VZCZCXRO2233
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHVJ #2744/01 3071512
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 031512Z NOV 06 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4754
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 SARAJEVO 002744 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
INL FOR LYLE AND EUR/SCE FOR FOOKS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR BK
SUBJECT: 2006-2007 BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA INSCR REPORT (PART 1) 
 
REF: STATE 154928 
 
SARAJEVO 00002744  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. (U) BELOW FOLLOWS THE 2006-2007 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS 
CONTROL STRATEGY REPORT (INSCR) PART ONE FOR 
BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA: 
 
¶I. Summary 
Narcotics control capabilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina 
remain in a formative period and have not kept pace with 
developments in other areas of law enforcement.  Although the 
political will to improve narcotics control performace exists 
among the Bosnian government, faced with ongoing post-war 
reconstruction issues, it has to date focused limited law 
enforcement resources on war crimes, terrorism and 
trafficking in persons and has not developed comprehensive 
anti-narcotics intelligence and enforcement capabilities.  As 
a result, USG understanding of the magnitude of 
narcotics-related issues in Bosnia is hindered by a lack of 
reliable statistics on the levels of narcotics transiting the 
country and on domestic drug consumption.  We believe, based 
on sporadic information from law enforcement authorities and 
anecdotal information, that Bosnia and Herzegovina remains a 
small but growing market for drugs and one of several 
regional hubs for narcotics transshipment.  Despite 
increasing law enforcement cooperation, gradual improvements 
in the oversight of the financial sector, and substantial 
legal reform, local authorities are politically divided and 
enforcement efforts are poorly coordinated.  Narcotics trade 
remains an integral part of the activities of foreign and 
domestic organized crime figures who operate with the tacit 
acceptance (and sometimes active collusion) of some corrupt 
public officials. Border controls have improved, but flaws in 
the regulatory structure and justice system, lack of 
coordination among police agencies, and a lack of attention 
by Bosnia's political leadership mean that measures against 
narcotics trafficking and related crimes are often 
substandard. Bosnia is still considered primarily a transit 
country for drug trafficking due to its strategic location 
along the historic Balkan smuggling routes, weak state 
institutions, lack of personnel in counternarcotics units, 
and poor cooperation among the responsible authorities. In 
2006, Bosnia did not create the state-level body to 
coordinate the fight against drugs or develop the national 
counternarcotics strategy mandated by legislation passed in 
late 2005.  In 2006, the Bosnia government, in cooperation 
with the European Union Police Mission, launched a public 
information campaign to raise awareness about the dangers and 
effects of drugs. Bosnia is attempting to forge ties with 
regional and international law enforcement agencies. Bosnia 
is party to the 1988 UN Convention on Drugs and is attempting 
to meet the goals of the Convention. 
II. Status of Country 
Bosnia is not a significant narcotics producer, consumer, or 
producer of precursor chemicals. Bosnia does occupy a 
strategic position along the historic Balkan smuggling routes 
between drug production and processing centers in South Asia 
and markets in Western Europe. Bosnian authorities at the 
state, entity, cantonal and municipal levels have been unable 
to stem the transit of illegal aliens, black market 
commodities, and narcotics since the conclusion of the 1995 
Dayton Peace Accords. Traffickers have capitalized in 
particular on an ineffective justice system, public sector 
corruption, and the lack of specialized equipment and 
training. Bosnia is increasingly becoming a storehouse for 
drugs, mainly marijuana and heroin. One of the main routes 
for drug trafficking starts in Albania, continues through 
Montenegro, passes through Bosnia to Croatia and Slovenia and 
then on to Central Europe. Cocaine for domestic consumption 
arrives mainly from the Netherlands through the postal 
system. 
Information on domestic consumption is not systematically 
gathered, but authorities estimate Bosnia is home to 100,000 
drug addicts. Anecdotal evidence and law enforcement 
officials indicate that demand is steadily increasing. No 
national drug information system focal point exists, and the 
collection, processing, and dissemination of drug-related 
data is neither regulated nor vetted by a state-level 
regulatory body. 
III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 2006 
Policy Initiatives. On November 8, 2005, the Bosnia House of 
Representatives passed legislation designed to address the 
problem of narcotics trafficking and abuse. However, the 
state-level counternarcotics coordination body and national 
counternarcotics strategy mandated by the legislation were 
not created as of October 2006 due to staffing and resource 
constraints.  It is hoped that the work of the 
counternarcotics coordination body will get under way upon 
the formation of a new government in the wake of October 2006 
national elections.  Bosnia is a state with limited financial 
resources but, with USG and EU assistance, it is attempting 
to build state-level law enforcement institutions to combat 
 
SARAJEVO 00002744  002.6 OF 003 
 
 
narcotics trafficking and organized crime and to achieve 
compliance with relevant UN conventions. The full deployment 
of the State Border Service (SBS) and the establishment of 
the State Investigative and Protection Agency (SIPA) have 
improved counternarcotics efforts. Telephone hotlines, local 
press coverage, and public relations efforts have focused 
public attention on smuggling and black-marketeering. 
Law Enforcement Efforts. Counternarcotics efforts have 
improved but remain inadequate given suspected trafficking 
levels. Cooperation among law enforcement agencies and 
prosecutors is primarily informal and ad hoc, and serious 
legal and bureaucratic obstacles to the effective prosecution 
of criminals remain. Through June 2006 (latest available 
statistics), law enforcement agencies in Bosnia-Herzegovina 
(including the State Investigation and Protection Agency, the 
State Border Service, Federation Ministry of Interior, 
Republika Srpska (RS) Ministry of Interior and Brcko Police) 
have filed 750 criminal reports against 916 persons for drug 
related offenses.  The aforementioned law enforcement 
agencies also report having seized 3399 grams of heroin, 650 
grams of cocaine, 1.9 kg of amphetamines, 11.6kg of 
marijuana, 4327 cannabis plants, 1825 cannabis seeds, 4,761 
ecstasy tablets, 242 grams of "speed", 117 grams of hashish, 
and 70 LSD stamps.  These official statistics only reflect 
illegal drugs seized between January-June 2006 and do not 
reflect several significant September drug interdictions that 
reportedly recovered over 90kg of marijuana. 
The State Border Service, founded in 2000, is now fully 
operational with 2,199 officers and is responsible for 
controlling the country's four international airports as well 
as Bosnia's 55 international border crossings covering 1,551 
kilometers. The SBS is considered one of the better border 
services in Southeast Europe and is one of the few truly 
multi-ethnic institutions in Bosnia. However, there are still 
a large number of illegal crossing points that the SBS is 
unable to control, including dirt paths and river fords. 
Moreover, many official checkpoints are minimally staffed and 
many crossings remain understaffed. The SIPA, once fully 
operational, will be a conduit for information and evidence 
among local and international law enforcement agencies, and 
will have a leading role in counternarcotics efforts. As of 
November 2006, SIPA had hired 911 of its proposed 1,700 
staff. 
Cultivation/Production. Bosnia is not a major narcotics 
cultivator. Officials believe that domestic cultivation is 
limited to small-scale marijuana crops grown in southern and 
western Bosnia. Bosnia is also not a major synthetics 
narcotics producer and refinement and production are 
negligible. 
Corruption. Bosnia does not have laws that specifically 
target narcotics-related public sector corruption and has not 
pursued charges against public officials on narcotics-related 
offenses. Organized crime, a few corrupt government 
officials, and all use the narcotics trade to generate 
personal revenue. There is no evidence linking senior 
government officials to the illicit narcotics trade. As a 
matter of government policy Bosnia 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. Bosnia 
has signed, but has not yet ratified, the UN Convention 
Against Corruption. 
Agreements and Treaties. Bosnia is a party to the 1988 UN 
Drug Convention and is developing bilateral law enforcement 
ties with neighboring states to combat narcotics trafficking. 
A 1902 extradition treaty between the U.S. and The Kingdom of 
Serbia applies to Bosnia as a successor state. Bosnia is a 
party to the UN Convention against Transnational Crime and 
its protocols against migrant smuggling and trafficking in 
persons. 
Drug Flow/Transit. While most drugs entering Bosnia are in 
trafficked to destinations in third countries, indigenous 
organized crime groups are involved in local distribution to 
the estimated 100,000 drug users in the country. Major heroin 
and marijuana shipments are believed to transit Bosnia by 
several well-established overland routes, often in commercial 
vehicles. Local officials believe that Western Europe is the 
primary destination for this traffic. Officials believe that 
the market for designer drugs, especially ecstasy, in urban 
areas is rising rapidly. Law enforcement authorities posit 
that elements from each ethnic group and all major crime 
"families" are involved in the narcotics trade, often 
collaborating across ethnic lines. Sale of narcotics is also 
considered a significant source of revenue used by organized 
crime groups to finance both legitimate and illegitimate 
activities. There is mounting evidence of links between, and 
conflict among, Bosnian criminal elements and organized crime 
operations in Russia, Albania, Serbia and Montenegro, 
Croatia, Austria, Germany, and Italy. 
Domestic Programs. In Bosnia there are only two methadone 
therapy centers with a combined capacity to handle about 160 
 
SARAJEVO 00002744  003.4 OF 003 
 
 
patients. The limited capacity of the country's psychiatric 
clinics, also charged with treating drug addicts, is 
problematic, as the number of addicts and drug-related deaths 
in the country rises steadily. It is estimated that between 
70 to 80 per cent of drug addicts who undergo basic medical 
treatment are recidivists. The Bosnian government currently 
pays for the basic medical treatment of drug addicts, but 
there are no known government programs for reintegrating 
former addicts into society. During 2006 an anti-drug 
campaign "Choose Life, not Drugs" was implemented by the 
police of Bosnia and Herzegovina in conjunction with the 
European Union Police Mission.  This public awareness 
campaign, targeting drug prevention messages to youth, 
provided promotional materials to students and delivered 
anti-drug abuse messages from former drug addicts to help 
youth choose a drug-free lifestyle. In September, the 
campaign kicked off a "School without Drugs" program to be 
carried out in 65 elementary and 37 secondary schools in the 
Sarajevo region. The "Viktorija" Association raised funds and 
helped 25 drug addicts complete a rehabilitation and 
reintegration program.  The PROI Association helped 10 former 
drug addicts reintegrate into society. An anti-drug public 
awareness campaign in Mostar utilized the wall of a centrally 
located prison for anti-drug messages painted by youth 
volunteers. 
IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs 
Policy Initiatives. USG policy objectives in Bosnia include 
reforming the criminal justice system, strengthening 
state-level law enforcement and judicial institutions, 
improving the rule of law, de-politicizing the police, 
improving local governance, and introducing free-market 
economic initiatives. The USG will continue to work closely 
with Bosnian authorities and the international community to 
combat narcotics trafficking and money laundering. 
Bilateral Cooperation. The USG's bilateral law enforcement 
assistance program continues to emphasize task force training 
and other measures against organized crime, including 
narcotics trafficking. The Department of Justice's 
International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance 
Program (ICITAP) and U.S. Customs programs provided specific 
counternarcotics training to entity Interior Ministries and 
the SBS. The Overseas Prosecutorial Development Assistance 
Training (OPDAT) provides training to judges and prosecutors 
on organized crime-related matters. The Drug Enforcement 
Agency (DEA) Regional Office in Rome maintains liaison with 
its counterparts in Bosnian state and entity level law 
enforcement organizations.  The DEA has also sponsored 
specific narcotics interdiction training in Bosnia. 
The Road Ahead. Strengthening the rule of law, combating 
organized crime and terrorism, and reforming the judiciary 
and police in Bosnia remain top USG priorities. The USG will 
continue to focus its bilateral programs on related subjects 
such as public sector corruption and border controls. The USG 
will assist Bosnia with the full implementation of the 
planned national counternarcotics strategy and continue to 
support police reform. The international community is also 
working to increase local capacity and to encourage 
interagency cooperation by mentoring and advising the local 
law enforcement community. 
MCELHANEY