VZCZCXRO0914
RR RUEHIK RUEHPOD RUEHYG
DE RUEHNT #0948/01 2271221
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 141221Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY TASHKENT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0165
INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RUEHAH/AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT 4279
RUEHTA/AMEMBASSY ASTANA 0493
RUEHEK/AMEMBASSY BISHKEK 4896
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 0748
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0523
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 0775
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 4476
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 2767
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 0787
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 7542
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1426
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEABNE/DEA HQS WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0333
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1407
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 2734
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC 0332
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC 0183

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TASHKENT 000948 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR INL ANDREW BUHLER 
ASTANA FOR ANTHONY BEAVER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KCRM KG AF IR UZ
SUBJECT: UNODC REPORTS FIRST PRECURSOR SEIZURE IN 
UZBEKISTAN SINCE 2001 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED -- PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  Poloff met on August 8 with Mark Colhoun, 
Senior Regional Law Enforcement Advisor at the United Nations 
Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Office in Central 
Asia, which is based in Tashkent.  Colhoun said the recently 
conducted Operation Tarcet netted 1.6 tons of acetic 
anhydride, the first seizure of this chemical in Uzbekistan 
since 1997 and the first precursor of any kind since 2001. 
Larger quantities of precursors were seized in Iran and 
Pakistan, the first such seizures since March 2001.  Colhoun 
reported the operation was "well organized and executed" and 
helped to raise awareness throughout the region about 
attempts to import narcotics precursors into Afghanistan. 
Colhoun also noted that meth is a growing concern after two 
laboratories were discovered in Kyrgyzstan in the past year, 
where ephedra "grows in the wild." 
 
First Seizure Since 1997 
------------------------ 
 
¶2. (U) On August 8 Colhoun informed poloff at a meeting at 
UNODC's Central Asia Headquarters that the second phase of 
Operation Tarcet, which targeted heroin precursor chemicals 
bound for Afghanistan, recently concluded in Uzbekistan (but 
is still winding down in some countries).  He reported that 
in April 2008 officers of Uzbekistan's State Customs 
Committee and National Security Service seized 1.6 tons of 
acetic anhydride on an Afghanistan-bound container which 
originated in Korea.  The precursor seizure was the first of 
this chemical in Uzbekistan since 1997 and the first of any 
kind since 2001. 
 
Success Elsewhere in the Region 
------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Authorities also broke long seizure droughts in 
Iran, where five tons of acetic anhydride were seized, and in 
Pakistan, where officials identified 14 tons.  Colhoun said 
these were the first seizures of this precursor in these 
countries since March 2001.  He added that Iranian 
authorities also seized 16 tons of acetal chloride, which he 
explained is an alternate precursor for heroin production. 
The Tajiks also reportedly seized 156 kilos of acetic 
anhydride.  Colhoun said UNODC's Operation Tarcet was a big 
success, and that it was "well organized and executed."  He 
added that it was a big confidence booster for law 
enforcement in the various states, especially for the members 
of the Central Asia Regional Information and Coordination 
Center (CARICC), which helped coordinate efforts.  Colhoun 
also noted it raised awareness throughout the broad region 
surrounding Afghanistan about criminal efforts to smuggle 
precursors into Afghanistan for heroin production. 
 
Is Meth on the Rise in Central Asia? 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶4. (SBU) Colhoun informed poloff that methamphetamines are 
thus far not widely used in Central Asia; however he said 
UNODC is concerned it could be a growing threat to the 
region.  He mentioned that two meth labs have been discovered 
in Kyrgyzstan in the past year, where the active ingredient 
ephedra "grows in the wild."  Cheaply produced meth, he said, 
could quickly permeate Central Asia and adversely impact 
communities already grappling with the higher volume of drugs 
emanating from Afghanistan in recent years. 
 
 
TASHKENT 00000948  002 OF 002 
 
 
Comment: 
-------- 
 
¶5. (U) With INL support, UNODC has been very active in 
upgrading security on the Uzbek-Afghan border, where projects 
continue.  However, the positive news about the first 
precursor seizure in Uzbekistan in many years will reinforce 
to Uzbek officials that counter-narcotics efforts should not 
focus solely on what may be coming from Afghanistan but 
should involve close scrutiny of cargo heading into 
Afghanistan as well.  The regional success of Operation 
Tarcet also bodes well for CARICC's efforts to encourage 
collaboration among Central Asian states and sends a message 
to drug lords that it may get harder and harder to bring in 
raw materials for narcotics production. 
 
BUTCHER