TURKMENISTAN: DEA DRUG IDENTIFICATION TRAINING COURSE TO

UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000574 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN, INL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KCRM SOCI TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: DEA DRUG IDENTIFICATION TRAINING COURSE TO SCNS OFFICERS ¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet. ¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: On May 4, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent conducted a Drug Identification training course for newly recruited officers of Turkmenistan's State Counter Narcotics Service (SCNS) at the SCNS Training Facility in Ashgabat. The SCNS officers showed a genuine interest in the information presented to them and a high regard for DEA's operational/tactical approach to counter-narcotics issues. It was the second such event this year, and the third in the last six months. END SUMMARY. ¶3. (SBU) A DEA Special Agent conducted a Drug Identification training course for a group of approximately 30-40 newly-recruited SCNS officers at the SCNS Training Academy in Ashgabat on May 4. The training consisted of a Power Point presentation followed by a group discussion and comparison of contemporary counter-narcotics techniques utilized by DEA and SCNS to combat narcotics trafficking in the United States and Turkmenistan. During the Power Point presentation, SCNS officers seemed very responsive to the information presented to them regarding the different methods of manufacture and distribution of narcotics worldwide. The SCNS officers were interactive with the DEA Agent when asked questions about their counter-narcotics experiences. ¶4. (SBU) At the end of the Power Point presentation, the DEA agent answered manyquestions about DEA's contemporary techniques.. The questions covered a wide range of topics from an average DEA Agent's salary to complex wire-tap investigations. A lot of the questions were directed at the structure of street-level counter-narcotics operations, including but not limited to the topics on the Confidential Source handling, methods/types of surveillance, modus operandi of DEA investigations, wire-taps and the legal process involving a wire-tap investigation, etc. The SCNS officers showed genuine interest in the information presented to them and highly regarded DEA's operational/tactical approach to the counter-narcotics issues. ¶5. (SBU) COMMENT: This was the second DEA training conducted this year, and the first to be heldat the SCNS Training Facility. During the training, the DEA Agent touched on a variety of subjects regarding the growth, manufacture, and distribution of illegal substances (opium and heroin in particular) from Afghanistan throughout the world. The SCNS recruits seemed genuinely interested in the information, although none of the recruits raised any questions regarding current narcotics trafficking activities in Turkmenistan. During the discussion, SCNS officers inquired a great deal about DEA's methods of operation, including, but not limited to tactical, legal, and administrative aspects of investigations conducted in the United States. The SCNS officers expressed their desire to attend more such training courses conducted by DEA. The meeting was an excellent opportunity to reinforce the U.S. Government's commitment to support Turkmenistan's counter-narcotics efforts. END COMMENT. MILES