U.S. Department of State
1996 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, March 1997

United States Department of State

Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs

BULGARIA

I. Summary

II. Status of Country

Small quantities of opium poppies and cannabis are grown in Bulgaria. Clandestine labs produce amphetamines. Bulgaria is not a significant source of chemicals used in the illicit drug manufacture. However, some acetic anhydride is diverted and transported from Bulgaria to Turkey. In Bulgaria's transition from a socialist system to a more market-oriented economy, large-scale redistribution of ownership rights has facilitated laundering of illegally obtained funds. The country's recent economic crisis and banking sector collapse likely reduced the laundering possibilities. In this context, the central bank has increased its oversight of exchange houses.

III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 1996

Bulgaria's new money laundering law was promulgated on June 4. Implementing regulations have not yet been finalized, and the law's potential effectiveness remains unclear. Banks, exchange houses, insurance companies, investment companies, privatization entities, state tendering agents, and gambling establishments have six months to institute internal procedures required by the law to identify possible money laundering.

Accomplishments. The 1972 Protocol to the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 came into force in Bulgaria on August 17. The government has taken important steps towards achieving compliance with the goals and objectives of the 1988 UN Convention including passage of the new money laundering law, development of the draft counternarcotics master plan, and initiation of a three-year demand reduction strategy.

On December 12-14, 1996, Bulgaria hosted a regional conference of justice ministers on "corruption and organized crime in states in transition" as part of a joint project between the Council of Europe and the Commission of the European Communities. The conference recommended priorities for action at the national and international level to fight corruption and organized crime.

Bulgarian Customs and Ministry of Interior officials cooperated with German officials in two controlled cocaine deliveries from Frankfurt, Germany, and an internal controlled delivery from Varna to Sofia of five mt of marijuana.

There has been excellent cooperation between law enforcement officials in the US and Bulgaria. Timely information from the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior led to the arrest of a Bulgarian-American trafficker upon entry into the US; Ministry of Interior evidence and testimony aided in his conviction.

Law Enforcement Efforts. Bulgaria's placed a high priority on counternarcotics law enforcement, although resources were scarce in a very difficult economic year. Law enforcement officials seized over 15,000 kgs of illegal drugs at border points, airports, and inland points of distribution. They made two seizures of the heroin essential chemical acetic anhydride. There has also been cooperation between Bulgarian police and customs officials in large seizures and controlled deliveries.

Corruption. Corruption is widespread in Bulgaria, including among police and customs officials. However, the USG has no specific information that senior GOB officials are involved in drug trafficking or other narcotics-related crimes. The GOB has taken steps against corruption; Minister of Interior Dobrev announced on December 13 that, as a result of a several-month probe, he had identified corrupt government officers at all levels of administration and had submitted evidence to the chief prosecutor's office where action is pending.

Agreements and Treaties. Bulgaria is a party to the 1988 UN Convention, the 1961 Single Convention and its 1972 Protocol, and the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Bulgaria is also party to the 1957 Council of Europe Convention on Extradition, the 1959 European Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in Penal Measures, the 1983 Council of Europe Convention on Transfer of Sentenced Persons, and the 1990 Council of Europe Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of Proceeds from Crime.

Bulgaria has a bilateral treaty with Turkey for the transfer of convicted persons. Bulgarian Customs has MOUs on mutual assistance and cooperation with a number of its European counterparts and is preparing or updating others. Bulgaria signed an MOU with Russian Customs in November.

The US-Bulgarian extradition treaty dates from 1924; the GOB this year expressed an interest in updating it.

Cultivation and Production. Law enforcement officials found and eradicated 8,263 hectares of illegal cannabis cultivation during the year. No opium poppy cultivation was found or eradicated.

Law enforcement officials do not routinely calculate crop size and yields for illegal narcotics crops. When necessary, authorities make case-specific determinations on the weight of the dry leaves yielded from one square meter times the dimensions of the field. In general, these yield calculations are approximate since it is not unusual to find cannabis interspersed in a field of legitimate crops.

Drug Flow/Transit. The main drug transiting Bulgaria is heroin, but seizures indicate an increase in cocaine and cannabis transit. The Balkan route from Turkey through Bulgaria to Serbia and other overland routes north to Romania and west to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia have traditionally been the most heavily used. There is also evidence of increased trafficking by sea. A five-ton plus shipment of marijuana from Thailand arrived by sea in the port of Varna and was seized after a controlled delivery to Sofia. Authorities seized a large (almost 10 mt) shipment of hashish from a truck. It had traveled by sea from Pakistan to Greece. Both shipment were believed destined for The Netherlands. Law enforcement officials have also seen an increase in cocaine trafficking, some for Bulgarian markets and some believed in transit to Germany.

Domestic Programs (Demand Reduction). The drug abuse problem in Bulgaria is small but growing. Experts estimate that there are 20,000 to 30,000 heroin-dependent addicts in this nation of 8.4 million people. Cocaine is too expensive for all but the wealthy. Marijuana is a new problem, but growing rapidly. The age of first use of illegal narcotics is going down.

Demand reduction programs are not a high priority for the GOB, and drug treatment/prevention programs are centered primarily in the large cities of Sofia, Varna and Burgas. Bulgaria's National Center for Addictions, however, has developed a three-year national strategy on drug demand reduction and also a national drug prevention plan, both of which have been approved by the Ministries of Health and Education. The Center also has an outreach program, a school-based drug prevention program and a methadone clinic pilot project. It has been assisted in drug treatment training and demand reduction programs by the USG, Italy and the UNDCP.

IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs

Policy Initiatives. The USG seeks to promote increased attention to the problems of narcotics trafficking, to assist counternarcotics law enforcement efforts with training and some equipment, and to encourage further counternarcotics cooperation between Bulgarian and other law enforcement agencies, including the DEA.

Bilateral Cooperation. US bilateral assistance for law enforcement and counternarcotics over the past year focussed on training, including an International Law Enforcement Academy training program, a USCG boarding officers course, an FBI course on financial and economic crime, and a regional DEA basic drug enforcement seminar. Through the INL program, the USG allocated $100,000 in FY 1996 funds for computers, radios, and drug detection and testing equipment for Bulgaria's counternarcotics effort. An additional $195,000 of inspection equipment was provided by US Customs to facilitate the border checkpoint operations of Bulgarian customs.

The Road Ahead. The USG will encourage the GOB in its antidrug efforts, with special emphasis on effective implementation of the new money laundering law and the demand reduction strategy, and the completion of the counternarcotics master plan. It will work with the GOB to identify its counternarcotics equipment and training needs and to provide limited assistance to meet those needs. It will promote counternarcotics cooperation with regional and Western European countries, and encourage Western European assistance and UNDCP support for Bulgarian law enforcement authorities.