2006: END USE MONITORING REPORT FOR GREECE

UNCLAS ATHENS 000596 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR AFIN GR SUBJECT: 2006: END USE MONITORING REPORT FOR GREECE REF: A. A. 06 SECSTATE 201368 ¶B. B. SECSTATE 33008 ¶1. Following is Athens' submission for the CY-2006 End Use Monitoring Report keyed to Ref A request. ¶2. Resources: A five-meter long, shallow-draft riverboat was provided to the Greek National Police in 1996. The riverboat is used by the National Police Counternarcotics Unit in Alexandroupolis. ¶3. Procedures: Embassy law enforcement officials are in regular contact with the Alexandroupolis Unit, which has reported that the riverboat continues to be utilized for patrol and drug interdiction efforts. In 2004, Embassy DEA agents traveled to Alexandroupolis to coordinate with the unit, and Greek officials freely provided access to the boat for an on-site inspection. ¶4. Status: The riverboat was used by the National Police Counternarcotics Unit in Alexandroupolis for patrolling the Evros River and the border between Greece and Turkey, a crossing point for traffickers in narcotics and illegal immigrant smugglers. ¶5. Problems: Embassy law enforcement officials report that the boat is well maintained by the National Police. ¶6. Impact: Greece is part of the traditional "Balkan Route" for drugs flowing from drug-producing countries in the east to drug-consuming countries in Western Europe. Investigations initiated by the DEA and its Hellenic counterparts suggest that a dramatic rise has occurred in the number and size of drug trafficking organizations operating in Greece. Having a police boat on patrol in the Evros deters illegal smuggling and trafficking activities. The Greek National Police reported that in the first six months of 2006, 52.3 kilograms of processed hashish and 5,067 kilograms of unporcessed hashish, 67.6 kilograms of heroin, 98.3 kilograms of unporcessed opium, 3,269 methadone tablets, 1,137 opiate tablets, 100,763 MDMA pills, and 14 kilograms of cocaine were seized by authorities throughout Greece. Cooperation between U.S. and Greek law enforcement officials is exceptionally close and professional. RIES