GREECE: 2008-2009 INCSR PART I

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ATHENS 001561

SIPDIS

DEPT ALSO FOR EUR/SE AND INL:JOHN LYLE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR KCRM PGOV PREL GR
SUBJECT: GREECE: 2008-2009 INCSR PART I


1. (U) The full text of the draft 2008-2009 INCSR Part I for Greece
follows:



Greece[DVM1] 2008-2009 INCSR Part I: Drugs and Chemical Control


I. Summary

Greece is a "gateway" country in the transit of illicit drugs and
contraband. Although not a major transit country for drugs headed
for the United States, 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. Greek authorities
report that drug abuse and addiction continue to climb in Greece as
the age for first-time drug use drops. Drug trafficking remains a
significant issue for Greece in its battle against organized crime.
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.

During the year, the DEA and Hellenic authorities conducted numerous
counternarcotics investigations, which resulted in significant
arrests, narcotics seizures, and the dismantling of drug trafficking
organizations. The Greek court system and the Ministry of Justice
continued to lack databases for the case management and tracking of
convictions and sentences for traffickers. Greece is a party to the
1988 UN Drug Convention.

II. Status of Country

With an extensive coastline border, numerous islands, and land
borders with other countries through which drugs can be transported,
Greece's geography makes it a favored drug transshipment country on
the route to Western Europe. Greece is also home to the world's
largest merchant marine fleet. While many of these vessels are
flagged in places such as Panama and Liberia, it is estimated that
Greek firms own one out of every six cargo vessels and control 20-25
percent of cargo shipments worldwide. The utilization of cargo
vessels is the cheapest, fastest and most secure method to transport
multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America to distribution
centers in Europe and the United States. Greece is not a significant
source country for illicit drug production, and in general, the
marijuana produced locally is destined for the domestic market.
Authorities estimated that annual production of the drug appears to
be well over 80 tons. Crete, Arcadia, Messinia, Ileia and Laconia
are the top production regions, while only Arta and Grevena appear
to have completely clean records. It is also estimated that
domestic production accounts for only 10-20 percent of local
consumption; the remainder is believed to be grown in Albania.

III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 2008

Policy Initiatives. Greece participates in the Southeast European
Cooperative Initiative's (SECI) anticrime initiative and in a
specialized counternarcotics task force at the regional Anti-Crime
Center in Bucharest. Enhanced cooperation among SECI member states
has the potential to disrupt and eventually eliminate the ability of
drug trafficking organizations to operate in the region.

Law Enforcement Efforts. Several notable joint U.S./Hellenic
counternarcotics investigations occurred during 2008 with
significant arrests and seizures. Drug trafficking organizations in
the Balkan region, including Greece, usually transport southwest
Asian heroin from the Middle East and Turkey to Western Europe.
Recent investigations and trends indicate more frequent cocaine
seizures by Hellenic authorities.

During February 2008, with intelligence provided to the DEA by
Hellenic Authorities, the French Coast Guard seized 3,210 kilograms
of cocaine. Nine (9) individuals were arrested, two of whom were
Hellenic Nationals. In addition, the Greek owner of the vessel was
also arrested for his knowledge of, and participation in, the
smuggling operation. This shipment originated in South America and
was destined for Western Europe.

In April 2008, the Hellenic Coast Guard seized 22.5 kilograms of
heroin from an individual in the port city of Igoumenitsa. This
individual was going to board a ferry destined for Italy when the
heroin, hidden in his vehicle, was discovered.

During the same month, the Hellenic Special Control Service (YPEE)
seized 4 kilograms of cocaine, which had been mailed from Costa Rica
and was concealed inside cereal boxes. Two individuals were arrested
in connection with this case.

In July 2008, the YPEE inspected a motorized RV/camper on the island
of Hios; the vehicle had just arrived from Turkey. After a careful
search of the vehicle, 140 kilograms of heroin were seized; three
(3) Hungarian nationals were arrested.

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During August 2008, the Hellenic National Police seized 6.6
kilograms of heroin and arrested two (2) individuals, one Greek and
one Albanian. Also seized were a handgun, magazines, an electronic
scale, and 11,000 euro in cash.

In September 2008, the Hellenic Coast Guard seized 26 kilograms of
marijuana hidden inside a vehicle. The Albanian national associated
with the marijuana escaped.

While Greek law enforcement authorities achieved successes in making
seizures and arrests, the Greek court system and the Ministry of
Justice continued to lack databases to track convictions and
sentences for traffickers. This lack of information management
capacity also hinders the ability of law enforcement authorities to
manage and complete complex, long-term investigations in narcotics
trafficking.

Drug Seizure Statistics, 2005-2007
(Source: Coordinating Body for Drug Enforcement, National
Information Unit)

Statistics are provided in this format: 2005 / 2006 / 2007

Drug Seizures (Cases): 10,461 / 9,873 / 9,540
Accused Persons (Persons): 14,922 / 13,963 / 13,253

CANNABIS:
Processed Hashish (kg): 10,209.28 / 74.964 / 4.833
Unprocessed Cannabis (kg): 8,004.04 / 12,314.205 / 6,909.688
Hashish "Honey Oil" (kg): 3.011 / 0.523 / 1.484
Cannabis Plants (units): 34,993 / 32,495 / 17,611

OPIATES:
Heroin and Morphine (kg): 331.329 / 312.243 / 259.33
Raw Opium (kg): 1.680 / 0.314 / 24.891
Methadone (kg): 8.719 / 9.456 / 24.783
Codeine (tablets): 0 / 50.5 / 0
Other Opiates (kg): 0.023 / 0.419 / 0.005
Poppy Plants (units): 0 / 0 / 62

STIMULANTS:
Cocaine (kg): 42.819 / 60.658 / 225.247
Coca Leaves (kg): 0.005 / 0.898 / 0.115
Amphetamines (kg): 1.11 / 0.05 / 0.112
Methamphetamines (kg): 0.09 / 0.006 / 0.066
Crystal Methamphetamines (kg): 0 / 0 / 0.079
Ecstasy (kg): 0.023 / 0.051 / 0.281
Qat (kg): 34.398 / 25.08 / 10.697
New Synthetic Drugs (kg): 0 / 0.288 / 0.047

NARCOTIC PHARMACEUTICALS:
Hallucinogens (kg): 0 / 0.83 / 0
LSD (drops): 120 / 146 / 2,880
LSD (tablets): 6 / 120 / 4
Psilocybin (kg): 0 / 0.041 / 0
Tranquilizers (kg): 0.1 / 0.058 / 0.261
Barbiturates (kg): 0.003 / 0 / 0

PRECURSOR SUBSTANCES:
Ephedrine Hydrochloride (tablets): 1088 / 14 / 0
Sassafras Oil (liters): 0 / 0 / 3

Burgled Drugstores: 43 / 33 / 19

Corruption. Officers and representatives of Greece's law enforcement
agencies are generally under-trained and underpaid. Thus,
corruption in law enforcement is a problem. In November 2007, law
enforcement officers and politicians were involved with the sale of
hashish and marijuana on the island of Crete. In September 2008, a
former Minister and personal aide of the Prime Minister was
convicted and given a 12-month suspended prison sentence for
intervening on behalf of a constituent who was growing cannabis.

Transparency International's annual corruption report perennially
ranks Greece near the bottom for European Union member states.

As a matter of government policy, Greece neither encourages nor
facilitates the illicit production or distribution of narcotics,
psychotropic drugs, or other controlled substances or the laundering
of proceeds from illegal drug transactions.

Agreements and Treaties. Greece is a party to the 1988 UN Drug
Convention, the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and
the 1961 UN Single Convention as amended by its 1972 Protocol. An
agreement between Greece and the United States to exchange
information on narcotics trafficking has been in force since 1928. A
bilateral mutual legal assistance treaty and an extradition treaty
between the U.S. and Greece are in force. Greece has also signed
but not ratified the U.S.-EU extradition and mutual legal assistance

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agreements. However, in practice the Greek government refuses to
extradite Greek nationals and Greek-Americans to the United States.
The United States and Greece also have concluded a customs mutual
assistance agreement (CMAA). The CMAA allows for the exchange of
information, intelligence, and documents to assist in the prevention
and investigation of customs offenses, including the identification
and screening of containers that pose a terrorism risk. Greece has
signed, but has not yet ratified, the UN Convention against
Transnational Organized Crime and the UN Convention against
Corruption.

Cultivation/Production. Cannabis is the only illicit drug produced
in Greece. Cannabis is cultivated in relatively small amounts and
generally intended for local consumption. However, it was discovered
in November 2007 that an organization on the island of Crete had
been selling marijuana and hashish to parts of Western Europe for
many years.

Drug Flow/Transit. Greece is part of the "Balkan Route" and as such
is a transshipment country for Southwest Asian heroin, primarily
from Afghanistan via Turkey, hashish, and marijuana coming
predominantly from the Middle East and Africa. 2007 statistics,
released this year, indicate that one ton of heroin transited the
city of Thessaloniki--only 10% of which was confiscated by police.
In addition, metric-ton quantities of marijuana and smaller
quantities of other drugs (principally synthetic drugs) are
trafficked into Greece from Albania, Bulgaria, and the Republic of
Macedonia. Hashish is offloaded in remote areas of the country and
transported to Western Europe by boat or overland. Larger shipments
are smuggled into Greece in shipping containers, on bonded Transport
International Routier ("TIR") trucks, in automobiles, on trains, and
in buses. Some Southwest Asian heroin is smuggled into the United
States but there is no evidence that significant amounts of
narcotics are entering the United States from Greece. There have
also been unconfirmed reports that Turkish-refined heroin is traded
for Latin American cocaine.

Domestic Programs / Demand Reduction. Drug addiction problems
continued to increase in Greece. According to new statistics from
the National Documentation Center for Narcotics and Addiction, run
by the Mental Health Research Institute of the Medical School of the
University of Athens, 19.4 percent of the Greek population between
12 and 64 years of age reported that they experimented or used an
illegal substance at least once. The most commonly used substances
were chemical solvents, marijuana, and heroin. There was a surge in
the illegal use of tranquilizers and, to a lesser extent, ecstasy
pills, reflecting growth in the European synthetic drug market. The
government of Greece estimated that there were between 20,000 and
30,000 addicts in Greece and that the addict population was growing;
approximately 20,000 individuals were addicted to heroin, and 9,500
of this population used injected heroin. Recent enforcement trends
indicated a rise in the distribution and use of cocaine within
Greece and in Europe in general. Cocaine use has tripled in Europe
over the past decade.

Demand reduction programs in Greece are typically
government-supported; few drug prevention and treatment programs
with independent or private funding exist.

The Organization Against Narcotics (OKANA) is a government-supported
agency that coordinates the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation
of drug addiction in Greece. Besides OKANA, other officially
supported drug treatment organizations include the Therapy Center
for Dependent Individuals (KETHEA),the "18 Ano" Detoxification Unit
of the Psychiatric Hospital of Attika, the Psychiatric Hospital of
Thessaloniki, the Psychiatric Clinic of the University of Athens,
and other public hospitals in Greece which run joint programs with
OKANA. OKANA operates 70 prevention centers, 57 therapeutic
rehabilitation centers (33 of which offer "drug free" programs),and
20 substitution centers, offering methadone and buprenorphine. In
2006, 4,847 drug addicts were treated (a 14% increase over 2005),
and while 3,250 individuals were treated in drug substitution
programs, as of May 2007 the waiting list was 4,000 persons. OKANA
extended its programs to new regions in 2007 and 2008 despite strong
local reactions against the establishment of treatment centers.
KETHEA operates four narcotics prevention centers in Athens,
offering prevention, support, and drug awareness programs--as well
as referrals to other rehabilitation/detoxification centers.

Demand for these prevention and treatment programs continues to
outstrip supply. In June 2008, a Thessaloniki newspaper reported
that a lack of funding for drug addiction treatment and prevention
centers in the city contributed to long waiting lists for these
rehabilitation programs. The report indicated that 950 persons were
in treatment but that the waiting list was approximately 1,500
persons long.

IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs

Bilateral Cooperation. DEA officers work with the Hellenic police to

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support coordination of regional counternarcotics efforts through
joint operations as well as training seminars. The DEA Athens
Country Office conducted multiple workshops with counterparts from
the Hellenic National Police and Hellenic Coast Guard during this
year. The workshops provided an opportunity for DEA personnel and
Greek counterparts to receive and exchange ideas on various issues,
including regional drug trends, the nexus between drug trafficking
and terrorism, officer safety and survival, undercover operations,
and confidential source management. The workshops were well
received by Greek law enforcement authorities and the Hellenic
Police has expressed interest in further events. A DEA
international training team may travel to Athens to conduct a more
formal training seminar with Greek and regional counterparts in
early 2009.

The Road Ahead. The United States continues to encourage the GOG to
participate actively in international organizations focused on
narcotics assistance coordination efforts, such as the Dublin Group
of narcotics assistance donor countries. The DEA will continue to
organize regional and international conferences, seminars, and
workshops with the goal of building regional cooperation and
coordination in the effort against narcotics trafficking.

SPECKHARD
[DVM1]Clearances:

LEGATT: Jeff Rolka ok
RSO: Tim Haley ok
DEA: Andrew Diamond ok