VZCZCXRO4852
RR RUEHIK RUEHPOD RUEHYG
DE RUEHNT #0743 1790929
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 270929Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY TASHKENT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9890
INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RUEHAH/AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT 4088
RUEHTA/AMEMBASSY ASTANA 0301
RUEHEK/AMEMBASSY BISHKEK 4703
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 0568
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0448
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 0585
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 4294
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 2586
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 0607
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 7468
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1243
RUEHUM/AMEMBASSY ULAANBAATAR 0167
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC 0151
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 2555
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0308
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 1879
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1277
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL

UNCLAS TASHKENT 000743 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/CEN, INL FOR ANDREW BUHLER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR KCRM UZ
SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN BURNS 1,435 KG OF NARCOTICS IN CEREMONY 
 
¶1. (SBU) During a June 26 ceremony at a facility in Tashkent, 
Uzbekistan's National Security Service (NSS) burned 1,435 kg 
of narcotics while representatives from the United States, 
Chinese, Russian, Japanese, Czech, Turkish, and French 
Embassies, the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, and 
local and international press watched.  (Note: According to 
an Embassy LES, this ceremony takes place every year on June 
¶26.  End note.)  A convoy of Government of Uzbekistan (GOU) 
vehicles including two trucks laden with the narcotics drove 
up to the "UzVtorCvetMet," or Uzbekistan Recycling Nonferrous 
Metal Company, accompanied by armed NSS officers.  As members 
of the diplomatic community and the press crowded around, NSS 
officers unloaded sacks of drugs into a large container 
attached to a crane.  GOU representatives sliced open the 
bags to reveal heroin, opium, and marijuana to observers. 
The crane then deposited the sacks into the warehouse's ovens 
until the contents of both trucks had been destroyed. 
 
¶2. (SBU) The NSS Press Center provided attendees with a press 
release indicating that the narcotics load consisted of 492 
kg of heroin, 822 kg of opium, 133.5 kg of marijuana, and 6 
kg of hashish, poppy straw, tablets and ampoules with 
psychotropic substances.  All of the drugs had been 
confiscated in 2007-2008 and had been used as material 
evidence during criminal proceedings.  The press release 
cited information from Uzbekistan's State Commission for Drug 
Control, indicating that Uzbekistan's law enforcement bodies 
had seized a total of 2,113.7 kg of narcotics--including 
730.9 kg of opium, 680.8 kg of marijuana, and 479.9 kg of 
heroin--in 2007.  It also noted that Uzbekistan has destroyed 
40,500 kg of narcotics since 1994. 
NORLAND