2007-2008 BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA INCSR REPORT (PART I)

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 SARAJEVO 002327 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR INL (LYLE/KIMMEL); EUR/SCE (FOOKS/STINCHCOMB) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV SNAR KCRM BK SUBJECT: 2007-2008 BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA INCSR REPORT (PART I) REF: STATE 136780 ¶1. (U) BELOW FOLLOWS THE 2007-2008 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY REPORT (INCSR) PART ONE FOR BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA: ¶I. Summary Narcotics control capabilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina remain in a formative period and have not kept pace with developments in other areas of law enforcement. Bosnia is still considered primarily a transit country for drug trafficking due to its strategic location along historic Balkan smuggling routes, weak state institutions, lack of personnel in counternarcotics units, and poor cooperation among the responsible authorities. Although the political will to improve narcotics control performance exists among the Bosnian government, faced with ongoing post-war reconstruction issues, it has to date focused limited law enforcement resources on war crimes, terrorism and trafficking in persons and has not developed comprehensive antinarcotics intelligence and enforcement capabilities. Despite better cooperation among law enforcement agencies, gradual improvements in the oversight of the financial sector, and substantial legal reform, the political divisions that have paralyzed the Bosnian government have contributed to poorly coordinated enforcement efforts. Narcotics trade remains an integral part of the activities of foreign and domestic organized crime figures that operate, according to anecdotal evidence, with the tacit acceptance (and sometimes active collusion) of some corrupt public officials. Border controls have improved, but flaws in the regulatory structure and justice system, lack of coordination among police agencies, and a lack of attention by Bosnia's political leadership mean that measures against narcotics trafficking and related crimes are often substandard. In 2007, Bosnia took some initial steps to set up a state-level body to coordinate the fight against drugs and develop the national counternarcotics strategy mandated by legislation passed in late 2005. In 2007, the Bosnian entity and local law enforcement agencies continued an anti-drug campaign to raise awareness about the dangers and effects of drugs. Bosnia is making efforts to forge ties with regional and international law enforcement agencies. Bosnia is party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention. II. Status of Country Bosnia is not a significant narcotics producer, consumer, or producer of precursor chemicals. Bosnia does occupy a strategic position along the historic Balkan smuggling route between drug production and processing centers in Southwest Asia and markets in Western Europe. Bosnian authorities at the state, entity, cantonal, and municipal levels have been unable to stem the transit of illegal migrants, black market commodities, and narcotics since the conclusion of the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords. Traffickers have capitalized in particular on an ineffective justice system, public sector corruption, and the lack of specialized equipment and training. Bosnia is increasingly becoming a storehouse for drugs, mainly marijuana and heroin. Traffickers "warehouse" drugs in Bosnia, until they can be shipped out to destinations further along the Balkan Route. One of the main routes for drug trafficking starts in Albania, continues through Montenegro, passes through Bosnia to Croatia and Slovenia and then on to Central Europe. Information on domestic consumption is not systematically gathered, but authorities estimate Bosnia has 120,000 drug addicts. Anecdotal evidence and law enforcement officials indicate that demand is steadily increasing. No national drug information system focal point exists, and the collection, processing, and dissemination of drug-related data is neither regulated nor vetted by a state-level regulatory body. III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 2007. Policy Initiatives. On November 8, 2005, the Bosnia House of Representatives passed legislation designed to address the problem of narcotics trafficking and abuse. Although the state-level counternarcotics coordination body and national counternarcotics strategy mandated by the legislation were not fully in place as of October 2007, Bosnia took some steps toward this implementation. In February the Ministry of Security formed a Section for Combating Drug Abuse and Precursors. In June a working group for the creation of a national strategy against narcotics held its first meeting, where it created three subgroups on Prevention/Education, Suppression, and Treatment. Bosnia is a state with limited financial resources, but, with USG and EU assistance, it is attempting to build state-level law enforcement institutions to combat narcotics trafficking and organized crime and to achieve compliance with relevant UN conventions. The full deployment of the State Border Police (SBP) and the SARAJEVO 00002327 002 OF 003 establishment of the State Investigative and Protection Agency (SIPA) have improved counternarcotics efforts. Telephone hotlines, local press coverage, and public relations efforts have focused public attention on smuggling and black-marketeering. Law Enforcement Efforts. Counternarcotics efforts have improved but remain inadequate given suspected trafficking levels. Cooperation among law enforcement agencies and prosecutors is primarily informal and ad hoc, and serious legal and bureaucratic obstacles to the effective prosecution of criminals remain. Through September 2007 (latest available statistics),law enforcement agencies in Bosnia-Herzegovina (including the State Investigation and Protection Agency, the State Border Police, Federation Ministry of Interior, Republika Srpska Ministry of Interior and Brcko District Police) have filed 774 criminal reports against 1284 persons for drug related offenses. These agencies also report having seized 6.8 kg of heroin, 2.7 kg of cocaine, 2.4 kg of amphetamines, 142 kg of marijuana, 6,235 cannabis plants, 5,060 cannabis seeds, 10,280 Ecstasy tablets, 29 grams of methadone, 2,285 tablets of "speed", and 166 grams of hashish. The State Border Police (SBP),founded in 2000, is now fully operational with 2,199 officers and is responsible for controlling the country's three international airports, as well as Bosnia's 55 international border crossings covering 1,551 kilometers. The SBP is considered one of the better border services in Southeast Europe and is one of the few truly multi-ethnic institutions in Bosnia. However, there are still a large number of illegal crossing points, including rural roads and river fords, that the SBP is unable to control. Moreover, many official checkpoints and many crossings remain understaffed. The SIPA, once fully operational, will be a conduit for information and evidence between local and international law enforcement agencies, and will have a leading role in counternarcotics efforts. As of October 2007, SIPA had hired 1,209 of a proposed staff of 1,700. Cultivation/Production. Bosnia is not a major narcotics cultivator. Officials believe that domestic cultivation is limited to small-scale marijuana crops grown in southern and eastern Bosnia. Bosnia is not a major synthetics narcotics producer or refiner. Corruption. Bosnia does not have laws that specifically target narcotics-related public sector corruption and has not pursued charges against public officials on narcotics-related offenses. Organized crime, working with a few corrupt government officials according to anecdotal evidence, uses the narcotics trade to generate personal revenue. There is no evidence linking senior government officials to the illicit narcotics trade. As a matter of government policy, Bosnia does not encourage or facilitate illicit production or distribution of narcotic or psychotropic drugs or other controlled substances, or the laundering of proceeds from illegal drug transactions. Bosnia is a party to the UN Convention against Corruption. Agreements and Treaties. Bosnia is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention and is developing bilateral law enforcement ties with neighboring states to combat narcotics trafficking. A 1902 extradition treaty between the U.S. and the Kingdom of Serbia applies to Bosnia as a successor state. Bosnia is a party to the UN Convention against Transnational Crime and its protocols against migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons. Drug Flow/Transit. While most drugs entering Bosnia are being trafficked to destinations in third countries, indigenous organized crime groups are involved in local distribution to the estimated 120,000 drug users in the country. Major heroin and marijuana shipments are believed to transit Bosnia by several well-established overland routes, often in commercial vehicles. Local officials believe that Western Europe is the primary destination for this traffic. Officials believe that the market for designer drugs, especially Ecstasy, in urban areas is rising rapidly. Law enforcement authorities posit that elements from each ethnic group and all major crime "families" are involved in the narcotics trade, often collaborating across ethnic lines. Sales of narcotics are also considered a significant source of revenue used by organized crime groups to finance both legitimate and illegitimate activities. There is mounting evidence of links and conflict among, Bosnian criminal elements and organized crime operations in Russia, Albania, Serbia and Montenegro, Croatia, Austria, Germany, and Italy. Domestic Programs. In Bosnia there are only two methadone therapy centers with a combined capacity to handle about 160 patients. The limited capacity of the country's psychiatric SARAJEVO 00002327 003 OF 003 clinics, also charged with treating drug addicts, is problematic, as the number of addicts and drug-related deaths in the country is rising steadily. It is estimated that between 70 to 80 per cent of drug addicts who undergo basic medical treatment are recidivists. The Bosnian government currently pays for the basic medical treatment of drug addicts, but there are no known government programs for reintegrating former addicts into society. Entity and local law enforcement agencies continued an anti-drug public information campaign that had begun in 2006 with the assistance of the European Police Mission. Law enforcement agencies organized round table discussions and presentations in elementary and high schools about the dangers of drugs. In Sarajevo Canton police presented re-integration methods for former drug addicts and used official dogs to demonstrate techniques for drug detection. The Viktorija Association conducted anti-drug campaigns, offered counseling, and provided therapy to recovering drug addicts. The PROI Association maintains a private facility to help drug addicts near Kakanj and expanded its capacity to 20 beds in 2007. During the year PROI presented anti drug messages to students through a drama program in elementary schools throughout Bosnia-Herzegovina. In June PROI organized a race against drugs involving both a fund-raising event and a large anti-drug abuse demonstration in downtown Sarajevo. With UNICEF support PROI also helped 260 drug addicts receive blood tests to help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis. IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs Policy Initiatives. USG policy objectives in Bosnia include reforming the criminal justice system, strengthening state-level law enforcement and judicial institutions, improving the rule of law, de-politicizing the police, improving local governance, and introducing free-market economic initiatives. The USG will continue to work cosely with Bosnian authorities and the internatinal community to combat narcotics trafficking an money laundering. Bilateral Cooperation. The SG's bilateral law enforcement assistance programcontinues to emphasize task force training, imprved cooperation between law enforcement agencies and prosecutors, and other measures against organized crime, including narcotics trafficking. The Department of Justice's International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) program provided specific counternarcotics training to entity Interior Ministries, SIPA and SBP. The USG Export Control and Border Security (EXBS) program provides equipment and training to law enforcement agencies including the State Border Police (SBP) and the Indirect Taxation Administration (ITA) to stop the import of weapons of mass destruction and dual use items. EXBS Assistance increased SBP and ITA's ability to detect and interdict contraband, including narcotics. The Overseas Prosecutorial Development Assistance Training (OPDAT) program provides training to judges and prosecutors on organized crime-related matters. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in Rome maintains liaisons with its counterparts in Bosnian state and entity level law enforcement organizations. The DEA has also sponsored specific narcotic interdiction training in Bosnia. The Road Ahead. Strengthening the rule of law, combating organized crime and terrorism, and reforming the judiciary and police in Bosnia remain top USG priorities. The USG will continue to focus its bilateral program on related subjects such as public sector corruption and border controls. The USG will assist Bosnia with the full implementations of the planned national counternarcotics strategy and continue to support police reform. The international community is also working to increase local capacity and to encourage interagency cooperation by mentoring and advising the local law enforcement community. ENGLISH