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DRUGS: BALKANS IS MAIN ROUTE, EU RENEWS ACTION PLAN
ANSAmed
Wednesday 12 Aug 2009
(ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS - The route through the Balkans is always green for drug trafficking. The majority of opiates destined for Europe that arrive from the number one world producer, Afghanistan, travel via Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and the western Balkan states. According to UN data, the moving of production from the southern provinces of Afghanistan has caused traffickers to use the Balkan Route more, whereas the so-called 'Silk Road' which passes through central Asian states, the Russian Federation, the Caucus states and Turkey, appears to be in decline. This is what is stated in a document from the EU presidency on the occasion of its most recent meeting of the Council of EU27 Foreign Ministers which on July 27 approved an updated action plan between the EU and the western Balkan States for the fight against drugs in the 2009-2013 period. The plan provides for Member States and European institutions to continue to supply the necessary assistance for countries in the region to fight against the smuggling of drugs. According to 2008 Europol data, drugs and trafficking of humans are the most widespread illegal trade arriving in the UE, while in the other direction it is drugs and stolen vehicles which are number 1. As happened in the early 1990s, explains the EU presidency document, almost 60% of seizures of heroin and morphine in 2006 were made in the countries along the western Balkan Route, compared to 8% in 1996. Considering all opiates, (heroin, morphine and opium), in 2006 36% of seizures took place in Iran, followed by Pakistan (26%), Turkey (8%) and eastern and central Europe (6%). Seizures went up by 46% in Pakistan, 47% in Iran, 24% in Turkey and by 18% on the European Balkan Route, excluding Turkey. In particular, heroin passes principally through the Balkan states, but the region is used also as for trafficking cocaine, the usage of which is going up in western Europe, thus diverting from the classic America-western Africa-Spain route. There are also signs of an increase in the production of amphetamine pills in illegal laboratories in Serbia, for their distribution in the Middle East and the EU. Cannabis and synthetic drugs are produced directly in the region: Albania is still the number one producer, even if in an recent report it was indicated that domestic cultivation of cannabis has gone down by 70% and the price has risen. Even if it is lower that in western Europe, the other side of the coin is drug consumption at local level: cannabis is fashionable, opiates are on the up, while the taking of synthetic drugs has been observed to be increasing. There is no precise data, but recent studies suggest that cocaine and amphetamine use is increasing. The latter include ecstasy, amphetamines and methamphetamines. Cannabis is also used widely. Opiates are another story: the low cost of heroin has contributed to its use by 16 - 25 year olds, who also run the risk of catching AIDS. Thus the EU is committed to supporting the region in its fight against drug trafficking and organised crime. The whole Balkans area has made progress in this area, for example, in terms of border control and interregional collaboration, but it continues to need the cooperation and support of the EU in order to move toward integration with Europe. (ANSAmed).
http://www.ansamed.info/en/top/ME12.WAM20215.html
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