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OO RUEHIK
DE RUEHWR #1136/01 3140819
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 100819Z NOV 09 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY WARSAW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9150
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 WARSAW 001136 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR INL -LYLE AND EUR/CE - GLANTZ 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV SNAR KCRM PL
SUBJECT: POLAND:  2009-10 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY 
REPORT (INCSR) PART I 
 
REF: STATE 97228 
 
WARSAW 00001136  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - - NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION 
 
¶1. (SBU) Mission Poland's submission for the 2009-2010 INCSR Part I 
follows: 
 
Begin Text: 
 
¶I. Summary 
 
Poland has traditionally been a transit country for drug 
trafficking. As economic conditions improve, it is increasingly a 
more significant consumer of narcotics and producer of amphetamines. 
The Government of Poland has a comprehensive demand reduction 
program and integration into the European Union's Schengen zone 
appears to have improved law enforcement capabilities against 
narcotics trafficking. Poland is a party to the 1988 UN Drug 
Convention. 
 
II. Status of Country 
 
In 2009, the Law on Combating Drug Addition was revised to include 
new types of recreational drugs. Compared to 2007, public 
expenditures on counternarcotics programs increased in 2008. Polish 
law enforcement agencies have succeeded in breaking up organized 
crime syndicates involved in drug trafficking, yet trafficking 
activities continue to become more sophisticated and global in 
nature. According to statistics provided by the Polish National 
Police (PNP), the number of drug-related crimes has not changed 
significantly as a result of Poland's accession to the European 
Union's Schengen zone.  However, there have been improvements in 
information sharing via the EU's Schengen Information System. Police 
officials acknowledge that statistics probably do not reflect the 
full scale of narcotics transiting through Poland. Cooperation 
between USG officials and Polish law enforcement has been excellent 
and Poland's EU accession in 2004 made the GoP more earnest about 
enforcing narcotics policy. 
 
III. Country Actions against Drugs in 2008 
 
Policy Initiatives. Budget: The 2008 expenditures on the National 
Program for Counteracting Drug Addiction totaled approximately 149 
million PLN (50 million USD), compared with 136.5 million PLN 
(approx. 58 million USD) in 2007. This figure includes expenditures 
of the National Bureau for Drug Prevention, National AIDS Center, 
the Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, Border Guards, the 
National Health Fund, provincial and municipal Governments, various 
training programs, and many other associated expenses.  This figure 
excludes Police Headquarters and Central Management Board of Prison 
Service expenses. 
 
Legislation. On March 20, 2009 a revision of the Law on Combating 
Drug Addiction was adopted to include new types of recreational 
drugs (such as Benzylpiperazine, or BZP) to the list of prohibited 
substances. The Ministry of Health is currently implementing the 
fourth National Plan on HIV and AIDS for the years 2007-2011. The 
first National Plan was developed in 1995. In 2008, the Justice 
Ministry established a special inter-ministerial group to revise the 
2005 Law on Combating Drug Addiction and to encourage alternative 
forms of punishment to incarceration for drug addicts or simple 
possession offenders.  The Justice Ministry completed a resulting 
draft bill in July 2009, which is currently under inter-ministerial 
review. Although under current law, drug users can be required to 
attend specialized therapy and have their cases suspended or dropped 
if therapy succeeds, this option is rarely utilized. Polish law 
permits the use of informants, telephone taps, and controlled 
deliveries to fight international crime, and a witness protection 
program is in place. The maximum sentence for narcotics trafficking 
is 15 years. All forms of possession are punishable. 
 
Law Enforcement. Administrative controls for programs like demand 
reduction and health care are largely decentralized, while law 
enforcement efforts remain centralized and hierarchical in nature. 
Demand reduction programs are managed by the Health Ministry's 
National Bureau for Drug Addiction (NBDA) and provincial and 
municipal governments, and are intended to target local populations. 
In contrast, regional law enforcement offices are required to 
coordinate most activities with Warsaw, which hinders the 
development of investigations and evidence collection. Cooperation 
between regional law enforcement offices at times is also limited by 
the centralized structure. This centralization of power in Warsaw 
appears to have strengthened since the November 2007 election of 
Prime Minister Donald Tusk. 
 
According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBS), Poland's 
December 2007 accession to the EU's Schengen zone has not led to a 
significant change in the number of drug-related crimes committed in 
 
WARSAW 00001136  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
Poland. While tighter border controls along the Eastern border make 
it more difficult to traffic drugs from Eastern European countries 
such as Ukraine and Russia, it is easier to export narcotics to 
Western European countries. Anecdotal information indicates that 
Poland's role as a transit nation has remained constant or might 
even be on the rise. The PNP reports better access to information 
from the Schengen Information System. Poland works with Interpol and 
EUROPOL to combat the transnational narcotics trade. Poland also 
cooperates with several neighboring countries on counternarcotics 
programs, including Project Eagle, a Polish-Swedish project against 
trafficking of amphetamines. One sign of the success of local law 
enforcement in uncovering amphetamine labs is the relocation of labs 
from Warsaw to more remote, rural areas. Between January and 
September 2009, the CBS closed down 8 amphetamine labs, compared 
with 16 in 2008. 
 
In 2008, 25,971 suspects were identified as being involved in 
drug-related crimes, including 2,923 underage suspects, and over 
57,382 drug-related crimes were registered. In February 2009, the 
Warsaw based office of Drug Enforcement Administration completed a 
long-term investigation into a South America-based international 
cocaine trafficking organization. The investigation was conducted 
together with numerous domestic and foreign DEA offices and several 
host national counterparts, including the Polish Internal Security 
Agency (ABW).  The investigation culminated with the seizure of 
approximately 1.2 tons of cocaine and the arrest of several high 
ranking members of South American and European drug trafficking 
organizations. In July 2009, CBS arrested in Warsaw five members of 
an organized criminal group responsible for bringing to Poland more 
than 8 kg of cocaine from Brazil. The net worth of the narcotics was 
3 million PLN (about 1 million USD). In May 2009, CBS liquidated a 
nine-person organized group responsible for trafficking cocaine from 
South America to Poland, seizing 11 kg cocaine with a street value 
of 4 million PLN (about 1.3 million USD). In April 2009, CBS 
arrested three members of a criminal gang on charges of distributing 
6 kg of cocaine from South Africa. In February 2009, as part of a 
two-year police investigation, CBS arrested 10 members of a 
narcotics gang in Poznan, Warsaw and Opole responsible for 
trafficking drugs to Sweden and Ireland.  To date, a total of 45 
people have been arrested. In September 2008, four tons of hashish 
worth 120 million PLN (approx. $51 Million) was seized in Germany, 
as the result of cooperation between the Polish Central Bureau of 
Investigation (CBS) and German and Dutch Police. On the basis of 
recent seizures, the Polish CBS assesses that it has managed to 
reduce the flow of narcotics from Pakistan to Western Europe. 
 
Corruption. As a matter of policy, the Government of Poland does not 
encourage or facilitate illicit production or distribution of 
narcotic or psychotropic drugs or other controlled substances, or 
the laundering of proceeds from illegal drug transactions. 
 
Agreements and Treaties. Poland has fulfilled requirements to 
harmonize its laws with the EU's Drug Policy and closely cooperates 
with the EU Monitoring Center on Drugs in Lisbon. Poland is a party 
to the 1988 UN Drug Convention, the 1971 UN Convention on 
Psychotropic Substances, and the 1961 UN Single Convention, as 
amended by the 1972 Protocol. Poland is a party to the UN Convention 
Against Corruption and the UN Convention against Transnational 
Organized Crime and its three protocols. Poland is also a member of 
the Dublin Group. An extradition treaty and a mutual legal 
assistance treaty are in force between the U.S. and Poland. Poland 
has signed bilateral instruments with the U.S. implementing the 2003 
U.S.-EU Extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance Agreements. The U.S. 
and Poland have ratified these instruments. None have entered into 
force. 
 
Cultivation and Production. Synthetic drugs, particularly 
amphetamines, are manufactured in Poland in small-scale kitchen 
operations. The quality of amphetamines in Poland tends to be high 
as a result of double distillation, making Polish amphetamines more 
attractive to some users than cheaper, large-scale production 
amphetamines from Belgium or the Netherlands. 
 
Drug Flow/Transit. A significant percentage of Polish-produced 
amphetamines are exported to Scandinavia. Precursors for 
amphetamines are not locally available and must be imported from 
other countries. The profitability of Poland's small amphetamine 
labs remains low. Shipments of heroin, hashish, cocaine, and Ecstasy 
frequently transit the country, destined for Western Europe. Ecstasy 
prices in Poland in 2009 ranged from 12 to 20 PLN (4 to 7 USD) per 
pill, compared with 15 to 40 PLN (or 6.50 to 17 USD) in 2008. 
Ecstasy can be bought wholesale for 6-8 PLN (2 to 3 USD). Opium 
originating from Afghanistan and Pakistan is also frequently shipped 
through Poland to Western Europe. 
 
Domestic Programs/Demand Reduction. The NBDA has a comprehensive 
plan for reducing drug addiction and programs to discourage new 
users. The GoP estimates there are between 100,000 and 120,000 drug 
 
WARSAW 00001136  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
users in Poland. In 2008, 85 drug-free residential facilities (not 
including psychiatric hospitals) were in operation, including 33 
facilities that accepted underage drug addicts.  The facilities 
accommodated up to 2,900 patients.  In 2007 (the last year for which 
statistics are available) 15,125 patients were treated in 
residential facilities, compared with 13,198 in 2006.  Apart from 
residential facilities, there were 295 outpatient clinics that 
provided treatment to drug addicts, experimental users, and their 
family members.  There were also 30 detoxification centers in 
operation.  In 2009 there were 17 active substitution treatment 
programs offered in outpatient clinics and five programs in 
detention facilities; the total number of patients treated in those 
facilities was 1,583 (including 71 persons in detention facilities). 
Notwithstanding the extensive treatment programs, a gap exists 
between prison substitution programs and general programs which can 
lead to addict relapse. In 2008, the National Bureau for Drug 
Prevention co-financed the implementation of prevention programs for 
at-risk children and adolescents, focusing on recreational drug use. 
Programs like Monar, which targets discotheques and clubs, and 
Parasol, which focuses on commercial sex workers, are two of the 
seven demand reduction programs. The National Bureau for Drug 
Prevention also launched a "Watch Your Drink" program to combat date 
rape drugs like GHB, ketamine, and rohypnol. 
 
IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs 
 
Bilateral Cooperation. Bilateral cooperation between U.S. and Polish 
counternarcotics agencies remains strong, especially since the 
stationing of two DEA officers in Warsaw in 2005. One of the 
challenges to cooperation on a policy level remains the high 
turnover of senior- and managerial-level Polish police officials. 
Differences between the U.S. and Polish judicial systems continue to 
make cooperation and investigation of some leads problematic. 
Nonetheless, DEA and LEGAT assess that there is good cooperation at 
the working level. Cooperation has also been effective in cases 
where the USG has been able to supplement Polish resources and 
capabilities and to coordinate regional and intercontinental 
investigations. In 2009, the PNP cooperated with DEA in several 
narcotics investigations targeting criminal organizations that 
import controlled substances into and through Poland. 
 
The Road Ahead. Given Poland's predominant role as a transit 
country, the USG will continue to promote regional cooperation and 
focus on providing training that promotes integrated interdiction 
efforts. Additionally, the USG will continue to advocate judicial 
reform measures that enable more efficient investigations and ensure 
more effective punishment for narcotics traffickers. 
 
End text. 
 
FEINSTEIN