Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09LUSAKA767
2009-11-03 05:00:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Lusaka
Cable title:  

ZAMBIA INCSR 2009-10 Part 1

Tags:  SNAR ZA 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0005
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLS #0767/01 3070500
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 030500Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY LUSAKA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7406
UNCLAS LUSAKA 000767 

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR INL- John Lyle

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR ZA
SUBJECT: ZAMBIA INCSR 2009-10 Part 1

REF: State 97230

UNCLAS LUSAKA 000767

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR INL- John Lyle

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR ZA
SUBJECT: ZAMBIA INCSR 2009-10 Part 1

REF: State 97230


1. Summary

Zambia is not a major producer or exporter of illegal drugs, nor is
Zambia a significant transit route for drug trafficking. Cannabis
is the only illicit drug that is locally cultivated, primarily by
small-holder farmers. It is consumed locally and exported
regionally and to Europe. Zambia's Drug Enforcement Commission
(DEC) reported a large increase in the number of cannabis seizures
in the first nine months of 2009 and, for the first time in the past
four years, reported seizures of cannabis plants and seeds.
Seizures of other drugs were minimal. The DEC works closely with
other Zambian law enforcement and health agencies and has a record
of good cooperation with the U.S. Government. As is true of the
Zambian government generally, the DEC is hampered by a lack of
resources and capacity. Zambia is a party to the 1988 UN Drug
Convention.


2. Status of Zambia

Based on narcotic seizures and rehabilitation program participation,
cannabis is the most commonly consumed drug in Zambia. Consumption
of more expensive drugs remains relatively low because they are
beyond the means of the majority of Zambian citizens. Other drugs
that are abused in Zambia include heroin, cocaine, and kyat.
According to the DEC, pharmaceuticals such as diazepam, morphine,
and phenobarbital are also occasionally used for recreational
purposes.

Apart from small-scale cultivation of cannabis, Zambia is not a
source of illegal drugs. Subsistence farmers grow cannabis from the
cannabis sativa plant. Most of this production is exported
regionally, although some cannabis is also transported by air to
European countries, including the Netherlands and the United
Kingdom. There are no reports or indications of synthetic drug
production in Zambia.

Although Zambia is not an important route for drug shipments or a
source of precursor chemicals, it has been a transit point for minor
amounts of cocaine, raw opium, and heroin. Zambia is also a transit
route for small amounts of ephedrine, which is used to manufacture
methamphetamines that are destined for the Democratic Republic of
Congo (DRC) and Angola. Locally consumed cocaine is imported from
DRC and Angola, whereas kyat and heroin are imported from Tanzania.
The DEC reports that cocaine transshipping from Angola has increased
in 2009.

The DEC has reported an increase of all drugs, including ephedrine,
coming into the country to be "warehoused" in advance of the 2010

Soccer World Cup to be held in South Africa, but it's information
appears to be primarily anecdotal, and it has not reported a
commensurate increase in drug seizures.


3. Zambian Action Against Drugs

Law Enforcement Efforts. The DEC leads Zambia's efforts to meet the
goals and objectives of the 1988 UN Drug Convention. Almost all of
the DEC's interdiction effort is related to cannabis. Between
January and September 2009, the DEC arrested and prosecuted 2,283
people for various illicit drug offenses resulting in 806
convictions.
Through September 2009, the DEC seized over 33 metric tons of
cannabis, compared with 32 metric tons in calendar year 2008. Three
metric tons of cannabis plants and 33 kilograms of cannabis seed
were also seized during this period. The DEC attributes the
increase to a refocus of its manpower to interdiction efforts and to
a program to reward citizens who inform the DEC of drug cultivation
and sales activities. In the same 2009 time period, the DEC
reported seizures of 295 kilograms of kyat and de minimal amounts of
cocaine, heroin and ecstasy.

Law enforcement officers are also authorized to confiscate licit
drugs that are transported in large quantities without adequate
permits. These include diazepam (valium),diphenylhydramine
(benadryl),bromazepam, lidocaine, and lorazepam. Some medical
practitioners have complained that these enforcement efforts are
restricting the availability of pharmaceuticals for legitimate
medical purposes.

Policy Initiatives. In addition to cannabis eradication, DEC
programs focus on outreach and education, officer training, drug
demand reduction, and money-laundering investigations. Zambia also
monitors transshipment points and shares information on drug control
efforts with its neighbors through Joint Permanent Commissions on
defense and security.

In 2008 the DEC began expanding its presence in rural areas. It
currently has 519 officers in offices in all nine provinces, with
the intention of deploying counter-narcotics officers and
establishing DEC branches in all 72 districts. In addition to
interdiction and eradication activities, the provincial and district
offices conduct outreach to primary and secondary schools and
education campaigns to farmers on crop substitution and the dangers
of cultivating cannabis.

In collaboration with public health institutions, the DEC provides
counseling and rehabilitation programs to treat and prevent drug
abuse. Although an increasing number of Zambians are participating
in these programs, drug treatment and rehabilitation remains a small
part of the DEC's activities, and Commission has not conducted a
nationwide survey to ascertain the extent of narcotics abuse .
Trained DEC officers from the National Education Campaign Division
(NECD) provide counseling, and treatment and admission is managed by
health professionals, hospitals and clinics throughout the country.
Zambia currently has no dedicated drug treatment and rehabilitation
facilities. In 2006, the government provided land seized from a
cannabis grower to the DEC to construct a rehabilitation center, but
has not yet provided the funding for construction.

As is the case for most Zambian Government agencies, the DEC's
efforts are hampered by a lack of funds for training and equipment.

Corruption. The Zambian Government is focused on strengthening its
lead anti-corruption agency, the Anti-Corruption Commission, and in
October 2009 disbanded the Task Force on Corruption, which had been
formed to prosecute cases of corruption by high-level officials.
Although the DEC has played a role in the anti-corruption campaign,
these efforts have had no direct impact on narcotics control. No
evidence has emerged to suggest that current government officials
are involved in the production or trafficking of drugs, although
several members of parliament, including the government chief whip,
have previously been implicated in allegations of drug trafficking.
Zambia's Financial Intelligence Unit, not considered to be up to
international standards, is housed at the DEC, but the government
has committed to establishing a new, independent, administrative
entity to replace it.

Agreements and Treaties. Zambia is a party to the 1988 UN Drug
Convention, the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and
the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, as amended by the
1972 Protocol. Regional agreements include the Southern African
Development Cooperation (SADC) protocol on combating illicit drug
trafficking and the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs
Cooperation. Zambia is also a party to the UN Convention against
Transnational Organized Crime and the UN Convention against
Corruption. A 1931 extradition treaty between the United States and
the UK governs extraditions from Zambia.

Cultivation and Production. Cannabis is the only illicit drug that
is locally cultivated. It is used domestically and is exported
regionally and to Europe.

Drug Flow/Transit. Some heroin enters Zambia from Tanzania, and
some South American cocaine enters Zambia from Angola and the DRC.
The DEC reported an increase in cocaine from Angola in the first
nine months of 2009.


4. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs

The U.S. Government is not engaged in any ongoing programs or policy
initiatives with the DEC. However, the U.S. Government provides
training assistance to Zambian law enforcement agencies, including
the DEC. In 2009, the U.S. government continued to sponsor law
enforcement officers, including officers who are active in narcotics
control, at the International Law Enforcement Academies in Gaborone,
Botswana and Roswell, New Mexico.


5. Chemical Control
(Not applicable)

Booth