Counternarcotics and Law Enforcement Country Program: Asia/Africa/NIS and Europe

Problem

Illicit opium cultivation in Southeast and Southwest Asia, particularly in Burma and Afghanistan, provides the raw materials for much of the world's heroin. Trafficking patterns continue to expand through South and East Asia and into the Middle East, the Newly Independent States (NIS), Eastern Europe, and Africa as local drug trafficking organizations prosper and develop into worldwide networks. Organized crime other than narcotics is also a threat to the region. This includes arms trafficking, trafficking in persons and alien smuggling, piracy, money laundering, and corruption. Weak governments with poorly developed and financed law enforcement infrastructures provide fertile environments in which trafficking organizations have flourished. The transnational character of illicit narcotics trafficking requires a regional approach to multilateral and bilateral programs.

U.S. Counternarcotics Goals

• Encourage countries in these regions to adopt and implement strong narcotics control legislation, arrest major drug traffickers, improve the efficiency and effectiveness of judicial institutions to bring drug offenders to justice, and develop bilateral and multilateral mutual legal assistance cooperation;
• Strengthen host nation counternarcotics law enforcement capabilities to deal with drug trafficking and production, money laundering, and other crimes; 
• Reduce the cultivation and production of illegal drugs through alternative development and eradication programs; and 
• Develop governmental and non-governmental organization (NGO) institutional capabilities to address the issue of drug abuse and prevention.

U.S. Programs

East Asia: The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) programs in East Asia are designed to meet the following goals: First, strengthen East Asian countries' law enforcement and judicial institutions to combat narcotics trafficking and other transnational crime; second, develop legal and regulatory frameworks to combat drug trafficking and money laundering more effectively; and third, enhance the capacity of countries in the region to treat drug abuse. In addition, the U.S. Government works closely with UN agencies and NGOs to encourage farmers to reduce the cultivation of illicit opium in favor of alternative crops. A new threat to the region is methamphetamines, which are having a severe impact particularly in Southeast Asia. We are working with regional governments and the UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to combat this growing scourge.

Southwest Asia: Afghanistan and Pakistan programs are outlined in separate fact sheets. In India, INL will continue to encourage the Government of India to deter diversions from the licit opium crop through a cooperative licit poppy survey and to deal effectively with the increase in drug trafficking across the Indo-Burma border. Additional projects in India will help the Government of India improve narcotics intelligence infrastructure and coordination, enhance customs enforcement, strengthen judiciary training, and upgrade laboratory facilities for testing illicit drugs and precursor chemicals. In Bangladesh, INL plans to initiate a law enforcement professionalization program, while in Sri Lanka a narcotics interdiction coordination project is planned.

Africa/Middle East: INL's programs in Africa and the Middle East focus on transit countries to assist with law enforcement institution-building. Nigeria remains the most serious threat and will be a focus of training programs, technical assistance, and material aid to law enforcement entities. Assistance provided will include customs training, management training for counternarcotics units, and anti-money laundering and anti-financial fraud training. INL is also funding a program in South Africa to help renew and reform the police forces to deal with the problem of crime in a newly democratic society. The establishment of the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Gaborone, Botswana in 2001 has provided a regional training center for southern Africa and will eventually extend its coverage to Sub-Saharan Africa.

Europe, Russia, and NIS: INL’s programs in Central and Southeast Europe vary. In Southeast Europe, programs target drafting modern criminal procedure codes and other legislation and promoting rule of law through development of effective criminal justice sector institutions. Development of police academies and institutions and basic police training are additional components of the SEED program. More generally, efforts target public corruption, organized crime, and border security. In Central Europe, INL’s program focuses on combating organized crime and its related financial crimes, corruption, and development of task forces for greater cooperation between police and prosecutors. Finally, INL’s programs in Russia and the NIS focus on countering public corruption and organized crime; combating money laundering and financial crimes; and border security, including combating smuggling of drugs and people.