A Regional Expert Meeting was held in CARICC as part of the UNODC Programme for Central Asian Countries

During the period from 21 to 22 February 2018, CARICC hosted a Regional Expert Meeting, which was held as part of the component “Law Enforcement Systems for the Collection, Analysis, Intelligence and Any Other Information Exchange to Combat Drugs”, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Programme for Central Asian countries.
The event was attended by representatives of national coordinating, competent authorities and law enforcement educational institutions of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, the Republic of Uzbekistan, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and CARICC.
This event was held to assist in strengthening the cooperation/capacities of analytical units while uncovering crimes related to drug trafficking, as well as in strengthening the interaction of the staff of analytical departments of the competent authorities of CARICC member states.

CARICC
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Visit of CARICC delegation to the competent authorities of Turkmenistan to counteract drug trafficking

On the 10th -11th of February, in Ashgabat (Turkmenistan), bilateral meetings of the leadership and responsible officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkmenistan, the Ministry of National Security, the State Migration Service, the State Customs Service, the State Border Service were held with a delegation of CARICC, headed by G. Pustovitov, Director of CARICC.
During negotiations, the head of a delegation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkmenistan provided briefed the visitors on the drug situation in the country, its trends, methods and techniques used to detect drug offenses, organizational work of the Government and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkmenistan on drug prevention, conditions of the Service and issues of interaction between various state structures when organizing the fight against illicit drug trafficking.
The host delegation noted the importance and high role of CARICC in assisting the competent authorities of the Center member states in combating drug trafficking, and also expressed its willingness to facilitate and further enhance the effectiveness of CARICC.
In turn, G. Pustovitov, Director of CARICC, briefed on the Center’s 10-year activity, positive results achieved and long-term plans for the future. During the meeting, the intention was articulated to elaborate the issue of organizing trainings for officers of the competent bodies engaged in combating drug trafficking in risk profiling in cooperation with CARICC partners.
At this meeting, the parties in the form of friendly dialogue discussed the possibilities of increasing the effectiveness of joint work to counteract illicit drug trafficking in Central Asian region.

CARICC
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CARICC participation in international anti-drug conference ADEC-23

From February 5 to 9, CARICC participated in the annual international anti-drug conference ADEC-23 organized by the National Police Agency of Japan. The Centre delegation led by Director G.Pustovitov held bilateral meetings with the General Commissioner of the NPA of Japan, Mr. Shunichi Kuryu, and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan to Central Asia Mr. Toshihiro Aiki on CARICC activities as a donor party.
During ADEC-23, the CARICC delegation took part in discussions of reports from various countries and international organizations, the nature of which largely reflected the operational component of the fight against transnational drug trafficking. Special attention was paid to the growing problem of spread of new psychoactive substances throughout the world, including Japan.
During meetings, negotiations were held on prospects for cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking in terms of conducting joint anti-drug operations with national coordinating bodies of CARICC member states, as well as in the framework of various initiatives, including regional and international. The Japanese side, represented by the Secretary General of the National Police Agency, noted the high level of organization of cooperation between the CARICC member states. In turn, Director of the Center G.Pustovitov expressed gratitude on behalf of the State Parties of CARICC to the Government of Japan for significant contribution to supporting activities of the Centre both in financial, organizational and methodological plans.

CARICC
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Visit of CARICC delegation to the General Secretariat of the International Organization of Criminal Police (INTERPOL)

During the period from 28 to 31 January, a delegation of CARICC headed by G. Pustovitov, Director, a series of bilateral meetings with the leadership and responsible officials of the General Secretariat of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) was held in Lion, France.
During the meeting, the parties discussed the issues of long-term cooperation between INTERPOL GS and CARICC.
CARICC delegation was briefed in the form of a presentation on the major activities of INTERPOL GS in combating illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors, including by disrupting the financial component of the drug-related business.
The parties noted that areas and priorities for combating the drug-related business in the activities of INTERPOL GS and CARICC are similar, as a whole, so it is advisable to combine joint efforts to successfully implement both CARICC and INTERPOL GS initiatives to achieve greater efficiency.
Participants to the meeting noted the importance of cooperation with CARICC for INTERPOL GS and its willingness to render all possible assistance to the Center in its activities.

CARICC
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Condolences to the relatives and friends of those killed in a plane crash in the Moscow Region, Russian Federation

The leadership and staff of the Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Center for Combating Illicit Trafficking of Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and their Precursors (CARICC) deeply mourn over the loss of 71 people as a result of a plane crash in the Moscow region on February 11, 2018.

CARICC team

Drug Scene: Another Redistribution. A.ZELICHENKO

It has been noticed long ago: the drug scene or in other words, the types of drugs used, the ways of their production and transportation, the distribution differs from time to time. The reasons for this are a few - globalization, fashion, politics, economics ... Our observations show that it is now redistribution takes place. What does it bring in!?

Let’s try to understand.

.... In 30-40-ies of the last century, in the Kirghiz and Kazakh SSR it was decided to establish bast-fiber production. A whole branch of industry had arisen, a network of so-called lub-fiber factories and kenaff (hemp) -jute factories were built. Old-timers of the Frunze city of the Kyrgyz SSR, for example, well remember such facility at the site of the current Dordoy-Plaza - with a developed infrastructure (kindergarten, club, shop), with a large number of jobs. They produced environmentally friendly linen, strong ropes and many other things. Raw materials and hemp were imported to us from outside, and here it was actively cultivated. And if initially the content of the active, drug-causing substance was not high therein, then under the influence of a number of local climatic factors this effect quickly had gone beyond. It is possible therefore, but most likely because of the changed economic conjuncture, in the early 1960s, the hemp crops in our Republic have been ceased. The remaining wild-growing “appendicitis” have since strongly been disturbing the law enforcement agencies. So much that real army operations were implemented in the hemp jungles, freely sprawled in the Dzhambul region of neighboring Kazakhstan, where during the ripening of the plant drug traffickers from all over the Soviet Union flocked - I myself was a participant in those events - ... with the use of armored personnel carriers, helicopters, cadets and service dogs from all distances and all places of a huge country.
In parallel, “opiuprobism” was developing. In 50-60s of the twentieth century, Kyrgyzstan legally produced up to 16% of the world’s raw opium harvest, which was distinguished by a high content of morphine. The science persistently striving to increase crop yields was developing, collective farms and state farms engaged in the cultivation of “scarlet poppies were strengthened, a state-owned enterprise “Lekrastprom” flourished. Unfortunately, the drug mafia flourished simultaneously. A significant share of raw poppy entered the “black market”. Sophisticated methods of its theft and transportation existed. Cunning, sophisticated caches were made. One day, policemen when inspecting a bus touring from Przhevalsk (now the Karakol town) to Frunze (Bishkek), paid attention to a young woman with a baby in her arms. According to the passengers, during a long journey the child never shed a tear, he was never fed ... When inspecting a bus, it turned out that 7 kilograms of potion was transported in the gutted corpse (!)...
In 1966, an all-Union conference on the problems of drug addiction was held in Frunze. For the first time, a deadly statistics on the theft of raw opium, a huge number of potions seized from drug dealers, and a rise in drug use was articulated at this conference. Hearing this, Ms. N.D. Davydova, Representative of the USSR in the Committee on Drugs to the United Nations, soon filed an application for resignation. The statement provided by the state official pointed out that she could no longer lie to the international community, as if the distribution and consumption of drugs is not peculiar to a socialist society. In 1974, following the UN resolutions, poppy cultivation in Kyrgyzstan was discontinued. Immediately, mafia “bite the dust”, although rare seizures of hidden opium for a while still were carried out. By the way, already in early 1990s, when determining the financial and economic basis of the newly acquired sovereignty, Kyrgyzstan turned to the possibility of reviving the legal drug crops of the opium poppy. To this, the “red professors”-academicians of the old school and zealous bureaucracy called out. Not wishing to reckon with the realities, they argued “froth-spewing” that this is the only way to raise the economy. Opium was presented as a panacea for all misfortunes, a measure of well-being, a ticket to future business success. The state then had enough common sense not to slide down to cheap populism and false patriotism. They established a working group, which included the best specialists. They reviewed the problem in a comprehensive way - from economic expediency to modern methods to reduce losses. They worked so hard and comprehensively that they even found traces of elite poppy seeds that before the collapse of the Soviet Union they were secretly exported from the Republic ...

The conclusion of the Commission was categorical – “it’s more profitable to plant potatoes”. Procurement of opium for medical purposes, firstly, is rigidly quoted, and even at that time there was an overproduction of opium. Kyrgyzstan would only have to trade at dumping prices, which secondly, would inevitably lead to a conflict with the producing countries - India, Pakistan, Turkey, Australia, obstruction of the world community, represented by the leading countries of the world and the United Nations, who invested a lot in Kyrgyzstan. Today, even Afghanistan, which produced more than 5,000 tons of cheap drugs last year, is not able to go out to the legal opium market.
And finally, thirdly, in order to ensure a reliable level of protection along the whole process chain - field - factory – pharmacy it was required to invest so much that planting the potatoes would be truly cheaper, and more profitable. But even super technologies applied, for example, in Australia, do not ensure 100% preservation of the crop. If we grow and collect it with grandfather methods, we would very quickly turn into a zone of special attention of the international drug trafficking mafia. And the Batken intervention in 1999-2000, when the armed narcotics terrorists invaded the Republic, would seem to us as a harmless “Zarnitsa”, something like a Boy Scout game ...
Since then, 18 years hemp and marijuana derivatives from wild cannabis dominated at the national drug scene, and later – “Ephedrone”, produced both from pharmacy medications and from the medicinal plant “ephedra horsetail”.
Militia took measures to tackle drug-related crime. However, their efforts were not purposeful, drug addiction was still considered a phenomenon that does not adorn the socialist society, and therefore was not particularly puffed out. Anecdotal today is a real case from the author’s experience of this article, when in one day at the Red Bridge in the Boom gorge, 29 drug couriers of light drugs were arrested. As soon as this information reached the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kyrgyzstan, the leadership of the Republican Ministry of Internal Affairs was called “onto the carpet” and subjected to obstruction. The active work to interdict illicit drug trafficking has been curtailed for some time.
I would like to note that prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union, thanks also to the efforts of the author of this article, the emphasis in combating crime was shifted to drug addiction and drug trafficking. A unique, completely independent operational and investigative structure was established - Counter-Narcotics Service (CNS), which during the first months of its existence, positioned itself by seizing an unprecedented amount of drugs - over 2 tons of cannabis and marijuana being prepared for exportation abroad.
Already in 1993, to strengthen the coordination segment, under the Government of the Republic, the State Drug Control Commission (SDCC) was established, which was later transformed into the Drug Control Agency (DCA). Having been eliminated by an evil will, it “arose from the ashes” in 2010 in the form of the State Drug Control Service (SDCA), but in 2016, it was closed again. Currently, an independent Drug Enforcement Service (DES) based at the Ministry of Internal Affairs operates, which among other things, performs the functions of a coordinator of all counter-narcotics activities in the country.
In the early 1990s, the drug scene had been changed dramatically again: Opium “Made in Afghanistan” began to penetrate to our Republic. Operational officers, who had never laid eyes on this drug for almost 20 years, were in a panic: there is no information to draw from; methods to counteract this type of drug have not been elaborated. The old schemes, referring to the “scarlet poppies” times, did not work. Meanwhile, spontaneous single seizures often exceeded 10-15 kilograms. The intensity of drug supplies, their cynicism, and the amount of smuggling cargo gave rise to the name “Narcotics Expansion”.
Interaction with neighbors from Gorny-Badakhshan, from where at the initial stage mainly Afghan opium crossing the Afghan-Tajik border entered, did not work: there was a Civil War and power belonged to field commanders. The fighters against narcotic drugs learned everything by themselves, and soon they were able to identify caches skillfully concealed in various details of cars scurrying along the high-mountain route “Khorog-Osh”; they knew local drug traffickers and second-hand dealers; contrasted the active explanatory work with the tactics of involving in the drug-related business mothers with many children; a harm reduction tactic has emerged to mitigate the risk of HIV infection and death from overdose ...
And then - a new narcotic spiraling: heroin appeared on the stage. While a volume of cargo was diminishing (it is much more difficult to uncover “caches”), its danger increased multi-fold: due to the huge price of “white death”, organized crime appeared on the drug scene, transnational organized crime groups appeared; the scale of drug-related abuse has increased; heroin persistently nurtured terrorists of all stripes. “Nacronomics” appeared- an economy based on drug production and drug trafficking, in which environment today entire countries are already living ...
And again, precious time was spent, while the law-enforcement agencies was able to orient themselves and chose a purposeful tactic to counteract heroin expansion so far. For example, the practice of implementing “controlled deliveries” has proven itself well: with the involvement of operational officers of several countries, when the entire criminal chain in the territory of each of country is identified and brought to justice. International cooperation, in-depth operational work, the latest equipment, staff training, intensive exchange of best practices and many other things produce good results also.
May be it sounds blasphemous, but the “heroin umbrella” has protected us for many years from any other, much more harmful, psychoactive substances (NPSs), such as spices, ecstasy, methamphetamines, from all this chemistry, which after the first administration is able to cause addictive, irreversible processes in the psyche and cause the destruction of internal organs.
The spread of drugs using the latest Internet technologies makes their producers and sellers difficult to understand, and ignorance of how the personality changes under the influence of NPSs results in late detection of drug consumers. One important detail attracts attention: if, during all changes in the drug scene described above, the problems were experienced mainly by law enforcement agencies, then under the current situation these problems are inherent not only for them, but and for narcologists, and drug-service non-governmental organizations. Recently, for example, I heard how doctors were astonished, when parents literally dragged their child “influenced by spice” to them on the arcane: they who master the art of heroin detoxification and follow-up therapy, the Aesculapian who did not know what to do in this case. At least they found the strength to admit it, and did not rush to “treat”. None of the most experienced NGOs could offer anything. It was lucky that at this time a seminar was held here, which was attended by a well-known doctor from Ukraine, who himself had passed all the circles of the drug hell. He advised the detoxification scheme in a psychiatric clinic that allowed at least to save the patient’s life ...
To some extent, international organizations, including the European Union, which funds, for example, the Central Asian Drug Action Programme (CADAP), are called for filling gaps in knowledge. Within its framework, invaluable foreign experience is generalized and passed on to our narcologists and representatives of the non-governmental sector.

Delay is tantamount to death...

CARICC
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UNODC Regional Representative for Central Asia paid a visit to CARICC

On the 2nd of February 2018, CARICC was visited by Ms. Ashita Mittal, Regional Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for Central Asia.
During the meeting with G.B. Pustovitov, Director of CARICC, Ashita Mittal highly appreciated the Center’s activities, emphasizing its importance in the system of measures taken by UNODC in Central Asia in the field of combating drugs and organized crime. The prospect of closer interaction with Afghanistan and CARICC’s actions in this area were noted.
The UNODC Regional Representative assured that one of the important tasks for the UNODC Regional Representation in Central Asia is to assist CARICC in its efforts to develop the organization.
The parties also discussed joint plans for the nearest future to promote the Center at the regional and international level, to address regulatory and legal issues which is very important for the development of CARICC.

CARICC
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Minister of Internal Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic encouraged the leadership of CARICC

On the 12th of December, following a regular meeting of the National Coordinators Council of CARICC member states, Liaison Officer of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic with CARICC, A. Dolosbayev, on behalf of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Kyrgyzstan, Police Major-General, U. Israilov, awarded the medals for fruitful and active interaction with the internal affairs bodies of the Kyrgyz Republic in combating illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors, as well as in connection with the celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the foundation of CARICC:
- “Sheriktesh” to the Director of CARICC, Colonel G. Pustovitov;
- “Ardak”, to the Deputy Directors of CARICC, Lieutenant-General A. Shayakhmetov, and Colonel S. Safarov;
- “Kyrgyz Milisiaysy 90 Zhyl” to Head of CARICC DCO, Colonel B. Suvanaliyev, and Head of CARICC IAD, Major R. Otkelbayev.

CARICC
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10 Years of Activity of the Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Center for Combating Illicit Trafficking of Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and their Precursors

Concerning CARICC’s participation in the thematic and coordination meetings on precursors

On December 4-5, 2017 representatives of CARICC participated in the thematic and coordination meetings on precursors organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime with the participation of the competent authorities of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
During these events, representatives of the above-mentioned countries highlighted the situation related to illicit trafficking of precursors, and jointly with the UNODC and CARICC developed recommendations on improving approaches to combating their illicit trafficking.
CARICC invited to intensify the information exchange of illicit trafficking of precursors with designated contact persons from the competent authorities of Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan.

CARICC
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