Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07IRANRPODUBAI27
2007-04-23 16:05:00
SECRET
Iran RPO Dubai
Cable title:  

IRAN: HANDING DRUG CONTROL TO THE REVOLUTIONARY GUARD

Tags:  IR PGOV PINR SNAR PREL 
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VZCZCXRO3928
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK
DE RUEHDIR #0027/01 1131605
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P R 231605Z APR 07
FM IRAN RPO DUBAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0104
INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHDIR/IRAN RPO DUBAI 0097
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDHP/DIA DHP-1 WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI 0096
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 IRAN RPO DUBAI 000027 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/IRAN, INL, INR, IO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 4/23/2017
TAGS: IR PGOV PINR SNAR PREL
SUBJECT: IRAN: HANDING DRUG CONTROL TO THE REVOLUTIONARY GUARD

RPO DUBAI 00000027 001.2 OF 003


CLASSIFIED BY: Jillian Burns, Director, IRPO, DOS.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)


S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 IRAN RPO DUBAI 000027

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/IRAN, INL, INR, IO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 4/23/2017
TAGS: IR PGOV PINR SNAR PREL
SUBJECT: IRAN: HANDING DRUG CONTROL TO THE REVOLUTIONARY GUARD

RPO DUBAI 00000027 001.2 OF 003


CLASSIFIED BY: Jillian Burns, Director, IRPO, DOS.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)



1.(S/NF) National police chief General Esmaeel Ahmadi-Moqaddam
is the new secretary-general of the Drug Control Headquarters,
replacing Fada-Husseini Maleki, announced the Iranian government
in early April. General Ahmadi-Moqaddam said that President
Ahmadi-Nejad hired him to address the drug issue as a law
enforcement officer. The head of the UN office on Drugs and
Crime (UNODC) in Tehran Roberto Arbitrio gave IRPO an update on
Iran's narcotics program April 21. Our UNODC expert believes
these developments in the area of drug control reflect an
overall trend in Iranian government to crack-down on perceived
moral decay. How this sudden change of drug chiefs will
actually affect issues of drug control and rehabilitation
remains to be seen. Arbitrio's description of the events
leading up to the change in drug officials to be reported
septel. End Summary

National Police chief, as the new drug tsar
--------------

2.(S/NF) The head of the UNODC office in Tehran Roberto Arbitrio
(please protect),who occasionally briefs IRPO on drug-related
issues when passing through Dubai, provided an update of the
recent shift in the management of Iran's drug control program
April 21. According to the UNODC official, his Iranian
associate and interlocutor Fada-Hussein Maleki, Iran's head of
drug control, was unexpectedly replaced by the national police
chief General Esmaeel Ahmadi-Moqaddam in early April. Arbitrio
said that General Ahmadi-Moqaddam is rumored to be a former
Basij leader, who supported President Ahmadi-Nejad during his
presidential campaign and is also married to the president's
sister. Though the replacement of Maleki is due to political
reasons said Arbitrio (reported septel),the selection of
Ahmadi-Moqaddam is a step to intensify the country's already
strict drug control program.

3.(S/NF) Arbitrio said the extent to which the union between the
Drug Control Headquarters with police may affect different

aspects of drug control is yet unclear. According to an April
12 Iran daily article, Ahmadi-Moqaddam maintained a strong focus
on rehabilitation of addicts and did not just focus on law
enforcement. He told reporters on the sidelines of his
inauguration ceremony that the police plan to collect and
rehabilitate about 300,000 high-risk drug addicts during the
current Persian calendar year, which started March 21, and that
the ministries of health, welfare and other offices will
cooperate. He said addicts should be treated (not imprisoned),
while adding that addicts are considered criminals unless they
contact a rehabilitation center for treatment.

4.(S/NF) Despite these statements, Arbitrio understands that
President Ahmadi-Nejad hired Ahmadi-Moqaddam to address the drug
issue as a law enforcement officer. Though Ahmadi-Moqaddam said
he has always been supportive of Iran's drug policy, Arbitrio
thinks it is possible that the dismissal of Maleki, already
considered a hard-liner, together with the government's recent
pressures on issues of morality (such as the recent crackdown on
women's dress code) may indicate a more severe approach.

Drug control and Iran's borders
--------------

5.(S/NF) According to Arbitrio, Iran is highly concerned about
Pakistan's ability to control its border with Iran and the
operation of Jundullah group in Sistan-va Baluchistan. Arbitrio
said the security situation in the east is deteriorating. He
described a helicopter trip last November in which he took
ambassadors to inspect the southern border area, a trip he said
he could not make today due to the lack of security. Arbitrio
said the Iranian side of the border was well equipped with watch
towers, trenches, and fences, while he did not observe any
similar security measures on the Pakistani side of the border.

6.(S/NF) Arbitrio explained that cooperation on border security
issues between Iran and Afghanistan is much more positive than
that between Iran and Pakistan. Afghanistan is interested in
learning from Iran's expertise, and there remains a degree of
trust. He said that UNODC is trying to use Iran to facilitate
greater Afghanistan-Pakistan cooperation, noting that Pakistan
is increasingly serving as a transit point for drugs between
Afghanistan and Iran.

7.(S/NF) According to Arbitrio, Iran has major concerns about

RPO DUBAI 00000027 002.2 OF 003


all of its borders and feels they are inflamed, in particular
the Baluchi, Kurdish, and Azeri regions.

UNODC promoting Iran's regional collaboration
--------------

8.(S/NF) Arbitrio said that UNODC has been working in Iran since
the late 1990's not only with the objective to assist Tehran in
reducing narcotics trafficking and drug abuse, but to also
strengthen regional and national cooperation on drug control.
Arbitrio indicated that UNODC would continue its policy of
facilitating the process of international engagement on the drug
issue, albeit in the face of suspicion from many in the region.
He said the UNODC had several regional meetings lately in the
Caspian region, Caucuses, Turkey, and the Persian Gulf. He said
that in the Caspian region, Azerbaijan is especially interested
in increasing bilateral relations, as they currently deal
through multilateral programs with Russia. Russia and Iran were
still discussing exchanging drug liaison officers.

9.(S/NF) The three Caucuses countries and Turkey have generally
positive cooperation with Iran and plan to continue cooperating.
He noted that the Turks seemed pleased that the new head of the
Drug Control Headquarters had a background dealing with security
issues in Kurdistan. The Gulf countries, however, are more
sensitive and concerned about cooperation with Iran. Saudi
Arabia, Arbitrio said, is particularly suspicious of Iran
regarding narcotics but is keeping channel open for bilateral
cooperation. He noted that in general the UAE, considered a
very important UNODC partner, prefers bilateral cooperation with
Iran over dealing via the GCC. Arbitrio noted UNODC would soon
produce a report out of a recent round of international
consultations.

10.(S/NF) UNODC is also facilitating collaboration between Iran
and East Asian countries. Arbitrio said several antinarcotics
delegations recently went to Iran, and had interesting
exchanges; these included Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos.
Next on the agenda is a visit to Iran by Indonesian religious
leaders, followed by collaboration with China.

Possible recycling of seized opium?
--------------

11.(S/NF) According to Arbitrio, after the revolution, the new
Islamic government declared its opposition to continuing licit
opium cultivation for pharmaceutical use in Iran. Recently, the
government requested reauthorization to legalize opium
production for pharmaceutical use, but Arbitrio doubted the
request would be granted. Arbitrio, commenting on the
disposition of the 200-300 tons of seized opiates a year in
Iran, acknowledged corruption within the police. He also noted
recent arrests for police corruption. He suspected, however,
that much of the opium or heroin was illegally routed to Iranian
pharmaceutical companies for the production of legal,
opium-based medicine. If true, this would be a violation of the
UN requirement to destroy all seized drugs.

New "crack" gains popularity
--------------

12.(S/NF) Arbitrio indicated that because Afghanistan, the
world's largest opium producer, is producing a surplus of 30%
over demand, dealers are encouraging increased consumption of
opium and its derivatives by creating and marketing new products
and new systems of consumption, such as cocktailing. Arbitrio
predicted such efforts will also spread in the West. (Note:
cocktailing refers to combining a number of drugs together.
Endnote) Arbitiro said that the current drug of choice in Iran
is compressed heroin or "crack," growing in popularity in
comparison to opium or normal heroin. (Note: What is called
crack in Iran is heroine-based, unlike the cocaine based crack
in the West. Endnote) This crack is approximately one-sixth
heroin and is typically smoked in pipes.

Drug treatment
--------------

13.(S/NF) Arbitrio spoke positively about drug addiction
treatment in Iran, particularly in terms of government policy.
He said Iran uses the entire range of drug treatment techniques,
from homeopathic, psychological, methadone and other advanced
pharmaceutical programs, to the combination of them all.
However, currently the availability of drug treatment is very
low compared to the estimated 4 million drug users. He said
NGO's provide free treatment, and that the government also
provides free and low cost treatments. Paid private clinics are

RPO DUBAI 00000027 003.2 OF 003


used by rich Iranians, Arbitrio said.

Causes of drug use
--------------

14.(S/NF) In a wrap-up discussion, Arbitrio discussed why
Iranians are increasingly turning to drugs. He said that life
in Iran has become more depressing, and that there is a clear
economic crisis; average salaries are 150-200 thousand tomans
(about 150-200 dollars),salaries are often not paid in months,
and people's first idea is to leave the country. He said the
educated were not interested in President Ahmadi-Nejad's vision
of the future, and there is also increasing fear of an
international conflict. He said if he were a young Iranian boy
with little hope for a successful future, he couldn't be sure he
wouldn't join the popular drug culture. He noted an alarming
increase of women and children turning to drug use. He
mentioned a recent movie about a young middle class Iranian girl
who becomes addicted to drugs, which won an award at Toronto
film festival. He said the government did not like the film but
allowed it to be shown.

15.(S/NF) Comment: Regardless of Iran's relatively progressive
drug programs and policies, the country has not been successful
in preventing an epidemic of drug abuse. Punishment of people
involved with drugs from addicts to smugglers has been Iran's
drug control policy since the 1990's, and today more than 40% of
the Iranian prison population is comprised of individuals
arrested for drug offenses. This situation could worsen if the
recent appointment of the police chief to head the Drug Control
Headquarters leads to a much heavier emphasis on interdiction
and away from drug treatment. It is doubtful that such a policy
would succeed, for as Arbitrio said and others echo, economic
depression, coupled with social repression, is major reasons for
Iran's drug epidemic. As long as the country has high levels of
unemployment and under-employment, it is doubtful Iran will make
much progress in its war on drugs.
BURNS