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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
GEORGIA
I. Summary
Seizures of opiates elsewhere in the Transcaucases, Central Asia, Turkey, and
Western Europe suggest that there is drug trafficking through Georgia.
Nevertheless, Government of Georgia (GOG) authorities have provided little new
information on the illicit drug situation. Counternarcotics law enforcement
activities are not a priority for the GOG, although the GOG has increased
efforts to reduce street crime and protect the political system from
infiltration by criminal elements. Georgia has not taken steps to become a
party to the 1988 UN Convention and made no significant progress in 1996 to
enact legislation needed to implement the UN drug conventions.
II. Status of Country
Georgia is a transshipment point for drugs from Central Asia. Several record
seizures of heroin and opium in Georgia several years ago demonstrated the
region's vulnerability. The central government lacks effective control over
large parts of Georgia's territory and borders. Its border guards and Customs
officials lack proper training and equipment, and are subject to corruption.
Turkish authorities seized 1.5 mt of Afghan morphine base in 1992 and 1.3 mt
of opium that had transited Georgia in 1993.
Although Western authorities report that illicit drug smugglers are using
Georgia as a conduit for opiate smuggling from Central Asia and the Golden
Crescent to the West, there are no new reports from the GOG. Western
authorities and the UN report that two of Georgia's major drug transit areas,
the separatist regions of Abkhazia and south Ossetia, are inaccessible to
Georgian law enforcement agencies. Many uncharted roads in the region
bordering Armenia and Azerbaijan offer opportunities for traffickers to
conceal shipments from Georgian authorities.
Georgia is not a significant producer of narcotics or precursor chemicals.
Due to the small size of the economy and its rudimentary banking system, money
laundering is not a significant issue at this time; it could emerge as a
concern as the Georgian economy grows stronger.
III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 1996
Policy Initiatives. Counternarcotics issues were a low priority for the
GOG. However, Georgia did create an inter-agency working group on narcotics
control. The group is chaired by the head of the Interior Ministry's (MVD's)
antinarcotics unit to coordinate inter-agency efforts. Bureaucratic
in-fighting between the Interior Ministry and State Security is a problem and
adversely affects narcotics enforcement. The Interior Ministry's
Anti-narcotics Bureau prepared a National Counternarcotics Program.
Counternarcotics is a shared responsibility between the MVD and the Ministry
for State Security (MGB). All of the relevant law enforcement agencies in
Georgia suffer from a lack of resources. Their personnel are under-equipped
and poorly trained.
Counternarcotics interdiction, as such, was a low priority issue for Georgian
law enforcement during the year. Law enforcement efforts focused on reducing
the role of organized criminal activity in the Georgian economy; this did have
clear benefits for counternarcotics objectives, given the role of organized
crime in illicit narcotics. The MVD, the lead law enforcement agency, began a
process of internal reform intended to reduce corruption and increase internal
controls. As Georgia's regional economic role expands, Georgia will grow in
importance as a transit country for drug shipments.
Corruption. Corruption is a significant problem within Georgia's law
enforcement organizations. The MVD began an internal reform effort in 1996
intended to reduce corruption by strengthening internal controls and by
weeding out corrupt officials. The effort has not yet borne fruit. The
Parliament's Commission on Corruption is working to highlight official
corruption within the law enforcement agencies. These efforts are hampered by
the widespread nature of corruption within Georgian society. Petty corruption
is still widely tolerated as an inevitable consequence of economic hardship
and low salaries. To the USG's knowledge, no government official encourages
or facilitates illegal narcotic activity, but it is inevitable that the
generalized practice of corruption adversely affects narcotics law
enforcement.
Agreements and Treaties. The Government of Georgia has no
counternarcotics agreements with the US. Georgia is not a party to the 1988
UN Convention, or the 1971 or 1961 UN drug conventions.
Cultivation. Opium poppy and marijuana are cultivated in Georgia, but there
are no GOG estimates for 1996 on the extent of cultivation. However, GOG
officials reported in 1995 that the cannabis yield for 1995 was 7.5 mt, and
that authorities seized 12,000 opium poppy plants and 2.5 mt of marijuana
during that year. Georgian authorities also believe that heroin refining
laboratories operate on the Black Sea coast just north of the Turkish border.
Domestic Programs/Demand Reduction. The National Narcotic Strategy,
prepared by the MVD's antinarcotics unit, includes a section on prevention and
treatment. The program has not been implemented due to resource constraints,
but it represents a good start should international assistance become
available. It provides a framework within which Georgia's counternarcotics
efforts can proceed. Georgia's health care system broke down in the aftermath
of economic depression and political turmoil, following the break-up of the
former Soviet Union. The MVD believes that there are many more addicts than
those registered with the health system, but uses the figure of 5,000
officially.
IV. US Policy Initiatives and Programs
Policy Initiatives. The USG encouraged the GOG to identify drug problems,
and possible areas for assistance and cooperation. The USG is promoting
antidrug assistance from those nations, primarily in Western Europe, most
directly effected by opiate smuggling through Georgia. A DEA basic
investigative course was offered to the national police in 1995.
The Road Ahead. The US will encourage Georgia to take action to accede to
and implement the provisions of the 1961, 1971, and the 1988 UN conventions,
expand drug control activities, and establish the necessary legislative and
institutional drug control capabilities to implement the UN conventions.
Stabilization of the political situation and progress in economic development
will advance the effort on the narcotics front as well.
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