SPAIN: INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 MADRID 001307 SIPDIS PASS TO JOHN LYLE OF INL, AND TO ELAINE SAMSON AND STACIE ZERDECKI OF EUR/WE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR SP KCRM SUBJECT: SPAIN: INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY REPORT 2008 REF: SECSTATE 100992 ¶1. (U) As requested in REFTEL A, Post's submission for the "International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) Part I, Drugs and Chemical Control," follows in paragraph 2. This report includes draft numbers for statistical information on seizures for the calendar year 2008. If information for the full year 2008 becomes available in time, an updated submission will be sent before January 30, 2009. POC for the INCSR, Part 1 in Spain is Hugh Clifton. Telephone 34-91-587-2294, email: CliftonLH@state.gov. ¶2. (U) ¶I. Summary Spain remains the primary transshipment and consumption area for cocaine imported into Europe from South and Central America. Although Madrid in 2008 declared that cocaine consumption is no longer on the increase, Spain continues to be the largest consumer of cocaine in the European Union (EU),with 3 percent of the Spanish population consuming it on a regular basis (20 percent of all European consumers live in Spain). Sixty-three percent of patients admissions to Spanish emergency rooms for drug consumption were due to cocaine consumption, and 47 percent of the people admitted in treatment/rehabilitation centers were cocaine users. Among EU nations, Spain is also the number one consumer of designer drugs and hashish, with 25 percent of Spaniards 15 to 24-year-olds having consumed hashish in the last year. Spanish National Police, Civil Guard, and Customs Services, along with autonomous regional police forces, maintained an intense operational tempo during 2008. Spanish security services carried out increased law enforcement operations throughout Spain, seizing more than twice as much heroin in 2008 than in the previous year and midway through the year were on track to notch a record year for seizures of hashish. As of the end of June, cocaine seizures were down more than 50 percent from 2007 while the Spanish security services appeared on track to seize roughly the same quantity of Ecstasy as they did in 2007. The Spanish government ranks drug trafficking as one of its most important law enforcement concerns and continues to maintain excellent relations with U.S. counterparts. The United States continues to improve the current excellent bilateral and multilateral cooperation in law enforcement programs it has with Spain, as symbolized by joint operations to arrest key drug traffickers and a series of visits this year from high-level USG officials, such as the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard and Congressional delegations. Spain is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention. II. Status of Country Spain remains the principal entry, transshipment, and consumption zone for the large quantities of South American cocaine and Moroccan cannabis destined for European consumer markets, and is also a major source and transit location for drug proceeds returning to South and Central America. Colombia appears to be Spain's largest supplier of cocaine from Latin America, although some information available suggests an increase in shipments of illicit cocaine from Bolivia. Bolivian cocaine is transshipped through Venezuela and Argentina by vessel or plane to the Iberian Peninsula. Spain also faces a sustained flow of hashish from its southern neighbors, Morocco and Algeria. Maritime smuggling of hashish across the Mediterranean Sea is a very large-scale business. Spanish police continued to seize multi-ton loads of Moroccan hashish, some of which is brought into Spain by illegal immigrants. In an effort to prevent this, Morocco and Spain created in November 2008 a joint working group to study drug-smuggling routes from the former country to the latter. The majority of heroin that arrives in Spain is transported via the "Balkan Route" from Turkey, although Security Forces in 2008 have noticed recent efforts to transport it into Spain by boat. The Spanish National Police have identified Turkish trafficking organizations that distribute the heroin once it is smuggled into Spain. Illicit refining and manufacturing of drugs in Spain is minimal, although small-scale laboratories of synthetic drugs such as LSD are discovered and destroyed each year. MDMA-Ecstasy labs are rare and unnecessary in Spain as MDMA labs in the Netherlands prefer shipping the final product to Spain. However, the Ecstasy trafficking trend has been to use cities in Spain as transshipment points for small shipments to the U.S. to foil U.S. Customs inspectors who are wary of packages mailed to the U.S. from Belgium or the Netherlands. Spain's pharmaceutical industry produces precursor chemicals; MADRID 00001307 002 OF 004 however, most precursors used in Spain to manufacture illegal drugs are imported from China. There is effective control of precursor shipments within Spain from the point of origin to destination through a program administered under the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs' National Drug Plan, known by its Spanish acronym of PNSD. III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 2008 Policy Initiatives. The PNSD provides overall guidance and strategic directives for Spain's national policy on drugs. In 2008, Spain concluded its first-ever PNSD, which covered the years 2000 to 2008. The strategy, approved in 1999, expanded the scope of law enforcement activities and permitted the sale of seized assets in advance of a conviction and allowed law enforcement authorities to use informants. The strategy also outlined a system to reintegrate individuals who have overcome drug addictions back into Spanish society. The strategy also targeted money laundering and illicit commerce in chemical precursors and calls for closer counternarcotics cooperation with other European and Latin American countries. Over the past year, Spain also drafted its new PNSD for 2009-2016, which it formally unveiled on November 12, 2008. This new plan - which still needs to be approved by the Congress - aims to have citizens more involved in the fight against drugs, with the hope to prevent and/or lower consumption, delay the age for initial consumption (currently at age 20 for cocaine and heroin, and age 18 for hashish), and to guarantee assistance to drug addicts. In October 2008, the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs released a report claiming that consumption of cocaine had stabilized after it decreased in 2007 for the first time since 1994. Overall, 3 percent of the Spanish population regularly consumes cocaine. Spain is a UNODC Major Donor and a member of the Dublin Group, a group of countries that coordinates the provision of counternarcotics assistance. In March 2008, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB),the independent and quasi-judicial monitoring body for the implementation of the UN's international drug control conventions, congratulated Spain for its 2007-2010 Action Plan to Fight Cocaine Consumption, a plan that has an annual cost of 7 million euros. The INCB report urged countries with cocaine consumption problems similar to Spain, such as the US, UK, Italy and Denmark, to follow the Spanish example. The report also highlighted that cocaine consumption in Spain has doubled in the last 10 years among the general population (from 1.8 percent to 3 percent),and quadrupled among the Spanish youth (from 1.8 percent to 7.2 percent). Law Enforcement Efforts. The Spanish law enforcement agencies responsible for narcotics control are the Spanish National Police and the Civil Guard, both of which fall under the domain of law enforcement and civil security matters within the Ministry of Interior. The Spanish Customs Service, under the Ministry of the Treasury, also carries a mandate to enforce counternarcotics legislation at Spain's borders and in Spanish waters. Spanish officials at the Ministry of Interior report that drug enforcement agencies had seized 22 MT of cocaine as of the end of September 2007. Large-scale cocaine importation in Spain is principally controlled by Colombian drug traffickers, though Galician organizations also play an important role in the trafficking of cocaine into and within the country. Hashish trafficking continues to increase, as does the use of the drug in Spain. Many of the more significant seizures and arrests this past year were a direct result of the excellent cooperation between the U.S. DEA Madrid Country Office and Spanish authorities. For example, in September 2008, the Spanish National Police and the Civil Guard, working with the DEA, arrested Colombian national Edgar Vallejo Guarin in Madrid. Also known as Beto the Gypsy, Vallejo Guarin was one of the most wanted drug traffickers in the world and the subject of a $5 million reward by the US Government for information leading to his arrest. Spanish authorities recorded several large seizures of cocaine in 2008. For example, a Venezuelan-flagged ship with 3,600 kilos of cocaine was stopped in June by the Spanish IRS. Another operation in July ended with the seizure of 1,500 kilos of cocaine in a sailing boat on its way to Bilbao from South America. Hashish trafficking is controlled by Moroccan, British, and Portuguese smugglers and, to some extent, nationals of Gibraltar and the Netherlands. Spanish Civil Guard investigations have uncovered strong ties between the Galician mafia in the northwest corner of Spain and Moroccan hashish traffickers. Hashish continues to be smuggled into Spain via commercial fishing boats, cargo containers, fast Zodiac boats, and commercial trucks. Spanish authorities also recorded several large hashish seizures in 2008. For example, in September authorities intercepted 1,110 kilos of MADRID 00001307 003 OF 004 hashish, arresting three people. In August, seven tons of hashish were seized in two boats near the Balearic Islands and six people were arrested, and the same month another two operations seized roughly 2.5 tons of hashish each in Malaga. In July, several operations seized more than 25 tons of hashish. Spanish law enforcement officials have detected a worrying rise in the amount of heroin trafficked through the country in recent years. On August 1, 2008 Spanish police seized a sailing boat in Sitges, just south of Barcelona, with 316.5 kilos of heroin, more than all of the heroin seized in 2007. Heroin smuggled into Spain originates principally in Afghanistan and transits Turkey on the way to Spain; it is usually smuggled into Spain by commercial truck or private vehicle through the "Balkan Route" or from Germany or the Netherlands. Data Table: Seizures: 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 (Tentative) 2008 (Tentative) Heroin (kg) 631 275 242 271 174 454 197 416 (as of October 2008) Cocaine (MT) 34 18 49 33 48 47 34 12.2 (as of first six months of 2008) Hashish (MT) 514 564 727 794 670 451 571 412 (as of first six months of 2008) Ecstasy (pills x 1000) 860 1,400 772 797 573 408 482 233 (as of first six months of 2008) Corruption. Spain's Organized Crime Intelligence Center (CICO) coordinates counternarcotics operations among various government agencies, including the Spanish Civil Guard, National Police, and Customs Service. Under their guidance, law enforcement cooperation appears to function well. Spain does not encourage nor facilitate illicit production or distribution of narcotic or psychotropic drugs or other controlled substances, or the laundering of proceeds from illegal drug transactions. There is no evidence of corruption of senior officials or their involvement in the drug trade, but there have been isolated cases involving corrupt law enforcement officials who were caught facilitating drug trafficking. For example, the Chief of Police in El Molar and two Civil Guards in Guadalix de la Sierra were arrested in an operation to combat drug trafficking in the Autonomous Community of Madrid. Another case in 2008 involved the dismantling of a drug-dealing and illegal immigration network that operated out of Madrid's Barajas airport. Forty-seven people, including a Police Deputy Inspector, were arrested. In April 2008, the Chief Inspector for Organized Crime of the Malaga Police Office was arrested, along with another five people. They were accused of stealing money from drug dealers to buy drugs and sell them later. Agreements and Treaties. Spain is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention, the 1961 UN Single Convention as amended by the 1972 Protocol and the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Spain is also a party to the UN Convention against Corruption and the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its protocols on trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling. A 1970 extradition treaty and its three supplements govern extradition between the U.S. and Spain. The U.S.-Spain Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty has been in force since 1993, and the two countries have also signed a Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement. Cultivation/Production. Coca leaf is not cultivated in Spain. However, there has been concern in recent years that clandestine laboratories in Spain and some West African countries have been established for the conversion of cocaine base to cocaine hydrochloride. Some cannabis is grown in country, but the seizures and investigations by Spanish authorities indicate the production is minimal. Opium poppy is cultivated licitly under strictly regulated conditions for research, and the total amount is insignificant. The DEA is in the process of considering an amendment to its regulations to update the list of nontraditional countries authorized to export narcotic raw materials (NRM) to the United States. This change would replace the former Yugoslavia with Spain and would, once it takes affect, allow Spain to join the other "non-traditional" NRM exporters, Australia, France, Hungary, and Poland, as the only countries allowed to supply approximately 20 percent of the NRM required annually by the United States. Traditional exporters India and Turkey have preferred access to 80 percent of the NRM market. Spain is not a significant production zone for synthetic drugs. While not a significant producer of MDMA/Ecstasy limited production of the drug has been reported in Spain. MADRID 00001307 004 OF 004 Drug Flow/Transit. Spain is the major gateway to Europe for cocaine coming from Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador. Traffickers exploit Spain's close historic and linguistic ties with Latin America and its extensive coastlines to transport drugs for consumption in Spain or distribution to other parts of Europe. DEA information suggests a developing trend for Colombian cocaine to be sent first to Africa and then smuggled northward into Spain. This year has seen a significant increase in the number of "swallower mules" detained in Nigeria en route from Latin America to Spain. Spanish police report that the country's two principal international airports, Madrid's Barajas and Barcelona's El Prat, play expanding roles as the entry point for much of the cocaine trafficked into and through Spain, and there continues to be a substantial number of body cavity smugglers arriving by air. Those two airports are also key transit points for passengers who intend to traffic Ecstasy and other synthetic drugs, mainly produced in Europe, to the United States. These couriers, however, are typically captured before they leave Spain or when they arrive in the U.S. Spain remains a major transit point to Europe for hashish from Morocco, and Spain's North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla are principal points of departure. Spanish law enforcement has disrupted many drug shipments through its use of the Integrated External Surveillance System (Spanish acronym SIVE),deployed on its southern coast. The Spanish Civil Guard initiated the SIVE system to control the growing flow of illegal maritime drug trafficking, mainly African hashish, especially around the coasts of Cadiz and Malaga. Domestic Programs/Demand Reduction. The national drug strategy identifies prevention as its principal priority. In that regard, the government continued its publicity efforts targeting Spanish youth. The PNSD closely coordinates its demand reduction programs with the Spanish National Police, Civil Guard, Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs, and Ministry of Public Administration. Spain's autonomous communities provide treatment programs for drug addicts, including methadone programs and needle exchanges. Prison rehabilitation programs also distribute methadone. The government contributes over 4 million euros to assist private, nongovernmental organizations that carry out drug prevention and rehabilitation programs. In November 2008, the Delegate of the Government for the National Drug Plan announced that several hospitals would administer, over a 12 month period, a vaccine against cocaine addiction to a number of volunteers to study its effects prior to its approval by the European Medicine Agency, which is expected in 2009. IV. US Policy Initiatives and Programs Bilateral Cooperation. The United States continues to improve the current excellent bilateral and multilateral cooperation in law enforcement programs it has with Spain, as symbolized by a series of-visits this year from high-level USG officials, such as the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard and Congressional delegations. Bilateral cooperation in 2008 built upon a strong foundation from the previous year, when DEA coordinated with the Spanish government to host the annual IDEC conference in Madrid - the first time IDEC was held in Europe. On November 8, 2008, Spanish Council of Ministers approved the extradition to the U.S. of Colombian drug dealer Vallejo Guarin. DEA continues to work very closely with its Spanish law enforcement counterparts, which has resulted in numerous successful joint investigations. DEA also has conducted training courses in undercover operations and financial investigations for its Spanish counterparts, which were very well received by the Spaniards. The U.S. urges Spain to become a leader among EU member states in the fight against narcotics and is pleased to see that Spain in 2008 assumed the rotating leadership of the Maritime Analysis and Operations Center-Narcotics (MAOC-N) in Lisbon. Road Ahead. With drug traffickers targeting Spain in a major way and its government reaching out to us for collaboration, the U.S. will continue to coordinate closely with Spanish counternarcotics officials. Spain will continue to be a key player in the international fight against drug trafficking and seeks to maintain momentum from its successful hosting of the IDEC. The U.S. and Spain are natural partners in Latin America, and are intent on developing a partnership there for the benefit of Latin America as well as Spain and the U.S. AGUIRRE