Source: 2001
Released by the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
The Kyrgyz Republic (Kyrgyzstan) produces almost no illicit narcotics, but it is an important transit avenue for drugs from Afghanistan to Russia and Western Europe. Over the course of the last year, much effort has been made by law enforcement entities to eradicate what little technology and ability to produce opium remains from the Soviet era. A potent strain of marijuana grows wild in the countryside, but is not harvested for export. The Government of Kyrgyzstan (GOKG) sees the flow of narcotics through the nation as a serious threat to its internal security and, as a matter of policy, makes the fight against illegal drugs a top priority. Law enforcement activity in terms of investigation and interdiction has increased substantially. As a practical matter, however, corruption problems within the ranks of law enforcement are a continuing concern. Unfortunately, drug abuse is rising among all ethnic groups and all geographic areas within the Kyrgyz Republic. The GOKG became a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention in 1994.
Internal chaos in neighboring Tajikistan has helped make the Kyrgyz Republic an attractive onward route for illegal narcotics because of their shared unprotected border. The southern provincial city of Osh continues to be a hub for the passing of illegal narcotics through the Kyrgyz Republic, and the number of arrests for drug trafficking offenses in Bishkek has increased appreciably over the course of the last two years. The effect of military operations on the flow of illegal narcotics from Afghanistan into Central Asia remained uncertain at the time this report was prepared.
Policy Initiatives. The Kyrgyz Republic views the fight against illegal narcotics as a top priority. In November 2001, President Akaev signaled a slight shift in his nation's drug control efforts in a speech to parliament. Changes seemed necessary because of increasing use and addiction rates within the Republic. The president announced that while continuing interdiction efforts by law enforcement entities, his administration also plans to focus more resources on the prevention of drug abuse among the population. As part of this new strategy, he outlined a public education campaign (described below in the demand reduction section).
Law Enforcement Efforts. In 2000(latest data available), GOKG law enforcement seized in excess of 1,420 kilograms of raw opium and 216 kilograms of processed heroin. For comparison, in 1999 seizures totaled 150 and 24 kilograms of opium and heroin, respectively. Sharply increased seizures clearly demonstrate an increased effort on the government's part to effectively combat drug trafficking. In addition, the total number of drug cases investigated by all law enforcement bodies in 1999 was 3,459. In 2000 that figure was 3,939, representing an increase of 2.3 percent. Raw statistical arrest rates for 2000 versus 1999 break down as follows: manufacture, purchase, storage, and transportation--2.5 percent sale--16.5 percent cultivation--26.1 percent smuggling--40 percent. (Figures for 2001 were not available when this report was prepared.) Counternarcotics units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) continue to be under-staffed and under-funded.
Corruption. Corruption is a widely acknowledged problem in the Kyrgyz Republic. As opposed to previous years, however, this problem has been publicly discussed by the highest levels of government in 2001, and many view honest, public acknowledgement that there is a problem a necessary prelude to progress on reducing corruption. Efforts are underway to find and prosecute those benefiting from drug corruption.
Agreements and Treaties. The Kyrgyz Republic is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention, the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, as amended by the 1972 Protocol, and the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances. It is also a party to the Central Asian Counter-Narcotics Protocol, a regional cooperation arrangement encouraged by the UN. The Kyrgyz Republic has extradition statutes; but the United States is unaware of any actual extraditions from the Kyrgyz Republic relating to drug charges. The GOKG has signed the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, and the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants.
Cultivation/Production. Opium poppies grow wild and are cultivated in insignificant amounts for illicit purposes in Kyrgyzstan. In addition, small parcels of land have been used for the cultivation of cannabis, the vast majority of which is consumed locally. Virtually no illicit narcotics are exported from Kyrgyzstan.
Drug Flow/Transit. Because of its border with Tajikistan, the Kyrgyz Republic has become an important transit route for opium and heroin from Afghanistan to Russian and western European markets.
Demand Reduction. As part of the President's new public counternarcotics abuse education initiative, the Kyrgyz government, with financial assistance from the UNDCP, has produced a number of public announcements broadcast over local television. The most comprehensive was a program entitled "Drugs. Truth. Lies." The program was broadcast over the local television network. In addition, the government widely publicized the slogan: "Into the 21 Century--Without Drugs" and sponsored a number of other public announcements, billboards, and efforts against drugs in other media. The privately funded association "Kyrgyzstan Without Drugs" was established in the fall of 2001, although its role in the counternarcotics effort is not yet clearly defined.
Bilateral Cooperation. The State Committee On Drug Control (SCDC) attributes success in its efforts to extensive international cooperation. In particular, the SCDC cites the UNDCP and OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) programs, as well as U.S. provided training, especially in the area of improving the Customs Service's ability to detect illegal narcotics shipments. The SCDC chairman recently attributed the six-fold increase of narcotics seizures over the course of 2000, due in part to international training assistance.
The Road Ahead. The United States will continue to offer appropriate narcotics-related training in the Kyrgyz Republic, and cooperate with enforcement authorities of the Republic on appropriate cases.
Kyrgyzstan (the Kyrgyz Republic) is not a regional financial center but is vulnerable to money laundering, as money laundering is not a crime in Kyrgyzstan. The central bank has provisions that require customer identification procedures and make an exception to bank secrecy rules for suspicious transaction reporting, but these provisions are believed to be generally ignored by the commercial banks. Oversight of the banking sector remains weak and Kyrgyzstan's law enforcement agencies do not have the resources to conduct effective financial investigations.
The major sources of illegal proceeds include narcotics-trafficking, smuggling of consumer goods, official corruption, and tax evasion.
Kyrgyzstan is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention and has signed but not yet ratified the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.