This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 PRAGUE 001878 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR INL, EX; DEA FOR OILS AND OFFICE OF DIVERSION 
CONTROL; JUSTICE FOR OIA, NDDS, AFMLS; TREASURY FOR FINCEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR EZ
SUBJECT: CZECH SUBMISSION FOR 2004-2005 INCSR PART 1, DRUGS 
AND CHEMICAL CONTROL 
 
REF: 249035 
 
¶1. SUMMARY. Illegal narcotics are imported to, manufactured 
in, and consumed in the Czech Republic. Marijuana, both 
imported, and to a much lesser extent grown locally, is used 
more than any other drug. Consumption of marijuana continues 
to grow, particularly among the young. The popularity of 
Ecstasy (MDMA) is also growing, especially among the young 
and &dance scene8 visitors, who consider it 
a&recreational8 drug. According to the ESPAD report for 
2003,  more than twice as many Czech students (44%) used 
marijuana or hashish than the ESPAD average (21%). 
Similarly,  twice as many Czech students (12%) used some 
other illicit drug than the ESPAD average (6%. The government 
has taken note of these trends and has altered its drug 
strategy for the next 5 years to include more anti drug 
education for the young.  On the positive side, the use of 
what the Czechs call problem drugs, such as heroin or the 
amphetamine Pervetine, decreased  slightly.  The level of 
cocaine use remains very low. Tobacco and alcohol consumption 
is very high. The Czech Republic is a producer of ephedrine, 
a precursor for Amphetamine-Type Stimulants (ATS) and a 
producer of lysergic acid, ergometrine and ergotamine, used 
for production of LSD. 
 
Status of Country 
¶2.  Several factors make the Czech Republic an attractive 
country for groups in the drug trade. These factors include 
its central location, the closure of most of the traditional 
customs posts along the nation,s borders as part of EU 
accession in 2004, low detection rates for laundered drug 
money, low risk of asset confiscation, and relatively short 
sentences for drug-related crimes. The maximum sentence for 
any drug-related crime is 15 years. 
¶3.  The Czech National Focal Point for Drugs and Drug 
Addiction, which became fully operational in January 2003, is 
the main body responsible for collecting, analyzing and 
interpreting data on drug use.  It issues an annual report on 
the drug situation in the Czech Republic and cooperates 
closely with the European Center for Monitoring Drugs and 
Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). 
 
¶4.  The Focal Point report for 2003 indicates that the number 
of problem drug users is approximately 30, 000  (19,000 
Pervitine and 11,000 heroin users). This represents a 15% 
drop from the estimate of 35,000 problem users for the 
previous year.  Between 80 and 90 % of this group are 
intravenous drug users.  Focal point estimates that 60% of 
problem drug users are in regular contact with treatment 
centers, and drop-in centers.  Health officials say there 
were only 4 new cases of HIV  among problem drug users in 
¶2003.  They attribute the relatively low numbers of HIV and 
hepatitis infections to the fact that the majority of IV drug 
users are in contact with treatment centers and drop-in 
centers which offer needle exchange. 
 
¶5.  Authorities offer differing explanations for the decrease 
in heroin use. Some attribute it to effective substitution 
treatment with buprenorphin or methadone. Others, 
particularly among police officials, say the heroin market 
was unstable and lower amounts of heroin were available. 
 
¶6.  While the use of heroin declined significantly, 
consumption of softer drugs such as marijuana and Ecstasy 
increased in 2003. The annual report by the European School 
Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs (ESPAD) showed an 
increase in marijuana use from 34.8 % in 1999 to 43.6 % in 
¶2003.  Similarly, Ecstasy use grew from 3.4% in 1999 to 8.3% 
in 2003. The ESPAD report also highlighted increased trend in 
cigarettes smoking and alcohol consumption among 16 years 
olds. The report also confirms the decrease in experimental 
use of heroin and Pervitine. 
¶7.  One third of children have their first experience with 
legal drugs (tobacco and alcohol) at the age of 11. Children 
try illegal drugs, primarily marijuana, at the age of 14-16. 
While the average age of heroin users went up in 2003, 
suggesting fewer new young addicts, the average age of those 
using drugs with lower health risks went down. 
Country Actions Against Drugs in 2003 
¶8.  Policy Initiatives. There is an ongoing debate in the 
Czech government and society over whether there should be a 
more liberal line taken in regard to soft drugs,  in order to 
focus on hard drugs. In March, 2004,  the Christian Democrats 
announced their war on drugs, which, with its stricter policy 
on marijuana ran counter to the then prevailing liberal line 
of the government,s drug policy.   Due the important 
position of the Christian Democrats in the governing 
coalition, the preparation of the government,s drug policies 
for 2005-2009, as well as preparation for the recodification 
of the nation,s penal code, were interrupted. The proposed 
changes to the Penal Code would have divided drugs into soft 
and hard. That division and consequent lower penalties for 
soft drugs were behind the debate that led to the dismissal 
of Josef Radimecky, the man who until early December, 2004 
was the head of the body responsible for government drug 
policy.  But on one of the last business days of 2004 the 
government approved  the next five-year plan on drug 
strategy,  to a large extent along the lines suggested 
earlier by Radimecky.  The plan focuses on the fight against 
organized gangs that provide drugs, and taking steps to 
further lower the number of addicts. 
¶9.  Based on the results of an internal audit, the National 
Drug Headquarters, the main institution responsible for major 
drug cases, changed its organizational structure in June, 
¶2004.  They now have only two departments - focused on 
natural drugs; and on synthetic drugs and precursors. This 
structure allows much better coordination of existing cases 
and enables them to establish task forces. In the past there 
were six departments focusing on particular drugs (heroin, 
ecstasy, marijuana) or particular organized groups (Asians, 
ethnic Albanians, Africans, Russian speaking groups etc). The 
original structure showed problems in cases when a certain 
criminal group was involved in more than one activity and 
dealt with more than one kind of drug. The National Drug 
Headquarters also strengthened cooperation with The Financial 
Police Unit, which was established in July 2004 under the 
Ministry of the Interior. 
¶10.  The General Directorate of Customs underwent major 
changes in 2004 as part of the Czech Republic,s entry into 
the EU.  All of the traditional customs posts along the 
nation,s borders with Poland, German, Austria, and Slovakia, 
other EU states, were closed. The only remaining 
international customs post is at Prague,s International 
Airport.  8 mobile customs teams have also been set up and 
these teams now conduct random checks along highways, in 
warehouse, and at marketplaces. 
¶11.  The drug unit of the Czech Customs Service gained new 
responsibilities such as monitoring transports, and imports 
and exports of precursors from and to third countries. 
Beginning in January, 2005, they will also be responsible for 
monitoring the growth of poppies and technical cannabis 
(containing less than 2%THC). This monitoring used to be done 
by the Czech Ministry of Agriculture. 
Accomplishments 
¶12.  In the first half of 2004, the National Drug 
Headquarters, together with the Custom Service, seized 5.66 
kg of heroin; 35 691 ecstasy pills; 1.5 kg of 
methamphetamine, 26 kilograms of marihuana, 729 cannabis 
plants, 5.17 kg of hashish, 0.5 kilograms of ephedrine and 3 
kilograms of cocaine. They also found 105 laboratories for 
methamphetamine production. 
¶13.  There were several prominent arrests in the second half 
of the year. In November 2004, the National Drug 
Headquarters, in cooperation with Custom Service, arrested a 
five-member gang, two Czechs and three foreigners, suspected 
of organizing the export of heroin from the Czech Republic. 
The police seized 27 kilograms of heroin but suspect them of 
having smuggled roughly 220 kilograms of heroin to other 
European countries. 
¶14.  In cooperation with specialists from the U.S., Holland, 
Israel and Belgium, In September, 2004, the Czech National 
Drug Headquarters arrested the head of a Czech-Israeli gang 
that organized the export of ecstasy from Europe to the Los 
Angeles. 300,000 tablets were seized in the U.S.  Two Czechs 
were arrested in Austria while receiving payment for the 
sale. 
¶15.  According to the police statistics for the first half of 
2004, 1123 people were investigated for drug related crimes. 
1086 suspects were investigated for unauthorized production 
and possession of narcotics and psychotropic substances and 
poisons. 88 others were investigated for drug possession for 
personal use, and 37 were investigated for spreading 
addiction.  Comparisons with 2003 and 2002 are attached. 
 
¶16.  According to the statistics provided by the Ministry of 
Justice for the first half of 2004, the state prosecuted 1581 
suspects and accused 1389 others for drug related crimes. 
203 were accused of drug possession for personal use and 195 
were accused of spreading addiction. Courts have convicted 
693 people; among those there were 32 convictions for drug 
possession for personal use and 22 for spreading addiction. 
Comparisons with 2003 and 2002 are attached. 
 
¶17.  Statistics for year 2003 show that most of the convicted 
criminals (60%) receive conditional sentences for drug 
related crimes and only one fourth of convicted criminals is 
sentenced to serve time.  Only 14% of this latter group 
receive sentences higher then 5 years. The majority (72%) of 
those given prison sentences receive from 1 to 5 years.  For 
details see below. 
Corruption 
¶18.  Possession of a small amount of drugs is considered an 
administrative offence and possession of more than a small 
amount a criminal offence. The vague definition of what is a 
&small amount8 opened up the possibility for police 
corruption, allowing some venal officers to construe any 
amount as &small8 and treat the offense as an 
administrative one. To avoid any possible confusion and to 
eliminate possibilities for corruption, the Police President 
and Supreme Public Prosecutor issued internal regulations 
designed to clarify elements of the drug law that some feared 
allowed policemen too much discretion in whether to pursue 
drug cases. 
¶19.  In 2003 10 police officers committed drug related 
crimes. There were 9 cases of production and distribution of 
drugs, and 1 case of spreading addiction. Four of the 10 
police officials received sentences from four to nine years 
for trying to sell five kilograms of heroin, part of a larger 
amount confiscated in an earlier case. A prosecutor and his 
superior arranged for part of a drug seizure to avoid 
destruction and then arranged with two policemen to sell the 
heroin. In 2002 only 4 police officers committed drug related 
crimes (3 cases of production and distribution and 1 case of 
spreading addiction. All those cases were conditionally 
suspended. 
¶20.  Agreements and Treaties. The Czech Republic is a party 
to the 1988 UN Drug Convention and the World Customs 
Organization's Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance 
for the Prevention Investigation and Repression of Customs 
Offenses. An extradition treaty and an MLAT are in force 
between the U.S. and the Czech Republic, though the 
extradition treaty is 80 years old, based on outdated mutual 
lists, and does not allow the extradition of Czech nationals 
to the US. The Czech Republic has taken the necessary 
legislative measures to join the European Arrest Warrant. 
However, the EAW has not been used and there is sharp debate 
about whether the Czech constitution even allows the 
extradition of nationals. It is hoped that a test case will 
resolve the issue in 2005. The Czech Republic has signed, but 
not yet ratified, the UN Convention against Transnational 
Organized Crime. 
Drug Flow/Transit 
¶21.  Marijuana cultivation used to be primarily for personal 
use only. However the police recently found many laboratories 
where the drug was cultivated hydroponically.  Police 
discovered three big laboratories in the first half of the 
year. The marijuana growers stated that they were encouraged 
by the signals of the government,s more liberal drug policy 
against soft drugs. Marijuana is also imported from Holland 
and more recently from Morocco via Spain. 
¶22.  Czech police focused their activities on ethnic Albanian 
drug gangs that import heroin mainly from Afghanistan via 
Iran and Turkey. There were no reports of imports of white 
heroin from Thailand or Burma. Heroin sometimes transits the 
Czech Republic via the Balkan Route to Northern and Western 
Europe. But police believe shipments are now smaller and more 
frequent, unlike the big heroin cases of the past. 
¶23.  Cocaine is mainly exported to the Czech Republic through 
Holland. It usually then transits through to Northern and 
Western Europe. It is delivered most often to the Czech 
Republic by individual travelers returning from visits abroad 
or by mail. Czech drug couriers mainly use the airport in 
Amsterdam where the cooperation with the local police is very 
complicated in terms of arrest. The local police more often 
than not confiscate the drug, but do not start prosecution. 
Due to the price of cocaine, to the degree it is used in the 
Czech Republic, it is mainly consumed by the middle and upper 
classes. 
¶24.  Pervitine, a synthetic amphetamine, is produced mainly 
by Czechs, primarily for local consumption. It is often 
produced in home laboratories where ephedrine, the main 
ingredient in Pervitine, is extracted from pills that are 
freely available. One Czech company, INC Roztoky u Prahy, had 
been producing tens of tons of ephedrine annually.  INC 
announced a production pause on 17 May, 2004, in connection 
with plans to sell the factory or the production technology. 
Neither of those two options have taken place, but all 
ephedrine stocks have been sold, mainly to the USA ( Novus; 
cca 30 tons), South Africa (cca 3 tons), Argentina and Brazil 
or to local companies. It looks as though INC plans to 
restart its production in 2005.  Pervitine is exported mainly 
to Germany and to a lesser extent to Austria. Czech knowledge 
of Pervitine production has also been exported to neighboring 
Slovakia. 
 
¶25.  Ecstasy, still the favorite drug of the &dance scene,8 
is imported mainly from Holland and Belgium. The import is 
organized among smaller, closed groups or individuals however 
the amounts of drug shipments are growing. Most ecstasy in 
the Czech Republic is in pill form.  There are no indicators 
for production of ecstasy or making pills from powder 
ecstasy. 
¶26.  The Ministry of Agriculture monitors the growth and sale 
of poppies that are cultivated for poppy seeds sold to EU 
markets or used in traditional Czech cooking. Total 
production in 2003/2004 (July 2003-June 2004) was 19,544 tons 
(16,918 tons in 2002/2003). 80 - 90% of production is 
exported. The Czech Customs Service will be responsible for 
monitoring growth as well as exports beginning January 2005. 
Domestic Programs (Demand Reduction). 
¶27.  School prevention programs have been and continue to be 
the most common prevention programs. Different after-school 
activities are organized by NGOs. The number of contact 
centers that provide needle exchange is growing. In 2003 1.7 
million needles were distributed. 
¶28.  In 2003, the state budget provided 317 million Czech 
Crowns, or $13.7 million to national drug programs and an 
additional 48 million Crowns, or  $2.1 million directly to 
the regions. The Government Commission for Coordination of 
Drug Policy received $4.45 million for projects at the local 
level, up from the 2002 amount of US$3.75 million. 
¶29.  The Commission needs to coordinate with other 
institutions to make sure that the resources for prevention 
and treatments programs will be spent wisely. It has been 
criticized for supporting programs to test the purity of 
ecstasy at &dance-parties8 in the past. Since there are 
many preventive as well as treatment programs and a lot of 
them are not very effective, the Committee came up with a 
proposal to evaluate programs, based on the &service 
minimum.8  At the same time, the Ministry of Health has 
supported establishment of a research and development project 
that focuses on evaluation of drug prevention and treatment 
programs. 
¶30.  The U.S. Department of State supports the prevention 
efforts of Lions' Club, Lions' Quest Program. Children are 
taught at elementary schools how to live a healthy life 
without drugs. This program, supported by the Ministry of 
Health and Ministry of Education, is now being implemented at 
several schools. 
Bilateral Cooperation 
¶31.  Czech police consider cooperation with the U.S., German, 
Austria, Israel, Switzerland and the UK as very good. Czech 
and German police continue to cooperate in Operation 
&Crystal8 to combat Pervitine trafficking. 
U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs 
Bilateral Cooperation. 
 
¶32.  The U.S. covers Czech Republic drug issues through the 
DEA office in Berlin.  They maintain an extremely active and 
cooperative relationship with Czech counterparts, 
particularly with the National Drug Headquarters.  DEA 
cooperates with NDH on investigations. DEA also assists with 
organizational changes at NDH and has provided training. The 
State Department has given grants for counternarcotics 
education and has provided equipment and training for customs 
officers. 
The Road Ahead 
¶33.  In the first half of the year the Government Commission 
for Coordination of Drug Policy did an analysis of Czech drug 
policy.  Based on the results of their analysis, they 
proposed a new drug policy strategy for 2005-2009. They 
proposed a general document to which they would add two 
action plans for 2005-2006 and 2007-2008. The priority will 
be given to public health concerns, including a balance 
between drug supply, demand reduction and risk minimization, 
and standardization and quality assurance of services such as 
primary prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. The 
government now runs nine drug treatment/substitution centers 
and wants to increase the number of these centers. The 
government also wants to implement a certification scheme for 
NGOs providing these services. Legal drugs, tobacco and 
alcohol, became another priority of the government. They want 
to focus more on misuse of these drugs by children, based on 
the latest research results. This strategy hasn,t been 
approved yet due to political differences over drug policy. 
¶34.  The Interior Minister intends to seek legislation 
approving undercover &buy-bust8 type operations and use of 
criminal informants, which he feels would help catch 
criminals and corrupt officials involved in the drug trade. 
The bill is prepared but hasn,t begun the legislative 
approval process. 
Chemical Control 
 
¶35.  The Czech Republic has a well-developed chemical 
industry and is a producer of precursors.  There are two main 
companies - INC Roztoky u Prahy, which annually produces tens 
of tons of ephedrine, which can be used to make the 
methamphetamine Pervitine;and IVEX (formerly Galena a.s. 
Ostrava), which annually produces hundreds of thousands of 
kilos of lysergic acid, ergometrine and ergotamine, which are 
used in the production of LSD.  Both companies are members of 
the Association of Chemical producers of the Czech Republic. 
A third company, Farmak a.s., imports ephedrine from India 
(in the past from Germany) to make medication against 
Parkinson,s disease.  INC announced a production pause on 17 
May, 2004, in connection to plans to sell the factory or the 
production technology. Neither of those two options have 
taken place, but all ephedrine stocks have been sold, mainly 
to USA ( Novus; cca 30 tons), South Africa (cca 3 tons), 
Argentina and Brazil or to local companies. It looks as 
though INC plans to restart its production. 
 
¶36.  The Czech Republic has signed the UN Conventions on 
Narcotic Drugs, on Psychotropic Substances, and against 
Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic 
Substances. Chemical control in the Czech Republic is 
regulated under law No. 167/1998 Col. on Addictive 
Substances. Addictive substances are regulated with national 
legislation; EU legislation regulates only trade in 
precursors and essential chemicals (EEC No 3677/90). The last 
amendment to the Czech Law on Addictive Substances from May 
2004 (No 466/2004 Col) fully harmonized the law with EU 
requirements; it changed Czech legislation mainly in the area 
of import and export of precursors and in the area of 
registration of producers, exporters, importers and sellers 
of essential chemicals. Czech legislation was much stricter 
than EU law before the amendment especially in the area of 
import of precursors where the Czech Ministry of Industry and 
Trade had to issue import license. Since 1 July 2004 any 
import licenses are not required but based on a very good 
cooperation with companies that import precursors the 
Ministry of Health still receives information about imports. 
This &step back8 was one of the requirements of EU for 
Czech EU membership. The current development in the EU in the 
area of precursors is taking direction of previous experience 
of new EU members like the Czech and Slovak Republic where 
the import licenses for precursors were required. It is 
expected that the current legislation will need to be changed 
again, probably in August 2005. For exports of precursors the 
Ministry still issues the export licenses but newly on 
special papers that cannot be duplicated (with special safety 
measures, such as holograms)  The Ministry would appreciate 
regular confirmation of receipt, especially from US 
companies. 
 
¶37.  Currently, substances in the Czech Republic are divided 
into four groups:  (1) narcotic and (2) psychotropic 
substances, (3) precursors and (4) essential chemicals. 
Groups 1, 2 and 3 require stricter rules; there has to be an 
&authorization for handling8 approved by the Ministry of 
Health.  No national authorization is required of pharmacists 
or doctors because regional offices control them. Group 4 
required registration of all people that are somehow involved 
with the export, import, production or sale of the essential 
chemicals. The new amendment from May 2005 now allows 
exceptions in handling as well as exporting of certain 
amounts of essential chemicals without any obligation to 
register at Ministry of Health.  This change and easier 
administration benefits companies with smaller consignments. 
 
¶38.  The Inspectorate of Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances 
of the Czech Ministry of Health, that monitors producers and 
dealers of precursors, is involved in the international 
monitoring operations Purple (control of potassium 
permanganate, used for cocaine production) and Topaz (control 
of acetic anhydride, used for heroin production).  Czech 
Republic has joined operation Prism, (control of ephedrine 
used for Pervitine production) but hasn,t started control 
procedures yet.  The Czech police and custom officers are 
still in the process of identifying the necessary mechanisms. 
 
¶39.  The Inspectorate also monitors distribution to 
pharmacies and the consumption of certain medicines and 
precursors (e.g ephedrine) because some pills that contain 
these substances, used for Pervitine production, are 
available without special prescriptions These pills contain 
less than 30 mg of ephedrine or pseudoephedrine. All the 
information about consumption/distribution is provided to the 
National Drug Headquarters for their use while monitoring 
illegal production of Pervitine. The National Drug 
Headquarters is responsible for the detection of the abuse of 
precursors. 
 
¶40.  In 2001 the Ministry of Interior initiated the signing 
of a &Memorandum of Understanding8 between the police and 
customs service and the associations of the chemical and 
pharmaceuticals industry.  Companies agreed in the Memorandum 
to announce any suspicious purchases or sales. Several 
investigations have already been initiated based on such 
tips. 
 
¶41.  The General Directorate of Customs (under Ministry of 
Finance) undertook major changes during 2004 as part of Czech 
entry to EU.  Since the Czech Republic is surrounded by other 
EU states, the traditional border posts were closed and 
hundreds of staff were transferred to other assignments. 
Those border posts were great sources of information, and 
their closure has made the work of custom officers much more 
difficult especially in the area of monitoring movements to 
and from the country. The only remaining international 
customs check is at Prague,s airport.  Random checks are 
conducted by mobile teams along highways, at warehouses, or 
marketplaces.  The Czech Customs authorities have expressed 
the opinion that EU information sources and services are 
insufficient and don,t make their work any easier. 
 
¶42. The drug unit of the Czech Custom Service was not 
structurally changed by EU accession.   However, it has 
gained new responsibilities such as monitoring transports, 
imports and exports of precursors from and to third 
countries. They also will be newly responsible for monitoring 
the growth of poppy seeds and technical cannabis (contains 
less than 2% THC). 
 
¶43.  As part of the  European operation Seis Frontera, the 
Czech Custom Service will be given responsibility for the 
monitoring of carbonate sodium, which can be used in cocaine 
production. The Czech Republic doesn,t produce carbonate 
sodium but imports it from neighboring Slovakia. Only amounts 
over 100kg will be reported. Czech Custom Service still 
hasn,t designated their point of contact for this. 
 
 
 
CABANISS