Agreements and treaties:

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Turkmenistan is a party to the 1998 UN Drug Convention, the 1961 UN
Single Convention and its 1972 protocol, and the 1971 UN Convention
on Psychotropic Substances. Turkmenistan and the United States
signed a letter of agreement for provision of U.S. government
counternarcotics assistance in September 2001. In June 2007, the
governments of Turkmenistan and Iran agreed to form a special joint
committee to combat narcotics trafficking. The next month, the
presidents of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan signed a joint communiqu
noting the need to further develop their counternarcotics and
counterterrorism cooperation . Also in July 2007, President
Berdimuhamedov signed an agreement between Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan on the
establishment of a UN-led Central Asian Regional Information and
Coordination Center. In September 2007, the Presidents of
Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan signed a joint communiqu that
acknowledged the need to further develop cooperation in
counternarcotics and against psychotropic substances. In the same
month, the United States signed the second Amendment to the Letter
of Agreement for additional funding of U.S. counternarcotics
assistance. Turkmenistan is a party to the UN Convention against
Corruption, the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime,
and its Protocols against Migrant Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons,
and Illegal Manufacturing and Trafficking in Firearms.

Cultivation/production:

Turkmenistan is not a significant producer of illegal drugs,
although small-scale opium and marijuana cultivation is thought to
occur in remote mountain and desert areas. Each spring, the
government conducts limited aerial inspections of outlying areas in
search of illegal poppy cultivation. Upon discovery, law
enforcement officials eradicate opium crops. According to the State
Counternarcotics Coordination Committee, law enforcement officials
conduct Operation "Mak" ("Poppy") twice a year to locate and destroy
poppy fields.

Drug flow/transit:

Turkmenistan remains a primary transit corridor for smuggling
organizations seeking to transport opium and heroin to markets in
Turkey, Russia and the whole of Europe, and for the shipment of
precursor chemicals to Afghanistan. There are land, air and sea
routes through Turkmenistan's territory. The government's efforts
to improve border crossing stations during 2007 could lead to higher
seizure rates or the opening of new trafficking routes if
traffickers adapt. Turkmenistan's two major border control
agencies, the SCS and the SBS, have received increased attention and
funding for their drug enforcement duties. Systemic deficits in
necessary equipment, training, resources, and facilities will take
time to improve. Border crossing points with rudimentary inspection
facilities for screening vehicle traffic and without reliable
communications systems have been identified by the Government of
Turkmenistan and are being improved. However, Turkmenistan is
likely to continue to serve as a major transit route for illegal
drugs and precursors.

Domestic programs/Demand Reduction:

In his election platform throughout January 2007, President
Berdimuhamedov paid special attention to the problem of domestic
drug addiction, calling it a "disaster for all mankind". The
President asserted that society, especially the elderly, should play
a significant role in preventing youth from using drugs. Currently,
the Ministry of Health operates seven drug treatment clinics: one in
the capital of Ashgabat, one in Serdar city, and one in each of the
five provincial administrative centers. Narcotics addicts can
receive treatment at these clinics without revealing their identity
and all clinic visits are kept confidential. Drug addiction is a
prosecutable crime with jail sentences for convicted persons,
although judicial officials usually sentence addicts to treatment.
It is still difficult to obtain any statistical information about
the number of drug addicts in Turkmenistan. However, President
Berdimuhamedov reported in March 2007 that the number of crimes
connected to drug addiction had increased. Although not yet
implemented, the government is currently considering
internationally-funded prevention programs. A strategy for
counternarcotics efforts and assistance to drug addicts is included
within the framework of the 2006-2010 National Drug Program.

IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs:

The Road Ahead:

Staying engaged with all Turkmenistan's counternarcotics enforcement
agencies is necessary to encourage a successful effort against
narcotics trafficking. Bilateral cooperation is expected to
continue, and the U.S. government will expand counternarcotics law

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enforcement agency training at the working level. As both
Turkmenistan and U.S. officials identify areas for improved
counternarcotics efforts, the United States will provide an
appropriate, integrated and coordinated response. The U.S.
government also will encourage the government of Turkmenistan to
institute long-term demand reduction efforts and will foster supply
reduction through interdiction training, law enforcement institution
building, the promotion of regional cooperation, and an exchange of
drug-related intelligence.


V. Chemical control issues:

The 2004 Law on Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Precursors
regulates the Turkmen government's policy on controlling drug
precursor chemicals. According to the law, the government controls
and restricts trafficking of precursors that are included on the
special list approved by the President of Turkmenistan. The Cabinet
of Ministers of Turkmenistan is responsible for overall state
regulation on precursor control. The Cabinet also determines
responsibilities of other government agencies involved in precursor
control and fighting illegal trafficking.

HOAGLAND