VZCZCXRO5701
RR RUEHCHI RUEHFK RUEHHM RUEHKSO RUEHNAG RUEHPB
DE RUEHVK #0102/01 2621020
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 181020Z SEP 08
FM AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK
INFO RUEABND/DEA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHZU/ASIAN PACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION COLLECTIVE
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0001
RUEHVK/AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK 1098

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VLADIVOSTOK 000102 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR PGOV PREL KCRM RS
SUBJECT: ADDICTION, SMUGGLING, AND CRIME IN THE RUSSIAN FAR EAST 
 
VLADIVOSTO 00000102  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  Summary.  Speakers at a drug prevention conference discussed 
the challenges involved in fighting drug use and trafficking in 
the Russian Far East, an area with higher-than-average drug use 
and drug-related crime, and that is rife with smuggling.  A 
predominant theme throughout the conference was the need for 
increased international cooperation with Russia's Asian 
neighbors, support for which was evidenced by the participation 
of several Asian representatives, including a large Chinese 
delegation. 
 
------------------------------------- 
Extensive International Participation 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  The Primorye Kray Administration, the Federal Drug Control 
Service (FDCS) and Far Eastern State University (FESU) organized 
a conference titled "Drug Addiction and Crime Prevention in the 
Asia-Pacific Region" September 9-10 in Vladivostok.  The event 
attracted about 350 participants from Russia and neighboring 
countries, and included GOR representatives, scientists, 
doctors, and NGO representatives as speakers.  Organizers of the 
event emphasized the need for international cooperation in drug 
interdiction.  Speakers included a Chinese researcher, a Korean 
social worker and the Japanese Consul General, and attendees 
included a group of about 25 government and academic experts 
from China. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
Primorye Drug Rates Higher Than Russian Average 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶3.  Major General Aleksandr Beklemishev, Head of the Russian Far 
East Division of the FDCS, painted a grim picture of the drug 
situation in the Russian Far East, noting that drug-related 
crime and usage statistics for the region remained considerably 
higher than national levels.  According to the Ministry of 
Internal Affairs, during the first half of 2008, drug 
related-crimes were 31 percent more common in the Russian Far 
East than elsewhere in Russia (112 per one hundred thousand 
residents compared to 86), and drug addiction was 19 percent 
more prevalent (292 registered drug addicts per 100 thousand 
residents compared to 245).  However, Vladimir Kurilov, Rector 
of FESU reported that official data are inaccurate, and that the 
real addiction rate is likely 1.5 to 2 times higher than in the 
rest of Russia. 
 
¶4.  In addition, Authorities confiscate eight to nine tons of 
marijuana, 300 to 350 kilos of hashish, and 100-120 kilos of 
hashish oil in the RFE Federal District annually.  FDCS officers 
have destroyed several tons of cannabis plants and made 847 
heroin confiscations so far this year in the region. 
 
¶5.  Primorye Governor Sergey Darkin also spoke, making sure to 
point out his Kray Administration cooperates extensively with 
the FDCS, and has allotted 82 million rubles (USD 3.4 million) 
towards its 2005-2010 "Primorye without Drugs" prevention 
program. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
China a Major Factor in Far East Drug Trade 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  General Beklemishev also stated that his agency has seen a 
sharp increase in the amount of cross-border trafficking, with 
registered smuggling cases rising steadily from only 14 in 2004 
to 85 in 2007.  Primorye and Amurskaya Oblasts in particular 
continue to experience high levels of smuggling due to their 
locations along the China border. 
 
¶7.  Aleksandr Rolik, Head of Primorye Regional FDCS, stressed 
the international aspects of the problem.  He stated that 
Primorye-based smugglers direct their product toward China, 
taking advantage of the higher prices that cannabis-based drugs 
fetch there.  Rolik made a point of emphasizing that increased 
cooperation between his officers and counterparts from Japan, 
the Republic of Korea and China have been instrumental in the 
past, and must continue to grow.  He used as an example 
cooperation with Japanese authorities that destroyed the main 
opiate transit route from Central Asia to Japan in the late 
nineties. 
 
----------------------------- 
Official Points Finger at U.S. 
----------------------------- 
 
¶8.  Aleksandr Fyodorov, Deputy Director of the FDCS, pointed to 
Afghanistan as the main cause of the increased global drug 
trade, noting that the country's production of opium increased 
from 42 tons 1984 to 8,100 tons in 2007.  He wondered aloud why 
drug production has experienced such a large surge in 
Afghanistan, despite the U.S. and NATO military presence there. 
[Note: His implied sentiment echoed a February Channel One TV 
 
VLADIVOSTO 00000102  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
broadcast that more directly alleged that the U.S. actively 
encourages drug trafficking from Afghanistan to Europe.  End 
Note.] 
 
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Comment 
-------- 
 
¶9.  The conference was an encouraging sign that the Russia is 
searching to improve international collaboration among Pacific 
Rim neighbors in its fight against illegal drugs.  Though the 
clear focus was on China -- which sent a large delegation and 
was referred to extensively by many speakers -- it is important 
to note that Afghanistan is also a key concern and that an 
undercurrent of blaming the U.S. for Russia's drug woes is never 
far from the surface. 
ARMBRUSTER