SWEDEN: 2009-2010 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 STOCKHOLM 000705 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR PGOV PREL KSEP SW SUBJECT: SWEDEN: 2009-2010 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY REPORT (INSCR),PART I STOCKHOLM 00000705 001.2 OF 004 ¶I. Summary -------------- ¶1. Sweden is not a significant illicit drug producing country. However, police report that Sweden is increasingly becoming a transit country for illegal drugs to other Nordic countries and Eastern European states. The fight against illegal drugs is an important government priority and enjoys strong public support. There are an estimated 26,000 serious drug (viz., heroin, cocaine) users in Sweden, and the overall quantities of narcotics seized in 2009 did not change significantly from 2008. Amphetamine and cannabis remain the most popular illegal drugs and during the year, the influx of methamphetamine increased. Total heroin usage did not change from 2008, although the abuse of anabolic steroids continued to rise. The quantity of narcotics ordered over the internet increased in 2009. The number of high school aged boys and girls who claim to have tried drugs increased two percentage points, cannabis being the most common drug. To combat these trends, law enforcement and customs entities have been active in several domestic and international counter-narcotic projects in the last year. ¶2. The majority of narcotics in Sweden originates in South America, West Africa, Eastern Europe, China, and Afghanistan and is smuggled via other EU countries. Khat usage remains restricted to specific immigrant communities. Limited residential cultivation of cannabis occurs, along with a limited number of small kitchen labs producing methamphetamine and anabolic steroids. Sweden is not believed to have any industrial narcotics laboratories. Sweden is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention. II. Status of Country -------------- ¶3. Relative to other European countries, Sweden (both government and society) is highly intolerant of illegal drugs. Sweden places strong focus on prevention and education. According to government statistics, 12 percent of the adult population (15-75 years old) has tried drugs at some point during their lives. According to the latest available figure, Sweden continues to have approximately 26,000 serious drug addicts (i.e. regular intravenous use and/or daily need for narcotics). Some 25 percent of serious drug users are women (in both 2008 and 2009). The most common drugs addicts use are amphetamines, heroine and cannabis. �A;¶4. The National Institute of Public Health notes an increase in drug-related deaths in 2009 from an average of 300 per year to approximately 350 in 2009. According to police reports, Sweden is both a destination and transit country for amphetamines. The seizure of Methamphetamine has increased significantly in 2009 due to new methods of productions. According to the Swedish Customs a new trend is that the drug is trafficked to Sweden from so called "BMK labs" in Lithuania. ¶5. The government-sponsored Organization for Information on Drugs and Alcohol (CAN) reports that the overall number of young people who have used drugs increased compared to that of 2008. The percentage of high school aged boys (15-16 years old) who claim to have been offered drugs increased to 21 percent in 2009, compared to 19 percent in 2008. Corresponding statistics for girls remained at 19 percent in 2009. High school aged boys who claim to have tried drugs increased two percentage points to nine percent for high school aged girls increased from five to seven percent. Approximately 80 percent of those who try drugs for the first time do so with cannabis. Amphetamines and Ecstasy resembling drugs are the second and third most commonly used drugs. ¶6. There are regional differences in drug use. The use of narcotics is predominately concentrated in urban areas, and the southern parts of the country, but is growing in rural areas. The police have observed a countrywide increase in the use of cocaine. Previously considered a QluxuryQ drug and mainly used in fashionable bars and restaurants, cocaine has become more common due to a significant drop in price. In 2000, one gram of cocaine cost the equivalent of $200, today the price is as low as $55-120 in Stockholm and $110-140 in southern Sweden. Cocaine is mainly smuggled to Sweden through the major European ports, such as Rotterdam, and then by land or air. South American smugglers and dealers have long dominated the drug trade, however competition from other criminal groups, such as Serbians and Russians, have lead to a price decrease. ¶7. Cannabis is one of the most commonly used narcotics in Sweden. Some 80 percent of the cannabis in Sweden comes from Morocco, the remainder from the Middle East and Central Asia. Cannabis is becoming more common in Sweden; the plant has been refined and can now be cultivated in cooler climates. Cannabis users can be found all over Sweden in all socio-economic groups. ¶8. The use of khat is exclusive to immigrant communities such as Somalis and Ethiopians, who are continuing a practice of their birth countries. Khat is often smuggled into the country concealed in fruit STOCKHOLM 00000705 002.2 OF 004 and vegetable packages. In 2008, the police and customs hired more personnel with in-depth knowledge of khat to combat the influx. The project has resulted in increased seizures of khat and the project will continue during 2009. The Swedish Customs and the Police are also working to a change the narcotics law to reduce the possession amount of khat that is legally punishable. Today possession of khat must reach 200 kilo to be considered a serious violation. ¶9. Last year's trend of an increase in the ordering of illicit drugs over the internet continued. Mephedrone, GBL, Methylon and Salvia are the drugs most commonly smuggled via parcels ordered over the Internet. Other Internet-ordered drugs confiscated by the Customs also include heroin, steroids and illegal pharmaceuticals such as Tramadol. Ecstasy use has decreased significantly during 2009 to the advantage of drugs with similar characteristics. Most packages originate from the EU, usually smuggled in from China. Combating the Internet narcotics trade is a priority and Swedish law enforcement is coordinating closely with Interpol and Europol to develop methods to prevent teenagers from purchasing drugs online. ¶10. The occurrence of doping continues to increase. According to a new study from the National Police Board the number of people using steroids on a regular basis is 10,000 - 12,000 people. The University Hospital Karolinska in Stockholm estimates the number of users is around 50,000. The seizure of steroids -- both in powder form and pills -- increased during 2009. The drugs are smuggled to Sweden as powder and are formed to pills in small drug pharmacies in the country. III. Country Actions against Drugs in 2009 -------------- ¶11. Policy Initiatives and Accomplishments: The government's National Action Plan on Narcotics runs through 2010. Demand reduction and supply restriction figure prominently, and the plan includes provisions to increase treatment for prison inmates with drug addictions. Four ministries share the primary responsibility for drug policy: the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Together, officials from these ministries form an independent working group called The GovernmentQs Coordination Body in Drug Related Issues (SAMNARK),which coordinates the implementation of the Action Plan. A governmental investigative commission established to review current narcotics legislation presented its recommendations on December 31, ¶2008. The commission suggested Swedish authorities monitor the supply of drugs on the internet, and to give the authorities the right to purchase unclassified substances for analysis to speed up the classification process of new drugs. The commission also suggested harsher penalties for doping crimes. ¶12. Sweden participates in a three-year, Denmark-led project targeting West African cocaine and heroin networks. Continued cooperation with Baltic countries, where significant drug trafficking routes exist, constitutes an ongoing and important element in SwedenQs counternarcotics efforts. Sweden participates in the EU Council of Ministers working group for overall narcotic drugs issues, the Horizontal Working Party on Drugs (HDG). HDG deals primarily with domestic issues, legal problems and positions as well as the situation in countries outside the EU. Sweden also participates in the Western Balkans and drug combating projects spearheaded by COSPOL, a counternarcotics EU task force led by national police commissioners. ¶13. In September the government classified seven substances similar to cannabis as narcotics, among them the popular internet drug "Spice." In May, Mephedrone was classified as a narcotic. Fighting drugs also remain a high priority area for SwedenQs official development assistance. In 2008 Sweden allocated over $12.6 million for the UN Office of Drugs and CrimeQs general and special-purpose programs. ¶14. The Swedish EU Presidency, July - December 2009, has meant increased opportunities to cooperate with countries to combat narcotics. In the negotiations on the EU Framework Decision on Drugs, which was signed in 2004, Sweden was proactive and contributed to a provision to the effect that a deeper evaluation should be made. The import of this was that the European Commission will not only look at how Member States have implemented the framework decision, but also how the provisions are applied. The Commission presented its evaluation report in May 2009. The work of the Council on analyzing the report took place on November 2-3, 2009 when the drug coordinators of the Member States met in Stockholm. ¶15. Law Enforcement Efforts: In 2009, authorities did not uncover any major drug processing labs. Police reported 58,403 narcotics-related crimes from January to September 2009. This represents a three percent increase compared to the corresponding period of 2008 when 56,735 cases were reported. In 2008 a total of 78,200 narcotics related crimes were reported to the police. Approximately 21 percent of the arrests under the Narcotics Act led to convictions, which on an average resulted in seven months in jail. The majority of the crimes involved consumption and possession. Two percent of all convictions are considered serious STOCKHOLM 00000705 003.2 OF 004 violations and the average conviction is four years and eight months imprisonment. ¶16. In March 2009, the police made a large drug bust of 447 buyers of narcotics all over the country. The operation was aimed at clients of a 44 year old man selling Tramadol, a drug similar to morphine, via the internet. The 44 year old was sentenced to ten years in prison for drug-related crimes. Amounts seized per substance per year in kilograms: (January - September) 2009 2008 2007 Cannabis 1,423 1,331 848 Amphetamine 374 315 227.6 Heroin 15 37.7 13.5 Cocaine 49.8 48.8 15.7 Khat 9,396 6,800 5,000 Ecstasy (number of pills) 1,024 33,114 102,111 Number of drug seizures by Swedish Authorities: (January - September) Cannabis 6,074 6,917 4,822 Amphetamine 3,379 3,259 4,154 Heroin 349 447 477 Cocaine 419 483 412 Ecstasy 13 143 120 Khat 159 175 146 Figures on seizures for 2009 only include Police statistics, the Customs reports 2,752 seizures in total for January - September 2009. Statistics per substance will not be available until the beginning of ¶2010. ¶17. Corruption: There were no known cases of public corruption in connection with narcotics in Sweden during the year. Swedish law covers all forms of public corruption and stipulates maximum penalties of six years imprisonment for gross misconduct or taking bribes. Neither the government nor any senior government official is believed to engage in, encourage or facilitate the production or distribution of narcotics or other controlled substances, or the laundering of proceeds from illegal drug transactions. ¶18. Agreements and Treaties: Sweden is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention and is meeting the Convention's goals and objectives. Sweden is a party to the 1961 Single Convention, as amended by the 1972 Protocol, and to the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Sweden is also a party to the UN Convention against Corruption and the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its protocols against trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling. The Swedish Police have a cooperation agreement with the Russian Narcotics Control Authorities. The agreement is meant to facilitate counternarcotics efforts in the region through information sharing and bilateral law enforcement coordination. The US and Sweden cooperate in extradition matters under an extradition treaty signed in 1961 and amended in 1983. Sweden has bilateral instruments with the U.S. implementing the 2003 U.S.-EU Extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance Agreements. Both countries have ratified these agreements. ¶19. Sweden has bilateral customs agreements with the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Norway, Hungary, Latvia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Iceland, Russia, Lithuania, France, Finland, Estonia, Poland, Denmark and the Netherlands. Through the EU, Sweden also has agreements with other nations concerning mutual assistance in customs issues and anti-drug efforts. ¶20. Cultivation/Production: No major illicit drug cultivation/production was detected during the year. ¶21. Drug Flow/Transit: Drugs mainly enter the country concealed in commercial goods, by air, ferry, and truck over the Oresund Bridge linking Sweden to Denmark. The effectiveness of customs checks at StockholmQs Arlanda airport is believed to have resulted in an upward trend of smuggling by truck and ferry. The increase in seizures is, according to Swedish Customs, a result of increased international information exchange between agencies. Most seized amphetamines originate in Poland, the Netherlands, and Baltic countries. Regular Baltic ferry routes serve Sweden; in the spring and southern months, amphetamines are trafficked into Sweden via maritime routes. Cannabis usually comes from Morocco and southern Europe; and khat from the Horn of Africa via Amsterdam and London. ¶22. Khat use is increasing and, according to the Swedish Customs, criminal networks smuggle khat to Sweden mainly from Kenya, Ethiopia and Yemen via Amsterdam, London and Copenhagen. In 2009 (January - July) Swedish customs seized 6.4 tons of khat, a significant increase compared to 2008. In 98 percent of the cases the seizures were made near to the Vresund Bridge between Sweden and Denmark. It is mainly STOCKHOLM 00000705 004.2 OF 004 Somali men in Sweden that use the drug. ¶23. The influence of outlaw motorcycle gangs, such as Hells Angels and Bandidos, remains significant in Sweden. Such groups are regularly involved in the distribution of methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine, which they acquire from Albanian, Serbian and Montenegrin traffickers. Cocaine often comes through Spain and the Baltic region or directly from South America in freight containers. The route for heroin is more difficult to establish, but according to police information, a West African network has established a route to Sweden via Portugal and Spain. West African smugglers are also more likely to carry heroin and cocaine into Sweden in suitcases or in their personal property. In 2009, Swedish law enforcement did not seize any drugs intended for the U.S. market. ¶24. Domestic Programs/Demand Reduction: The National Institute of Public Health and municipal governments are responsible for organizing and providing compulsory drug education in schools. In 2009, the Public Health Institute updated its education program for students. In cooperation with the municipalities and parental groups the aim is to increase the measures for teaching children "how to say no" to drugs. The new so called "education in life" is integrated in the regular curriculum. Several NGO's are also devoted to drug abuse prevention and public information programs. IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs -------------- ¶25. Bilateral Cooperation: Swedish cooperation with U.S. Government law enforcement authorities on all issues, including narcotics, continues to be excellent. ¶26. The Road Ahead: The U.S. will pursue enhanced cooperation with Sweden and the EU on narcotics issues. BARZUN