Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09TASHKENT767
2009-05-14 13:12:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tashkent
Cable title:  

UZBEKISTAN: UNODC HOSTS OPERATION TARCET PRECURSOR

Tags:  PGOV PREL SNAR KCRM ASEC UZ AF ZK IR 
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VZCZCXRO4343
RR RUEHDBU
DE RUEHNT #0767/01 1341308
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 141312Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY TASHKENT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0899
INFO CIS COLLECTIVE
NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI 0001
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0061
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0084
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0263
RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 0008
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 0217
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 TASHKENT 000767 

SIPDIS
AMEMBASSY HELSINKI PASS TO AMCONSUL ST PETERSBURG
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL YEKATERINBURG
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PASS TO AMEMBASSY PODGORICA
AMEMBASSY ATHENS PASS TO AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/05/14
TAGS: PGOV PREL SNAR KCRM ASEC UZ AF ZK IR
SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN: UNODC HOSTS OPERATION TARCET PRECURSOR
INTERDICTION POLICY PLANNING SESSION

CLASSIFIED BY: Timothy P. Buckley, Second Secretary, Department of
State, Political and Economic Section; REASON: 1.4(B),(D)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 TASHKENT 000767

SIPDIS
AMEMBASSY HELSINKI PASS TO AMCONSUL ST PETERSBURG
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL YEKATERINBURG
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PASS TO AMEMBASSY PODGORICA
AMEMBASSY ATHENS PASS TO AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/05/14
TAGS: PGOV PREL SNAR KCRM ASEC UZ AF ZK IR
SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN: UNODC HOSTS OPERATION TARCET PRECURSOR
INTERDICTION POLICY PLANNING SESSION

CLASSIFIED BY: Timothy P. Buckley, Second Secretary, Department of
State, Political and Economic Section; REASON: 1.4(B),(D)


1. (U) Summary: On May 12-13, the United Nations Office on Drugs
and Crime (UNODC) Regional Office in Central Asia hosted a policy
planning session in Tashkent in preparation for the second year of
Operation TARCET, which is focused on interdicting precursor
chemicals en route to Afghanistan. There were many successes
during the first year of Operation TARCET, including some of the
first precursor seizures in the region in several years, but UNODC
officials noted that there also important lessons learned which
should help make this year's efforts even more productive. An
important ongoing development is the role of the new Joint
Protection Committee, a Tehran-based entity involving Afghanistan,
Pakistan, and Iran, which UNODC hopes can eventually be a "southern
cone" counterpart to the Almaty-based Central Asia Regional
Information and Coordination Center (CARICC). End summary.



Broad Participation

--------------




2. (U) UNODC organized a two-day policy planning session in
Tashkent as a prelude to the 2009 edition of Operation TARCET,
which focuses on interdicting precursor chemicals bound for
Afghanistan. Visiting DEA Country Attache and poloff attended, and
law enforcement officers and stakeholders from Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran,
the United Arab Emirates, Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) also
participated. Each delegation made a presentation of its
activities in 2008, including reports of major seizures.
Tashkent-based UNODC Regional Director James Callahan cited data

indicating that 1,400 metric tons of precursor chemicals are sent
to Afghanistan each year and, despite the fact that last year's
activities under Operation TARCET led to the first seizures in the
neighboring countries since 2001, "the amount seized is only a drop
in the ocean." Callahan also referenced U.N. Security Council
resolution 1817 in 2008, which highlighted the importance of such
interdiction activities.



A Seizure is a Beginning Point

--------------




3. (SBU) Callahan commented that "last year we identified strengths
and weaknesses and now we can achieve improved results" during the
next round of activities. Another UNODC official noted that
participating states should now be turning attention to developing
the operational plan and standard operating procedures. UNODC, for
its part, will ensure that it properly trains relevant law
enforcement agencies in the countries surrounding Afghanistan.
Leif Knudsen from the EU's Anti-Fraud Office, reported that efforts
to investigate precursor shipments were helped by the Government of
Afghanistan's declaration that there are no licit uses of acetic
anhydride in Afghanistan. Knudsen reported that there have been
successful investigations in the EU, particularly in Germany, to
stop illicit shipments of precursors. EU officials carefully
analyze declaration forms, and he mentioned that in 2007 there were
260,000 tons of licit chemicals declared. Knudsen told poloff
separately that the new EU member states in Eastern Europe have
done a good job of contributing to investigations and following up
on reports and have often outperformed their peers.

TASHKENT 00000767 002 OF 004



4. (SBU) Knudsen also emphasized a key point of this policy
planning event when he stated "a seizure is not the final point of
an investigation but rather a starting point." He urged law
enforcement counterparts to consider setting up controlled
deliveries and initiating backtrack investigations after a seizure
to try to identify sources and make additional arrests. This point
was restated by UNODC officials several times. Stuart Barton of
UNODC's Afghanistan office reported that increased efforts to
scrutinize precursor shipments have resulted in price increases in
the production process in Afghanistan. For instance, Barton said
acetic anhydride is now selling for USD 400 per liter in
Afghanistan and that it costs USD 1,456 to manufacture one kilogram
of heroin. The profit margin for heroin sold in Afghanistan, per
Barton's data, is USD 446 per kilo, which he said is relatively
low.




5. (SBU) A Pakistani official commented that his country has been
offering to do a controlled delivery with Afghanistan for several
years now, but they typically do not receive a response or are told
the capability is not developed yet; Pakistan was also unsure where
to direct such inquiries. Barton confirmed that the
Counternarcotics Police of Afghanistan (CNPA) was the correct
entity to coordinate such a request but, he noted frankly, the
capability to conduct a controlled delivery is probably still 2-3
years away even though the Afghans have expressed strong interest
in doing this.



2009 Activities Will be Intelligence-Driven

-------------- --------------




6. (SBU) Mark Colhoun, Senior Law Enforcement Advisor at the
Tashkent UNODC office, reminded participants that the focus of
Operation TARCET will primarily be in the countries surrounding
Afghanistan. Colhoun noted that equipment to support the operation
is being procured now and will be delivered in time, however, the
"southern cone countries" (Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran) are
being affected by funding shortfalls to equip mobile interdiction
teams. He remains confident that equipment will ultimately be
procured for their use but just not as early as UNODC had hoped.
Colhoun also pointed out that individual national operation plans
will be kept confidential in order to protect operational security
and integrity.




7. (U) Colhoun noted that three areas of training will be provided
this year relating to Operation TARCET. The first is basic
precursor training, which UNODC will organize on a national level
in each participating country. OSCE will support UNODC with this
training in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and possibly Tajikistan. The
second type of training will be specialized training, which UNODC
will coordinate on the regional level, focusing on equipment for
mobile interdiction teams as well as promoting linkages and
operational exchange. The third training will focus on advanced
techniques for 2-4 personnel from each country, who will form the
core of the operational plans. Colhoun said UNODC will look to
Paris Pact member states to assist with developing these training
opportunities.




8. (SBU) Colhoun conceded that some negative feedback from last

TASHKENT 00000767 003 OF 004


year was that the 10-week initial phase was too long, especially
for static interdiction points since traffickers catch on within
hours to where such activities are set up. A major difference from
last year is that operations will be more intelligence-driven,
which Colhoun said should enable activities to be conducted in a
shorter timeframe. Colhoun indicated that last year's standard
operating procedures worked pretty well and will not be changed
this year; however, he acknowledged that some problems developed
because "some implementation by participating entities was
lacking." This year UNODC will focus more on stricter observance
of standard operating procedures.



New Iran-based Coordinating Entity

--------------




9. (C) Last year, Colhoun stated, CARICC served as the operational
coordinating unit (OCU),although this function was lacking in the
southern cone countries. The newly established Joint Protection
Committee (JPC),a Tehran-based entity to collaborate efforts of
Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran, will have a coordinating role this
year. During a separate conversation, Colhoun told poloff that in
theory the JPC will serve a function much like CARICC, but he added
that "at this point that is just a pipe dream." There are no
liaisons in place yet in Tehran, although modest information
exchange has begun. Nonetheless, while there is inherent mistrust
between the countries, Colhoun did note that there are no headaches
about ratifying the agreement or Russian resentment of U.S.
Department of Defense funding that affect CARICC.



UN Also Gets Bogged Down with the Uzbeks

-------------- --------------




10. (C) Privately, Colhoun also told poloff that UNODC also
experiences the same sort of access restrictions and communication
obstacles with the Government of Uzbekistan that frustrate
bilateral missions. Even with regional UN status, he must submit
notes verbale to request any official meetings, which are then
subject to lengthy consideration. He looks forward to moving on to
the UNODC mission in Afghanistan where it is easier to get work
done. "They told me that my lack of Russian would have a negative
impact when I started in Tashkent," he sighed, "but in the end it
never mattered because I rarely get to meet with any Uzbek
officials."



Comment:

--------------




11. (U) Regional activities such as UNODC's Operation TARCET are an
effective way of building connections between law enforcement
agencies that might otherwise not have a forum to discuss issues of
mutual concern. This event also provided an opportunity for the
offshore DEA Country Attache to get into the country and have some
meetings (septel). It also helps to change mindsets, as prior to
TARCET Uzbekistan most likely focused on interdicting narcotics
being shipped north rather than consider raw ingredient chemicals

TASHKENT 00000767 004 OF 004


were being shipped through its territory to the south.
NORLAND