VZCZCXRO3928
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK
DE RUEHDIR #0027/01 1131605
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P R 231605Z APR 07
FM IRAN RPO DUBAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0104
INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHDIR/IRAN RPO DUBAI 0097
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDHP/DIA DHP-1 WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI 0096

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 IRAN RPO DUBAI 000027 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/IRAN, INL, INR, IO 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  4/23/2017 
TAGS: IR PGOV PINR SNAR PREL
SUBJECT: IRAN:  HANDING DRUG CONTROL TO THE REVOLUTIONARY GUARD 
 
RPO DUBAI 00000027  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Jillian Burns, Director, IRPO, DOS. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
 
 
1.(S/NF) National police chief General Esmaeel Ahmadi-Moqaddam 
is the new secretary-general of the Drug Control Headquarters, 
replacing Fada-Husseini Maleki, announced the Iranian government 
in early April.  General Ahmadi-Moqaddam said that President 
Ahmadi-Nejad hired him to address the drug issue as a law 
enforcement officer.  The head of the UN office on Drugs and 
Crime (UNODC) in Tehran Roberto Arbitrio gave IRPO an update on 
Iran's narcotics program April 21.  Our UNODC expert believes 
these developments in the area of drug control reflect an 
overall trend in Iranian government to crack-down on perceived 
moral decay.  How this sudden change of drug chiefs will 
actually affect issues of drug control and rehabilitation 
remains to be seen.  Arbitrio's description of the events 
leading up to the change in drug officials to be reported 
septel.  End Summary 
 
National Police chief, as the new drug tsar 
------------------------------------------- 
 
2.(S/NF) The head of the UNODC office in Tehran Roberto Arbitrio 
(please protect), who occasionally briefs IRPO on drug-related 
issues when passing through Dubai, provided an update of the 
recent shift in the management of Iran's drug control program 
April 21.  According to the UNODC official, his Iranian 
associate and interlocutor Fada-Hussein Maleki, Iran's head of 
drug control, was unexpectedly replaced by the national police 
chief General Esmaeel Ahmadi-Moqaddam in early April.  Arbitrio 
said that General Ahmadi-Moqaddam is rumored to be a former 
Basij leader, who supported President Ahmadi-Nejad during his 
presidential campaign and is also married to the president's 
sister.  Though the replacement of Maleki is due to political 
reasons said Arbitrio (reported septel), the selection of 
Ahmadi-Moqaddam is a step to intensify the country's already 
strict drug control program. 
 
3.(S/NF) Arbitrio said the extent to which the union between the 
Drug Control Headquarters with police may affect different 
aspects of drug control is yet unclear.  According to an April 
12 Iran daily article, Ahmadi-Moqaddam maintained a strong focus 
on rehabilitation of addicts and did not just focus on law 
enforcement.  He told reporters on the sidelines of his 
inauguration ceremony that the police plan to collect and 
rehabilitate about 300,000 high-risk drug addicts during the 
current Persian calendar year, which started March 21, and that 
the ministries of health, welfare and other offices will 
cooperate.  He said addicts should be treated (not imprisoned), 
while adding that addicts are considered criminals unless they 
contact a rehabilitation center for treatment. 
 
4.(S/NF) Despite these statements, Arbitrio understands that 
President Ahmadi-Nejad hired Ahmadi-Moqaddam to address the drug 
issue as a law enforcement officer.  Though Ahmadi-Moqaddam said 
he has always been supportive of Iran's drug policy, Arbitrio 
thinks it is possible that the dismissal of Maleki, already 
considered a hard-liner, together with the government's recent 
pressures on issues of morality (such as the recent crackdown on 
women's dress code) may indicate a more severe approach. 
 
Drug control and Iran's borders 
------------------------------- 
 
5.(S/NF) According to Arbitrio, Iran is highly concerned about 
Pakistan's ability to control its border with Iran and the 
operation of Jundullah group in Sistan-va Baluchistan.  Arbitrio 
said the security situation in the east is deteriorating.  He 
described a helicopter trip last November in which he took 
ambassadors to inspect the southern border area, a trip he said 
he could not make today due to the lack of security.  Arbitrio 
said the Iranian side of the border was well equipped with watch 
towers, trenches, and fences, while he did not observe any 
similar security measures on the Pakistani side of the border. 
 
6.(S/NF) Arbitrio explained that cooperation on border security 
issues between Iran and Afghanistan is much more positive than 
that between Iran and Pakistan.  Afghanistan is interested in 
learning from Iran's expertise, and there remains a degree of 
trust.  He said that UNODC is trying to use Iran to facilitate 
greater Afghanistan-Pakistan cooperation, noting that Pakistan 
is increasingly serving as a transit point for drugs between 
Afghanistan and Iran. 
 
7.(S/NF) According to Arbitrio, Iran has major concerns about 
 
RPO DUBAI 00000027  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
all of its borders and feels they are inflamed, in particular 
the Baluchi, Kurdish, and Azeri regions. 
 
UNODC promoting Iran's regional collaboration 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
8.(S/NF) Arbitrio said that UNODC has been working in Iran since 
the late 1990's not only with the objective to assist Tehran in 
reducing narcotics trafficking and drug abuse, but to also 
strengthen regional and national cooperation on drug control. 
Arbitrio indicated that UNODC would continue its policy of 
facilitating the process of international engagement on the drug 
issue, albeit in the face of suspicion from many in the region. 
He said the UNODC had several regional meetings lately in the 
Caspian region, Caucuses, Turkey, and the Persian Gulf.  He said 
that in the Caspian region, Azerbaijan is especially interested 
in increasing bilateral relations, as they currently deal 
through multilateral programs with Russia.  Russia and Iran were 
still discussing exchanging drug liaison officers. 
 
9.(S/NF) The three Caucuses countries and Turkey have generally 
positive cooperation with Iran and plan to continue cooperating. 
 He noted that the Turks seemed pleased that the new head of the 
Drug Control Headquarters had a background dealing with security 
issues in Kurdistan.  The Gulf countries, however, are more 
sensitive and concerned about cooperation with Iran.  Saudi 
Arabia, Arbitrio said, is particularly suspicious of Iran 
regarding narcotics but is keeping channel open for bilateral 
cooperation.  He noted that in general the UAE, considered a 
very important UNODC partner, prefers bilateral cooperation with 
Iran over dealing via the GCC.  Arbitrio noted UNODC would soon 
produce a report out of a recent round of international 
consultations. 
 
10.(S/NF) UNODC is also facilitating collaboration between Iran 
and East Asian countries.  Arbitrio said several antinarcotics 
delegations recently went to Iran, and had interesting 
exchanges; these included Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. 
Next on the agenda is a visit to Iran by Indonesian religious 
leaders, followed by collaboration with China. 
 
Possible recycling of seized opium? 
----------------------------------- 
 
11.(S/NF) According to Arbitrio, after the revolution, the new 
Islamic government declared its opposition to continuing licit 
opium cultivation for pharmaceutical use in Iran.  Recently, the 
government requested reauthorization to legalize opium 
production for pharmaceutical use, but Arbitrio doubted the 
request would be granted.  Arbitrio, commenting on the 
disposition of the 200-300 tons of seized opiates a year in 
Iran, acknowledged corruption within the police.  He also noted 
recent arrests for police corruption.  He suspected, however, 
that much of the opium or heroin was illegally routed to Iranian 
pharmaceutical companies for the production of legal, 
opium-based medicine.  If true, this would be a violation of the 
UN requirement to destroy all seized drugs. 
 
New "crack" gains popularity 
---------------------------- 
 
12.(S/NF) Arbitrio indicated that  because Afghanistan, the 
world's largest opium producer, is producing a surplus of 30% 
over demand, dealers are encouraging increased consumption of 
opium and its derivatives by creating and marketing new products 
and new systems of consumption, such as cocktailing.  Arbitrio 
predicted such efforts will also spread in the West. (Note: 
cocktailing refers to combining a number of drugs together. 
Endnote)  Arbitiro said that the current drug of choice in Iran 
is compressed heroin or "crack," growing in popularity in 
comparison to opium or normal heroin.  (Note: What is called 
crack in Iran is heroine-based, unlike the cocaine based crack 
in the West. Endnote)  This crack is approximately one-sixth 
heroin and is typically smoked in pipes. 
 
Drug treatment 
-------------- 
 
13.(S/NF) Arbitrio spoke positively about drug addiction 
treatment in Iran, particularly in terms of government policy. 
He said Iran uses the entire range of drug treatment techniques, 
from homeopathic, psychological, methadone and other advanced 
pharmaceutical programs, to the combination of them all. 
However, currently the availability of drug treatment is very 
low compared to the estimated 4 million drug users.  He said 
NGO's provide free treatment, and that the government also 
provides free and low cost treatments.  Paid private clinics are 
 
RPO DUBAI 00000027  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
used by rich Iranians, Arbitrio said. 
 
Causes of drug use 
------------------ 
 
14.(S/NF) In a wrap-up discussion, Arbitrio discussed why 
Iranians are increasingly turning to drugs.  He said that life 
in Iran has become more depressing, and that there is a clear 
economic crisis; average salaries are 150-200 thousand tomans 
(about 150-200 dollars), salaries are often not paid in months, 
and people's first idea is to leave the country.  He said the 
educated were not interested in President Ahmadi-Nejad's vision 
of the future, and there is also increasing fear of an 
international conflict.  He said if he were a young Iranian boy 
with little hope for a successful future, he couldn't be sure he 
wouldn't join the popular drug culture.  He noted an alarming 
increase of women and children turning to drug use.  He 
mentioned a recent movie about a young middle class Iranian girl 
who becomes addicted to drugs, which won an award at Toronto 
film festival.  He said the government did not like the film but 
allowed it to be shown. 
 
15.(S/NF) Comment:  Regardless of Iran's relatively progressive 
drug programs and policies, the country has not been successful 
in preventing an epidemic of drug abuse.  Punishment of people 
involved with drugs from addicts to smugglers has been Iran's 
drug control policy since the 1990's, and today more than 40% of 
the Iranian prison population is comprised of individuals 
arrested for drug offenses.  This situation could worsen if the 
recent appointment of the police chief to head the Drug Control 
Headquarters leads to a much heavier emphasis on interdiction 
and away from drug treatment.  It is doubtful that such a policy 
would succeed, for as Arbitrio said and others echo, economic 
depression, coupled with social repression, is major reasons for 
Iran's drug epidemic.  As long as the country has high levels of 
unemployment and under-employment, it is doubtful Iran will make 
much progress in its war on drugs. 
BURNS