CHISINAU: INCSR 2009-2010 PART 1

UNCLAS CHISINAU 000988

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/UMB AND INL-LYLE


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR MD
SUBJECT: CHISINAU: INCSR 2009-2010 PART 1

REF: STATE 97228

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - - NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION


1. (SBU) Embassy Chisinau's submission for the 2009-2010 INCSR Part
I follows:


1. (SBU) Summary: Governmental and societal neglect of drug
trafficking, usage, and associated crime issues is a problem in
Moldova. Moldova is an impoverished country susceptible to drug
trafficking and consumption issues. The Government of Moldova's
(GOM) lack of a comprehensive national drug strategy remains a
shortcoming of Moldovan drug control policy in 2009. Moldova is a
party to the 1988 United Nations (UN) Convention against Illicit
Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances and other
major international treaties in the field of combating narcotics
related crime. End Summary.

II. Status of Country
--------------


2. (SBU) Moldova is not a major drug-producing country. Moldova is
a transit point for drugs destined for Western Europe, although
information regarding the scale of the transit is incomplete.
Domestic use of narcotics remains an ongoing concern to the GOM.
Seizures of recreational drugs such as marijuana and ecstasy
continue to grow. Analysis conducted by Moldovan officials suggests
that the country's illegal drug market will be increasingly targeted
by sellers of synthetic drugs. Moldova's proximity to the European
Union (EU),the low capacity of its law enforcement agencies, and
its limited control of the territory situated on the left bank of
the Dniester River, where Moldovan law and by extension national
drug policy are not applicable, has altogether resulted in the
increased cultivation of domestically grown narcotics for both local
use and external distribution outside the country, along with the
increased import of synthetic drugs, and an increased rate of the
smuggling of narcotic and psychotropic substances. However, despite
these issues, Moldova's drug concerns are not a major domestic
problem.

III. Country Actions against Drugs in 2009
--------------


3. (SBU) Policy initiatives: The Moldovan anti-drug legal framework
covers both the fight against illegal drug trafficking and the
prevention of illegal drug use. Although the development of a
national drug strategy was explicitly stipulated in the EU-Moldova
Action Plan (Article 53),the lack of an adopted national drug
strategy remains the primary shortcoming of national drug control
policy. According to Article 53 of the Action Plan, the GOM had to
"further strengthen its resolve" in the fight against drug
trafficking, including the trafficking of essential chemicals and
precursors. In addition, action against drug abuse through
prevention and rehabilitation, was required, in accordance with
Article 76 of the 1998 EU-Moldova Partnership and Cooperation
Agreement.


4. (SBU) Fulfilment of these objectives was of great importance for
the GOM in the context of its European integration aspirations.
According to the European Commission's European Neighbourhood Policy
(ENP) Progress Report on Moldova (April 2009),"Moldova made no or
limited progress in the effective implementation of a number of
reforms which constitute key priorities under the ENP Action Plan.
This also included the effective implementation and enforcement of
national strategies in areas such as the fight against drugs. The
implementation of anti-drug activities is especially hampered by
both the lack of trained personnel and the lack of money and
technical equipment. The Anti-Drug Department of the Moldovan
Ministry of Interior (MOI) did not maintain adequate data on drug
use, although noticeable success was achieved in 2008 with regard to
seizures. Drug trafficking remains an issue of serious concern,
requiring an intensification of inter-agency law enforcement
cooperation both nationally and regionally. Prevention and harm
reduction actions in relation to drug addicts remains to be
developed in the context of the implementation of an integrated
approach towards the reduction of drugs' demand and supply".


5. (SBU) The EU-Moldova Action Plan was supplemented by Government
Decision No. 314 of March 17, 2007, containing approval for the
2007-2009 Action Plan concerning the fight against drug addiction
and trafficking. The 2007-2009 Action Plan focused on several items
including: improving the country's drug-related legal framework;
establishing educational activities for the prevention of drug use;
organizing activities to help control drug consumption; and
informational activities and training for specialised staff. This
Decision, however, did not define any measurable objectives and/or
performance indicators that would allow for evaluation of activities
prescribed by the Action Plan. The absence of appropriated

financial support in 2009 also reduced the likelihood of their
implementation. Activities that were implemented were funded from
outside the GOM.


6. (SBU) Non-public reports detailing actions taken are submitted
twice a year, and are supposedly subject to formal discussion and
review by the Interdepartmental Commission for Drug Addiction and
Drug Trafficking Control. Because of the infrequency and
confidentiality of the reports, public progress assessments are very
difficult to do. The Interdepartmental Commission for Drug
Addiction and Drug Trafficking Control and the Permanent Committee
on Drug Control are in charge of representing the GOM in the
struggle against drug addiction and trafficking. According to Law
No. 382-XIV of May 6, 1999, and Governmental Decision No. 585 of
June 19, 2000, the Interdepartmental Commission is a governmental
structure which develops and coordinates national policy regarding
narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, and precursors; implements
stipulations of the 1961 United Nations Single Convention on
Narcotic Drugs, 1971 United Nations Convention on Psychotropic
Substances, and 1988 United Nations Convention against the Illicit
Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances; submits draft
amendments to Parliament regarding narcotic drug control; implements
programs geared towards drug addiction and drug trafficking control;
and strengthens the material resources of anti-drug units and staff
by providing them special equipment, tools, and training.


7. (SBU) The members of the Commission are representatives of
ministries and other central public authorities dealing with
drug-related issues. The majority of these programs exists only on
paper and lack real substance. In addition, the Commission does not
have local coordinators, and its decisions are not binding. The
Commission held only one meeting in 2009.


8. (SBU) In 2009, the GOM amended some of its drug control
legislation, taking into consideration provisions of United Nations
drug-related conventions. In November 2008, some amendments to the
law were passed specifying that a solution or substance which
contains a drug defined in Schedule III of the 1961 Single
Convention on Narcotic Drugs or in Schedule IV of the 1971
Convention on Psychotropic Substances, that presents no risk of
abuse and cannot be recovered/amalgamated in a quantity large enough
for illegal use, in accordance with national legislation, may be
exempted from otherwise undefined measures of control. Estimates of
the national legal demand for illicit narcotic drugs, psychotropic
substances, and precursors are made by the Permanent Committee on
Drug Control. After performing its calculations, this Committee
submits its estimates to the International Narcotics Control Board
for approval.


9. (SBU) Another recent amendment stipulates that during legal
transit through Moldovan territory of narcotic drugs, psychotropic
substances, and/or precursors, route modification can be performed
only with the permission of the Committee. The diversion of a
transiting consignment of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances,
and/or precursors would be considered as export from Moldova, and
thus should be subject to export requirements. These new amendments
also introduce as additional protection the special labeling of
packages with solutions/substances containing narcotic drugs. The
inner package containing a drug or its wrapping bears a clearly
visible double red band, which must not be present on the exterior
wrapping of the package. The new legal amendments also require that
the sale of narcotic drugs and/or psychotropic substances be
performed only by licensed legal entities.


10. (SBU) Overall, these new legal drug control additions to the law
help clarify the narcotics licensing procedure (issuance,
suspension, withdrawal of licence). The state authority which
issues the licences for such narcotics is the Moldovan Licensing
Chamber.


11. (SBU) On January 26, 2009, Governmental Decision No.43 amended
the list delineating the legal/illegal amounts for narcotic drugs,
psychotropic substances, and plants that contain these substances.
This list defines the quantity for every type of drug, psychotropic
substance, or plant that ultimately serves as a basis for legal
charges from administrative offence to a more serious charge.


12. (SBU) A new Moldovan Administrative Offences Code entered into
force in January 2009. This code stipulates clear liability for
legal persons/entities convicted of drug related administrative
offences. The code includes community service as one type of
sanction for perpetrators. This new code also abolishes the prior
practice of arrest for personal drug use. Drug related
administrative offences are provided for in Chapter VII: "Offences
which affect public health, health of individual, and the
sanitary-epidemiological situation."


13. (SBU) According to Article 85 of the Moldovan Administrative
Offences code, basic drug use is considered an administrative
offence and not a crime. The illegal purchase or storage of
narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances in small quantities
without intent for distribution, as well as their consumption
without a medical prescription, is sanctioned with a fine from three
to 10 conventional units or with up to 40 hours of community
service. One conventional unit is equal to 20 MDL (approximately
1.73 USD). Also of significance is that an individual who
voluntarily turns in narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances,
and/or intends to seek out of his/her own free will, health care
assistance related to drug usage or dependency, is exempted from
legal sanction.


14. (SBU) In July 2009, the Interdepartmental Commission for Drug
Addiction and Drug Trafficking Control examined a draft National
Anti-Drug Strategy for 2010-2017. Impetus for the draft came from
Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova against Drugs (BUMAD) Programme
assistance and involved experts and specialists from different
ministries, agencies and representatives of civil society, working
in this field. BUMAD is a technical assistance program financed by
the European Commission and implemented by the United Nations
Development Program (UNDP) in Moldova from January 2003 to March

2009. The Czech Republic's experience was used as a basis for this
process in Moldova as it was considered to have been successful.
The MOI's Internal Affairs Department eventually took the leading
role in this process, and was responsible for promotion and
coordination of the draft on the national level amongst other
ministries and agencies.


15. (SBU) The draft of National Anti-Drug Strategy now includes
requirements that EU candidate countries are theoretically required
to meet as a condition for successful accession to the EU. These
include: a national drug policy strategy with action plan ensuring a
complex, inter-disciplinary, and balanced approach towards drug
issues; functional mechanisms of coordination of inter-disciplinary
activities of drug policy; and an institutionalized and operational
National Drug Inspectorate. This requirement is based on the
comprehensive, evidence-based, and balanced application of three
basic complementary strategies of modern drug policy: drug supply
reduction, drug demand reduction, and risk (harm) reduction.


16. (SBU) The National Anti-Drug Strategy will have two principal
objectives: to decrease drug trafficking to and through Moldova and
the supply and availability of all types of drugs, and to decrease
the use of all types of drugs. It was planned that the draft of the
National Anti-Drug Strategy would be considered and approved by the
GOM in 2009. However, because of political instability which
affected Moldova after the April 2009 elections, and the country's
inability to install a government before September, it is most
likely that the approval of the National Anti-Drug Strategy will be
postponed until 2010.

Law Enforcement Efforts
--------------


17. (SBU) Combating narcotics related crime is one of the major
priorities for Moldovan law enforcement agencies. Police, customs
officials, and border guards cooperate in counter-narcotics
activities. The MOI's Anti-Drug Unit is a 16-person specialized
police unit responsible for the prevention and combating of
drug-related crime nationwide. Their primary mission is to
dismantle organized criminal groups and networks of drug
traffickers, rather than dealing with individual persons. In
addition to these full time counter-narcotics officers, there were
65 other police officers nationwide combating drug-related crime.
These 65 officers work within Criminal Police Sections at all local
police stations situated in different regions of the country. The
officers do not report to the Anti-Drug Unit and do not work solely
on drug issues. Anti-drug activities overall were hampered by the
lack of a sufficient number of specialized police officers and the
lack of financial means and technical equipment.


18. (SBU) In order to detect the illicit smuggling of drugs, the
Moldovan MOI, Border Service, and Customs Service and their
Ukrainian counterparts carried out two joint special operations
entitled "NIKONII". The joint operations were performed from April
29 to May 13, 2009 and from September 2 to September 16, 2009, with
the participation of EUBAM (EU Border Assistance Mission to Ukraine
and Moldova). From June 22 to June 26, 2009, Moldovan law
enforcement agencies in cooperation with their counterparts from
GUAM member-states participated in joint special operation
"NARCOSTOP-2009." From April 14 to April 18, 2008 the same
operation had been conducted among law enforcement agencies from
SECI member states. Regional joint law enforcement
operations/investigations, exchange of operative data, and other
joint activities in the field of countering drug trafficking,
especially those performed in the framework of SECI, reportedly
proved to be very helpful to Moldovan law enforcement.


19. (SBU) According to data provided by the MOI's Internal Affairs
Department, 2,103 drug related crimes were registered by law
enforcement authorities in 2008, representing a decrease of two
percent compared to 2007 (2,147 offences). In the first nine months
of 2009, Moldovan authorities registered 1,542 drug-related crimes,
compared with 1,747 cases registered during the same timeframe in
2008, which represented a decrease of 11.3 percent. The trend of a
slight decrease in drug-related criminal offences has been observed
for the last six years.


20. (SBU) Districts in the north of the country closer to the
Ukrainian border registered a higher number of drug-related crimes,
especially those regarding cannabis and poppy cultivation. The
municipalities of Chisinau and Balti are the main illegal drugs
markets in the country. In 2008,72.7 percent of criminal
proceedings on charges of drug trafficking were referred to court,
compared to 82.8 percent in 2007. In the first nine months of 2009,
1,109 criminal proceedings on charges of drug trafficking
(representing 71.9 percent of the total number of registered drug
related crimes) were sent to court.

Corruption
--------------


21. (SBU) As a matter of government policy, the GOM does not
encourage or facilitate production, shipment, or distribution of
illicit drugs or the laundering of illegal drug proceeds. However,
corruption is a serious problem within both Moldovan government and
society. The Center for Combating Economic Crimes and Corruption
(CCECC) is a specialized law enforcement agency responsible for the
prevention and combating of corruption, including money laundering
related to narcotics. Some Moldovan civil society representatives
have accused the CCECC of a lack of transparency and political bias
regarding its investigations, although not specifically in regard to
narcotics cases.

Agreements and Treaties
--------------


22. (SBU) The GOM is a party to the 1988 UN Convention against
Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances; the
1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances; the 1961 UN Single
Convention on Narcotic Drugs and the 1972 Protocol amending the
Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs; and the 2003 UN Convention
against Corruption. The GOM is also a party to the 1959 Council of
Europe Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters and its
1978 protocol; the 1999 Council of Europe Criminal and Civil Laws
Conventions on Corruption; and the 2003 additional protocol to the
Criminal Law Convention. The GOM has also been signatory to other
UN, Council of Europe, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS),
Georgia, Ukraine, Armenia, Moldova (GUAM),Southeast European
Co-operative Initiative (SECI),and BSEC multi-lateral treaties in
the field of combating crime. Moldovan law enforcement agencies
also cooperate with their foreign counterparts on basis of bilateral
or inter-ministerial agreements.


23. (SBU) In 2008, the Moldovan Parliament ratified the 1989 Council
of Europe Anti-Doping Convention and its 2002 additional protocol,
as well as the UNESCO International Convention against Doping in
Sport. In 2009, the Moldovan Parliament also ratified the 2003 UN
Convention on Tobacco Control and the 1982 UN International
Convention on the Harmonization of Frontier Controls of Goods.
During the reporting period, international cooperation in the field
of countering drug trafficking was most active at the CIS level.

Cultivation/Production
--------------


24. (SBU) Moldova is an agriculturally fertile nation with a climate
favorable for cultivating cannabis and poppy plants. Authorities
regularly seize and destroy illicitly cultivated plants. Cannabis
and poppy cultivation is a source of income for the local population
in some rural areas. According to the MOI's Internal Affairs
Department, these drugs are primarily produced for local usage, but
are also smuggled to neighbouring countries such as Ukraine and
Russia. Synthetic drugs such as ecstasy are imported from several
EU countries. Moldova is the poorest country in Europe. The import
of expensive drugs (e.g., heroin and cocaine) is rarely detected and
seizures are usually of only small amounts. The frozen
"Transnistrian" conflict and the lack of control over Moldova's
eastern border create favorable conditions for cultivation of drugs
and drug trafficking via this border.


25. (SBU) Each summer, the MOI launches a special law enforcement
operation, called "Operation Poppy," aimed at combating illicit
cultivation of narcotics. In 2009, as a result of "Operation
Poppy", 555 criminal proceedings were initiated on charges of
illegal cultivation of cannabis and poppy plants. Authorities
unearthed 406 cannabis plots totaling 70,752 cannabis plants along
with 149 poppy plots totaling 40,665 poppy plants. All were
destroyed and 351 persons were arrested.

Drug Flow/Transit
--------------


26. (SBU) Seizures of illicit narcotics and psychotropic substances
in 2009 continued to indicate that Moldova remains primarily a
transshipment country. Information provided by the Anti-Drug Unit
of the MOI in 2009 indicates that drugs reach Moldova from the
following countries: cocaine from Costa Rica and Spain; ecstasy from
Belgium and the Netherlands; heroin from Turkey, Russia, and
Ukraine; and amphetamines from Poland and Russia.


27. (SBU) Locally cultivated marijuana and poppy straw are exported
mostly to neighbouring countries such as Ukraine and Russia.
According to existing data, Moldova is a transit point for drugs
destined for Western Europe and potentially the U.S. as well.

Domestic Programs/Demand Reduction
--------------


28. (SBU) At the regional level, raional Education and Youth
Departments develop their own yearly activity plans to prevent drug
use in school-age children. The existing reporting system does not
allow for a detailed analysis of the activities implemented.
"Anti-Drug" lessons are taught in schools. NGOs consider these
plans to be inefficient and obsolete. The MOI also took part in
activities designed to prevent drug use in pre-university
educational institutions primarily through visiting and talking to
classes directly.


29. (SBU) In February 2009, several amendments to the 2001 Law on
the Control and Prevention of the Abuse of Alcohol and Illegal Use
of Drugs and other Psychotropic Substances entered into force,
including provisions such as the requirement that driving schools be
obliged to provide in their curricula an eight-hour anti-alcohol and
anti-drug course. Since the establishment of the National Drug
Inspectorate, many efforts have been made to improve the quality and
availability of the data related to drugs. In 2008, for the first
time, a General Population Survey studying psychotropic substances
and related attitudes was conducted to estimate the prevalence of
substance abuse among 15-64 year olds living on the right bank of
the Dniester River. According to its results, cannabis is the most
widely used drug. As of 2008, 3.4 percent of Moldovans had used
marijuana/hashish at some point in their lifetimes and 0.9 percent
had done so in the last year. Only 0.3 percent of respondents used
cannabis in the previous month. Usage of marijuana/hashish is
almost thirteen times higher in males (6.5 percent) than in females
(0.5 percent). According to the ESPAD survey, also conducted for
the first time in 2008, the prevalence of cannabis use in
16-year-old children reached 4.8 percent. In both surveys, other
illegal drugs registered considerably lower rates of use. In
Moldova, there are still no reliable estimates for the number of
Injection Drug Users (IDU). In 2009, an Integrated Bio Behavioural
Survey is planned to be conducted in order to estimate the number of
IDUs.


30. (SBU) Moldova has a national system for collecting data on
people who use illegal drugs based almost exclusively on counting
the number of cases which enter voluntarily or involuntarily into
relevant governmental institutions. Registration with relevant
public institutions implies the disclosure of one's identity in the
great majority of cases. Police work is increasingly aimed at
fighting drug use and trafficking at entertainment facilities which
has led to a growth in the number of newly registered cases of drug
use for recreational purposes (marijuana, ecstasy). As of January
1, 2009, 8,390 people were officially registered as drug users on
the right bank of the Dniester River. During 2008, 1,138 newly
registered cases of drug use on the right bank of the Dniester River
were entered into the database, compared to 2007's figures of 928
out of 1,138 involved in non-addictive usage (mainly cannabis usage)
while 210 were considered addicts (primarily opiate users). During
2008, in Moldova's penitentiary system, 683 prisoners (10 percent of
all prisoners) were considered drug users (both registered and
suspected).


31. (SBU) Detoxification as recommended by the World Health
Organization (WHO) is available within specialised medical
institutions in Chisinau and Balti. Private health care
institutions are also authorised to offer detoxification treatment.
Detoxification is included in the minimum package of health care
services covered by the National Health Insurance Fund, which
applies only for insured people (those employed by the government,
those who had purchased the health insurance on their own, or had
been insured by the state, e.g. students, school pupils, the
disabled, and those officially registered as unemployed).
Detoxification for the uninsured is not provided for free, excluding
cases of deep social vulnerability. If insured patients do not wish
to disclose their identity, they must pay for the detoxification
too, since the use of the medical insurance policy rules out
anonymity.


32. (SBU) There is no formally structured, integrated approach to
treatment for drug addiction in Moldova. The after-care and
reintegration system is underdeveloped. There are no known donors
interested in supporting such activities either. In 2007, the first
Center of Rehabilitation for drug addicts was created in the
Republican Narcotics Dispensary in Chisinau. The Center works on an
outpatient basis. Persons who are drug-addicted are treated
according to medical indicators, at the patients' request, and on
the basis of referrals issued by psychiatrist-narcologists from the
outpatient sector, but with the patient's consent. For insured
persons, all services are free of charge.


33. (SBU) Once discharged from the hospital after detoxification,
those patients who are not referred for different reasons to the
rehabilitation centre may be invited to continue treatment in
rehabilitation and reintegration programs offered by different local
NGOs, or to even go outside the country for treatment. The
advantage of local NGOs is that they offer free-of-charge services
on an anonymous basis.



34. (SBU) The implementation of Harm Reduction Strategy in Moldova
started in 1997. An agreement between the Ministry of Health and
the Soros Foundation-Moldova was signed on May 8, 2003. According
to this agreement, the Soros Foundation-Moldova would develop a
network of NGOs and public institutions implementing activities to
prevent the spread of HIV among high risk groups. The GOM did not
fund harm reduction activities to date. Basic components of harm
reduction programs for IDUs are as follows: informational and
educational outreach about HIV and ways of preventing it in the
context of high risk practices (distribution of informational
materials, condoms, workshops); referral to medical and social
services (offering medical counselling, usually for sexually
transmitted infections, psychological counselling, pre- and post-HIV
test counselling); needle/syringe exchange; and
substitution/maintenance treatment using methadone as the key
pharmaceutical medication.


35. (SBU) The basic components of the harm reduction programmes for
IDUs within the penitentiary sector are as follows:
information/education/outreach about HIV and ways of preventing it
in the context of high risk practices (distribution of informational
materials, condoms, workshops),needle/syringe exchange;
substitution maintenance treatment using methadone as the key
pharmaceutical.


36. (SBU)Activities for inmates are conducted primarily by the
medical services of the penitentiary institutions. In 2008, within
the framework of the implementation of harm reduction programs, the
information component was implemented with materials distributed and
workshops on HIV/AIDS prevention held in all 18 penitentiary
institutions. Needle exchange programs started functioning in seven
of them, operating and open 24/7. At the end of 2008 substitution
(methadone) treatment was available in five prisons. According to
the NGOs' internal rules for following up their Harm Reduction
services' clients, every beneficiary of these projects receives an
anonymous identifier number. The formula used to generate this
identifier differs from one project to another, and no information
system exists for processing the data collected. In 2008, the
development of unified software was started. This software is
planned to be provided for free to NGOs and relevant governmental
institutions as well. In 2009, implementation had finally started.

IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs
--------------

Bilateral Cooperation


37. (SBU) The GOM and the USG cooperate on law enforcement and
counter-narcotic issues on basis of the Letter of Agreement on
Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement, signed on August 28, 2001,
along with amendments to this letter, providing additional funding
to support activities designed to create sustainable improvement to
the rule-of-law and to the operational capabilities of Moldova's law
enforcement agencies.


38. (SBU) Ongoing USG-provided training and provision of equipment
are designed to improve the ability of Moldovan police to
investigate and dismantle organized crime and narcotics enterprises.
The DEA's office in Vienna is responsible for drug enforcement
assistance to members of Moldova's drug unit within the MOI. Direct
communication between the DEA and Moldovan officers is common and
most usually in the form of investigative and operational
assistance.


38. (SBU) The USG also offers assistance in customs and border
control, with programs specifically aimed at strengthening Moldovan
border control. During 2008, the USG financed basic and specialized
law enforcement training programs via the Department of State's
Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL),
which included narcotics enforcement modules. INL also supported
the GOM through the donation of equipment in 2009. These programs
focused on enhancing techniques related to combating corruption,
money laundering, illicit drug trafficking, and organized crime.
Seventeen employees of Moldovan law enforcement agencies attended
the International Law Enforcement Academy in Hungary during 2009.


39. (SBU) Amendment 9 to the Letter of Agreement on Narcotics
Control and Law Enforcement between the GOM and the USG was signed
on September, 22 2009. One of the goals of this project is to
modernize Moldovan law enforcement by improving its ability to
investigate and effectively prosecute serious crimes that stem from
transnational organized crime. Using a variety of USG law
enforcement agencies (DEA, FBI, FLETC, etc.),training courses will
be provided to meet EU-Moldova Action plan goals linked to combating
organized crime. Specialized training will be implemented in the
areas of financial crime, money laundering, cyber crime, general
forensics investigations, border security, interdiction,
transnational narcotics trafficking, and law enforcement leadership
and management. Actions to be taken by the USG include the
provision of targeted skills development training and appropriate
materials to Moldovan law enforcement. Actions to be taken by the
GOM include the allowance of appropriate law enforcement personnel
to receive training and technical assistance.

The Road Ahead
--------------


40. (SBU) The USG and the GOM will continue to work together through
USG-sponsored assistance programs to help improve the ability of
Moldovan law enforcement to create sustainable improvement in the
rule of law and in the operational capabilities of Moldova's law
enforcement agencies. Successful collaboration of the GOM with
international law enforcement and political entities in combating
transnational organized crime involving narcotics will yield great
results for the USG, the Moldovan government, and the Moldovan
people.


MICHELI