Source: 2006
Released by the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
I. Summary
The Kyrgyz Republic is a significant transit country for drugs originating in Afghanistan and destined for Russian, western European and American markets, with several of the main drug trafficking routes out of Afghanistan running directly through the Kyrgyz Republic. Particularly in the city of Osh and its surrounding regions, drug trafficking has become an ever-increasing source of income and employment.
However, there is minimal domestic production of illicit narcotics or precursor chemicals in the Kyrgyz Republic. During the calendar year 2005, the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic (GOKG) attempted, with limited resources, to combat drug trafficking and locate and prosecute offenders. The GOKG recognizes that the drug trade is a serious threat to its own stability and is continuing efforts to focus on secondary and tertiary drug-related issues such as money laundering, drug-related street crime, and corruption within its own government ranks. The Drug Control Agency ("DCA") has introduced legislation that would make first time offenders eligible for treatment instead of incarceration. The legislation will go before the Kyrgyz Parliament in January 2006. Although there are no official statistics for 2005, the Ministry of Health reports that approximately 90 percent of known HIV and AIDS cases are related to intravenous drug use. The Kyrgz Republic is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention. In August 2005, a new director was appointed to the DCA, and he has taken an innovative approach to the reorganization of the agency.
II. Status of Country
The Kyrgyz Republic is one of the poorest successor states of the former Soviet Union, relying on a crumbling infrastructure and suffering from a lack of natural resources or significant industry. Unlike some of its Central Asian neighbors, the Kyrgyz Republic does not have a productive oil industry or significant energy reserves. The south and southwest regions, the Osh and Batken districts, are primary trafficking routes used for drug shipments from Afghanistan. The city of Osh, in particular, is the main crossroads for road and air traffic and a primary transfer point for narcotics into Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan and on to markets in Russia, Western Europe, and to a minor extent, the United States. The Kyrgyz Republic is not a major producer of narcotics; however, cannabis, ephedra and poppy grow wild in many areas.
III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 2005
Policy Initiatives. Despite the GOKG's best efforts, public confidence is very low with regard to the GOKG's ability to address important concerns of its citizens such as unemployment, unpaid salaries, inadequate health care, corruption, and rising crime. The result has been public apathy towards government initiatives such as counternarcotics programs, cynicism about government corruption, and a growing dependency on a shadow economy that includes drug trafficking, street sales, and usage. While the GOKG has been a supporter of counternarcotics programs, it is still struggling to deliver a clear and consistent counternarcotics strategy to either the Kyrgyz people or the international community. The former State Commission for Drug Control and the established Kyrgyz Drug Control Agency (DCA) (funded by the USG, and implemented by UNODC), along with the Ministry of Interior initiatives have been fighting a losing battle against drug trafficking. There have been some positive indications that perhaps the tide is beginning to turn.
Law Enforcement Efforts/Accomplishments. The DCA, established in 2003, coordinates all drug enforcement activities in the Kyrgyz Republic. The DCA estimates that through November, there were 4326 kilograms of illicit narcotics seized (569 kilograms more than during the first 11 months of last year -- 2004). The DCA also reports that they detected 151 crimes, including 138 drug crimes (83 crimes more than during the 11 months of last year -- 2004). To stop illegal activities of transnational organized drug crime, the DCA closely cooperates with relevant competent bodies of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan. They conduct joint operations and "external controlled deliveries" of drugs.
One of the operations the Channel Operation had as its major goal to block the "northern route" and to improve mechanisms of cooperation of law enforcement, customs, border guard and security institutions. The "Channel" operation seized 28,577 kilograms of drugs, including 3,386 kilograms of heroin, 24,731 kilograms of marijuana, 25 kilograms of precursors. The "Zaslon 2" operation started in October 2004, and lasted for six months. It was financed by the Drug Enforcement Administration and supported by the Ministry of Interior of Uzbekistan. The DCA was in charge of the operation on the territory of Kyrgyzstan coordinating activities of the Customs Service, Border Guards, National Security Service, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. As a result of this operation, law enforcement bodies seized 174 kilograms of different drugs on the territory of Kyrgyzstan, including 45 kilograms of heroin and 129 kilograms of opium.
Corruption. The GOKG does not facilitate the production, processing, or shipment of narcotic and psychotropic drugs or other controlled substances, and does not discourage the investigation or prosecution of such acts. The GOKG takes legal and law enforcement measures to prevent and punish public corruption. During the spring and summer months of 2005 a number of investigations were launched into corrupt activities within the DCA that resulted in the replacement of the director of the DCA and three of its command staff in August 2005. Corruption is one of the single most important deterrents to effective Kyrgz law enforcement efforts; reform efforts continued in the late fall of 2005.
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 agreement encouraged by the UN. The Kyrgyz Republic is a party to the UN Convention Against Corruption Convention, the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, the Protocol Against Trafficking in Persons, and the Protocol against Migrant Smuggling.
Drug Flow/Transit. The Kyrgyz Republic shares a common border with China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. Mountainous terrain, poor road conditions, and an inhospitable climate for much of the year make detection and apprehension of drug traffickers more difficult. These isolated passes are some of the most heavily used routes for drug traffickers. Border stations located on mountain passes on the Chinese and Tajik borders are snow-covered and un-staffed for up to four months of the year. Government outpost and interdiction forces rarely have electricity, running water or modern amenities to support their counternarcotics efforts.
Afghanistan is the major source of opium and heroin, which pass through the Kyrgyz Republic through a so-called "Northern Route." The GOKG and the State Commission for Drug Control (SCDC) had previously identified four separate routes for drug trafficking: the Kyzyl-Art route across the southernmost part of the Kyrgyz Republic and onward to Osh and the Ferghana Valley and Uzbekistan; the Batken Route stretching to the far western and most remote areas bordering Tajikistan and Uzbekistan; the Altyn-Mazar route that follows a similar path into the Ferghana Valley; and a fourth route overlapping some of these routes and beginning in the city of Khojand on the Tajik border. All of these routes originate somewhere on the 1000-kilometer Tajik border and consist of footpaths, minor roads, and only a few major thoroughfares. The GOKG estimates that there may be over 100 different paths smugglers use to move narcotics and contraband across Kyrgyz borders.
International Organizations and Law Enforcement bodies of the Kyrgyz Republic estimate that 80 metric tons of heroin enter Russia and Europe by way of Central Asian countries. Every year up to 3-5 metric tons of heroin (or 30-50 metric tons of opium) transits Kyrgyzstan. Most of these drugs come to Russia and Western European countries along the "northern route." The fact that 34 citizens of Kyrgyzstan were arrested in Russia for drug crimes is a solid indication of the nature of this traffic. Availability of local sources of cannabis and ephedra complicates the drug situation in Kyrgyzstan. According to UNODC data, the total area of wild cannabis is more that 6,000 hectares, which results in the production of 4,248 metric tons of marijuana (or 148 metric tons of high quality hashish). Opium acreage and production are negligible. Drug dealers use almost every transportation means for drug delivery. Drugs are hidden among goods, food, objects, personal items, body cavities, home appliances, vehicles, and containers.
IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs
U.S. Policy Initiatives. The USG supports a Customs Post in the village of Kyzyl-Art on the Tajik border. This $250,000 "model" project, funded by State Department Narcotics assistance (INL), will be equipped with modern detection equipment and will be manned on a 24-hour basis. The construction phase of the project was finished in September 2005, and the training phase (final) should be completed in early 2006. State Department narcotics assistance (INL) also supported a project which purchased vehicles, office, laboratory and communications equipment for the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Interior, the Customs Service and the Procurator's office. This $465,000 project has assisted the GOKG to reduce the number of drug related crimes. The USG is also the only donor to a $6.3 million UNODC project that helped establish an overall Drug Control Agency in the Kyrgyz Republic.
The Road Ahead. The USG will continue to assist the GOKG in their counternarcotics efforts through prosecutorial, customs and law enforcement training and logistical support. The USG will continue working with the GOKG to provide direct support and training to their law enforcement and customs canine services. The development of a master plan for counternarcotics activity in Kyrgyzstan will continue, hopefully, to a successful conclusion in the near future