VZCZCXRO4058
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHVJ #2327/01 3041118
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 311118Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7303
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 SARAJEVO 002327 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR INL (LYLE/KIMMEL); EUR/SCE (FOOKS/STINCHCOMB) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV SNAR KCRM BK
SUBJECT: 2007-2008 BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA INCSR REPORT (PART I) 
 
REF: STATE 136780 
 
¶1. (U) BELOW FOLLOWS THE 2007-2008 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS 
CONTROL STRATEGY REPORT (INCSR) 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.  Bosnia is 
still considered primarily a transit country for drug 
trafficking due to its strategic location along historic 
Balkan smuggling routes, weak state institutions, lack of 
personnel in counternarcotics units, and poor cooperation 
among the responsible authorities.  Although the political 
will to improve narcotics control performance 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 
antinarcotics intelligence and enforcement capabilities. 
Despite better cooperation among law enforcement agencies, 
gradual improvements in the oversight of the financial 
sector, and substantial legal reform, the political divisions 
that have paralyzed the Bosnian government have contributed 
to poorly coordinated enforcement efforts.  Narcotics trade 
remains an integral part of the activities of foreign and 
domestic organized crime figures that operate, according to 
anecdotal evidence, 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. 
 
In 2007, Bosnia took some initial steps to set up a 
state-level body to coordinate the fight against drugs and 
develop the national counternarcotics strategy mandated by 
legislation passed in late 2005.  In 2007, the Bosnian entity 
and local law enforcement agencies continued an anti-drug 
campaign to raise awareness about the dangers and effects of 
drugs.  Bosnia is making efforts to forge ties with regional 
and international law enforcement agencies.  Bosnia is party 
to the 1988 UN Drug 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 route 
between drug production and processing centers in Southwest 
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 migrants, 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.  Traffickers "warehouse" 
drugs in Bosnia, until they can be shipped out to 
destinations further along the Balkan Route.  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.  Information on 
domestic consumption is not systematically gathered, but 
authorities estimate Bosnia has 120,000 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 2007. 
Policy Initiatives. On November 8, 2005, the Bosnia House of 
Representatives passed legislation designed to address the 
problem of narcotics trafficking and abuse.  Although the 
state-level counternarcotics coordination body and national 
counternarcotics strategy mandated by the legislation were 
not fully in place as of October 2007, Bosnia took some steps 
toward this implementation.  In February the Ministry of 
Security formed a Section for Combating Drug Abuse and 
Precursors.  In June a working group for the creation of a 
national strategy against narcotics held its first meeting, 
where it created three subgroups on Prevention/Education, 
Suppression, and Treatment.  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 narcotics trafficking and organized crime and to 
achieve compliance with relevant UN conventions.  The full 
deployment of the State Border Police (SBP) and the 
 
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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 September 2007 (latest 
available statistics), law enforcement agencies in 
Bosnia-Herzegovina (including the State Investigation and 
Protection Agency, the State Border Police, Federation 
Ministry of Interior, Republika Srpska Ministry of Interior 
and Brcko District Police) have filed 774 criminal reports 
against 1284 persons for drug related offenses.  These 
agencies also report having seized 6.8 kg of heroin, 2.7 kg 
of cocaine, 2.4 kg of amphetamines, 142 kg of marijuana, 
6,235 cannabis plants, 5,060 cannabis seeds, 10,280 Ecstasy 
tablets, 29 grams of methadone, 2,285 tablets of "speed", and 
166 grams of hashish.  The State Border Police (SBP), founded 
in 2000, is now fully operational with 2,199 officers and is 
responsible for controlling the country's three international 
airports, as well as Bosnia's 55 international border 
crossings covering 1,551 kilometers.  The SBP 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, including rural roads and river fords, that the SBP 
is unable to control.  Moreover, many official checkpoints 
and many crossings remain understaffed.  The SIPA, once fully 
operational, will be a conduit for information and evidence 
between local and international law enforcement agencies, and 
will have a leading role in counternarcotics efforts.  As of 
October 2007, SIPA had hired 1,209 of a proposed staff of 
1,700. 
 
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 
eastern Bosnia.  Bosnia is not a major synthetics narcotics 
producer or refiner. 
 
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, working with a few corrupt 
government officials according to anecdotal evidence, uses 
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 is a party to 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 being 
trafficked to destinations in third countries, indigenous 
organized crime groups are involved in local distribution to 
the estimated 120,000 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. 
Sales of narcotics are 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 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 
patients.  The limited capacity of the country's psychiatric 
 
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clinics, also charged with treating drug addicts, is 
problematic, as the number of addicts and drug-related deaths 
in the country is rising 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.  Entity and local 
law enforcement agencies continued an anti-drug public 
information campaign that had begun in 2006 with the 
assistance of the European Police Mission.  Law enforcement 
agencies organized round table discussions and presentations 
in elementary and high schools about the dangers of drugs. 
In Sarajevo Canton police presented re-integration methods 
for former drug addicts and used official dogs to demonstrate 
techniques for drug detection.  The Viktorija Association 
conducted anti-drug campaigns, offered counseling, and 
provided therapy to recovering drug addicts.  The PROI 
Association maintains a private facility to help drug addicts 
near Kakanj and expanded its capacity to 20 beds in 2007. 
During the year PROI presented anti drug messages to students 
through a drama program in elementary schools throughout 
Bosnia-Herzegovina.  In June PROI organized a race against 
drugs involving both a fund-raising event and a large 
anti-drug abuse demonstration in downtown Sarajevo.  With 
UNICEF support PROI also helped 260 drug addicts receive 
blood tests to help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and 
Hepatitis. 
 
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 cosely 
with Bosnian authorities and the internatinal community to 
combat narcotics trafficking an money laundering. 
 
Bilateral Cooperation.  The SG's bilateral law enforcement 
assistance programcontinues to emphasize task force 
training, imprved cooperation between law enforcement 
agencies and prosecutors, and other measures against 
organized crime, including narcotics trafficking.  The 
Department of Justice's International Criminal Investigative 
Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) program provided 
specific counternarcotics training to entity Interior 
Ministries, SIPA and SBP.  The USG Export Control and Border 
Security (EXBS) program provides equipment and training to 
law enforcement agencies including the State Border Police 
(SBP) and the Indirect Taxation Administration (ITA) to stop 
the import of weapons of mass destruction and dual use items. 
 EXBS Assistance increased SBP and ITA's ability to detect 
and interdict contraband, including narcotics.  The Overseas 
Prosecutorial Development Assistance Training (OPDAT) program 
provides training to judges and prosecutors on organized 
crime-related matters.  The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in 
Rome maintains liaisons with its counterparts in Bosnian 
state and entity level law enforcement organizations.  The 
DEA has also sponsored specific narcotic 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 program on related subjects 
such as public sector corruption and border controls.  The 
USG will assist Bosnia with the full implementations 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. 
ENGLISH