VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHEG #7163/01 3511522
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171522Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2960
INFO RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 1500
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 0729

UNCLAS CAIRO 007163 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR INR-LYLE, NEA/ELA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR EG
SUBJECT: EGYPT'S 2006-2007 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL 
STRATEGY REPORT (INSCR) PART 1 
 
REF: STATE 154898 
 
Per reftel, the 2006-2007 International Narcotics Control 
Strategy Report for Egypt, part 1, follows below: 
 
¶I. Summary 
The Arab Republic of Egypt is not a major producer, supplier, 
or consumer of narcotics or precursor chemicals. Heroin and 
cannabis are transported through Egypt, but presumed levels 
have not risen in four years. The Anti-Narcotics General 
Administration (ANGA) is the main counter narcotics 
organization in Egypt.  It is competent and progressive, and 
cooperates fully with the Drug Enforcement Administration 
(DEA) office in Cairo.  In 2004, a joint DEA-ANGA 
investigation uncovered a significant MDMA (ecstasy) 
laboratory in Alexandria, resulting in the arrest of four 
individuals, indictment of three U.S. citizens, and a 
secondary ongoing investigation that has already identified 
more than two million dollars of drug related proceeds.  In 
2006, several major international investigations were 
conducted jointly with ANGA. Egypt is party to the 1988 UN 
Drug Convention. 
II. Status of Country 
Egypt is not a significant producer or consumer of narcotics 
or precursor chemicals, despite the fact that opium and 
cannabis plants are grown in Egypt.  The substances that are 
most commonly abused are cannabis, which is known here as 
"bango," and legitimate pharmaceuticals. Narcotics do pass 
through Egypt. Egypt's long and mostly uninhabited borders, 
combined with the high level of shipping passing through the 
Suez Canal Zone, have made Egypt prone to the transshipment 
of Asian heroin.  Other types of narcotics periodically pass 
through Cairo International Airport. The narcotics are 
primarily destined for Western Europe, with only small 
amounts headed to the United States.  Transshipment has 
diminished considerably in recent years due to the elevation 
of security in Egypt and the region as a whole. 
The ANGA is the oldest counter narcotics unit in the Arab 
world.  It has jurisdiction over all criminal matters 
pertaining to narcotics and maintains offices in all major 
Egyptian cities and ports of entry. Despite limited 
resources, ANGA has continually demonstrated improvements in 
its capabilities. 
III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 2005 
Policy Initiatives. The Government of Egypt (GOE) continues 
to aggressively pursue a comprehensive drug control strategy 
that was developed in 1998.  ANGA, as the primary Egyptian 
drug enforcement agency, coordinates with the Egyptian 
Ministry of Interior, the Coast Guard, the Customs Service, 
and select military units on all aspects of drug law 
enforcement.  Government and private sector demand reduction 
efforts exist but are hampered by financial constraints and 
logistical challenges. 
Accomplishments/Law Enforcement Efforts.  Internal security 
and combating terrorism are the major foci of Egyptian law 
enforcement efforts.  Despite these priorities, ANGA is able 
to operate an effective program against narcotics 
trafficking.  Egypt is a transit country for narcotics. ANGA 
investigates and targets significant drug traffickers, 
intercepts narcotics shipments, and detects and eradicates 
illegal crops. Large-scale seizures and arrests are rare, 
primarily because Egypt does not have a significant narcotics 
market or narcotics abuse culture.  ANGA operates its own 
drug awareness campaign in addition to other government and 
private sector demand reduction programs. ANGA's Eradication 
Unit conducts monthly operations against cannabis and opium 
crops in the Sinai. Reversing a trend over the past several 
years, the amount of narcotics seized during 2005 was lower 
than that of the previous year. 
According to the GOE, drug seizures in 2005 included cannabis 
(78.0 metric tons), hashish (1.5 metric tons), and smaller 
amounts of heroin, opium, psychotropic drugs, and cocaine. 
Significant amounts of prescription and "designer" drugs such 
as ecstasy (10,683 tablets), amphetamines, and codeine were 
also seized. During the course of 2005, Egyptian law 
enforcement officials eradicated 380 hectares of cannabis and 
106 hectares of opium poppy plants.  Late in 2004, a joint 
DEA-ANGA investigation uncovered an MDMA laboratory located 
in a small apartment building in Alexandria, Egypt. ANGA 
raided the laboratory, arresting four individuals and seizing 
chemicals, paste, and equipment. Additionally, a secondary 
ANGA financial investigation conducted in 2005 with 
assistance from the DEA country office has identified over 
two million dollars in drug proceeds located in Egypt. ANGA 
is moving forward with a Formal Request for Extradition from 
the Government of Egypt to the USG seeking to bring to Egypt 
three defendants in this case living in the United Sates. 
DEA-ANGA are investigating an Egyptian National working with 
Colombian and Mexican based drug traffickers to import 2 tons 
 
of Ephedrine through Egypt to be repackaged and exported to 
Mexico.  The ephedrine is intended to be used to manufacture 
methamphetamine for the US illicit market.  Since 2003, 
production of illicit pharmaceuticals and counterfeit 
narcotics is on the rise in Egypt, which may represent a new 
trend toward relocating artificial drug labs to the region 
due to the region's relatively lax regulation of commercial 
chemical products. With the passage of Egypt's first 
anti-money laundering law in 2002, which criminalized the 
laundering of proceeds derived from trafficking in narcotics 
and numerous other crimes, seizures of currency in 
drug-related cases have amounted to over 4,560,000 Egyptian 
Pounds ($800,000). In October 2005, ANGA seized two metric 
tons of marijuana that originated in the northern Sinai 
Peninsula. 
Corruption.  As a matter of government policy, the Government 
of Egypt 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 transactions. The GOE has strict laws and harsh 
penalties for government officials convicted of involvement 
in narcotics trafficking or related activities. However, 
low-level local police officials involved in 
narcotics-related activity or corruption have been identified 
and arrested. 
Agreements and Treaties.  Egypt and the United States 
cooperate in law enforcement matters under an MLAT and an 
extradition treaty. Egypt is a party to the 1988 UN Drug 
Convention since 1991, the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic 
Substances, and the 1961 UN Single Convention as amended by 
the 1972 Protocol. Egypt is a party to the UN Convention 
against Transnational Organized Crime and its protocols on 
migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons. Egypt also is a 
party to the UN Convention Against Corruption. 
Cultivation and Production.  Cannabis is grown year round in 
the northern and southern Sinai and in Upper Egypt, while 
opium poppy is grown in the southern Sinai only from November 
through March. Rugged terrain means that plots of illegal 
crops are small and irregularly shaped. ANGA combats this 
production by using aerial observation and confidential 
informants to identify illegal plots. Once the crops are 
located, ANGA conducts daylight eradication operations that 
consist of cutting and burning the plants. ANGA has yet to 
implement a planned herbicide eradication program. No heroin 
processing laboratories have been discovered in Egypt in the 
last 14 years and no evidence is available indicating that 
opiates or cannabis grown in Egypt reach the United States in 
sufficient quantities to have a significant impact. In an 
ongoing investigation that started in 2004, a joint DEA-ANGA 
operation uncovered the first ever MDMA laboratory in Egypt 
and eliminated it before it reached significant production. 
Domestic Programs (Demand Reduction).  In 2005, the National 
Council for Combating and Treating Addiction continued to be 
the GOE's focal point for domestic demand reduction programs. 
The Council is an inter-ministerial group chaired by the 
Prime Minister and has the participation of ten ministries. 
The group espouses a three-pronged strategy to counter the 
demand for narcotics: awareness, treatment (including 
detoxification and social/psychological treatment), and 
rehabilitation. The group's efforts over the past year 
included a range of activities, for example, a media 
advertising campaign with participation from First Lady 
Suzanne Mubarak, annual seminars at Al-Azhar University on 
"Islam and Narcotics," and the establishment of a drug 
treatment hotline and website. Additionally, the Council 
sponsors four rehabilitation centers, primarily focused on 
the Cairo metropolitan area. These centers annually receive 
thousands of requests from addicts for help. 
IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs 
Policy Initiatives/Bilateral Cooperation.  The U.S. counter 
narcotics policy in Egypt is to engage the GOE in a bilateral 
program to reduce narcotics transshipments and decrease opium 
poppy and cannabis cultivation. The policy includes the 
following specific objectives: increase training to ANGA and 
other government offices responsible for narcotics 
enforcement; assist with the identification of illegal crop 
eradication targets; improve narcotics interdiction 
methodology; and improve intelligence collection and 
analysis.  In 2005, the DEA country office initiated 
Operation Sphinx, a joint DEA-ANGA operation to collect 
actionable intelligence for enforcement/interdiction action 
in the Suez Canal and the Gulf of Aqaba.  The operation 
targets sources of information in the maritime industry 
throughout the region. 
The Road Ahead.  In fiscal year 2007, the U.S. Government 
plans to increase its joint operations with ANGA, moving 
beyond a previously predominant focus on monitoring the 
narcotics problem.  This will involve the DEA country office 
continuing to work closely with ANGA on joint investigations, 
 
as well as improving interdiction and eradication techniques, 
and developing additional sources of information on 
trafficking and production. 
JONES