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RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLI #2685/01 3051647
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 311647Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY LISBON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7124
INFO RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID 2644

UNCLAS LISBON 002685 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR PO
SUBJECT: PORTUGAL: DRAFT OF 2008 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL 
STRATEGY REPORT (INCSR) 
 
REF: SECSTATE 100992 
 
¶1. Per reftel request, attached is Embassy Lisbon's submission for 
the 2008 INCSR Report. 
¶I. Summary 
Portugal once again saw a significant decline in cocaine seizures as 
shipments to Europe are increasingly being routed through African 
nations rather than Northern Atlantic routes.  As a result, seizures 
of cocaine decreased from 5.2 metric tons in the first six months of 
2007 to 2.6 metric tons during the same period in 2008. In the first 
half of 2008, seizures of heroin increased from 40 kilograms in 2007 
to 49 kilograms in 2008. Hashish seizures increased significantly 
from 15.1 metric tons in the first half of 2007 to 24.4 metric tons 
in the first half of 2008. U.S.-Portugal cooperation on drugs has 
included high-level visits to Portugal by U.S. officials and 
experts, and consultations on the newly established Maritime 
Analysis Operations Center for Narcotics (MAOC-N), located in 
Lisbon. Portugal is party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention. 
II. Status of Country 
Drug smugglers have used Portugal as a primary gateway to Europe in 
recent years; their task is made easier by open borders among the 
Schengen Agreement countries and by Portugal's long coastline. 
Since early 2007, Portuguese law enforcement entities have seen a 
significant drop in cocaine seizures and speculate that traffickers 
have moved to Western African nations and then enter Europe in 
smaller, harder to detect packages.  South America remains the 
primary source of cocaine arriving in Portugal, usually transited 
through Brazil and Venezuela. For hashish, primary source countries 
were Morocco and Spain. Cocaine and heroin enter Portugal by 
commercial aircraft, containers, and maritime vessels. The 
Netherlands, Spain and Belgium are the primary sources of Ecstasy in 
Portugal. Drug abuse within the Portuguese prison system continues 
to be a major concern for authorities. 
III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 2008 
Policy Initiatives. Portugal decriminalized drug use for casual 
consumers and addicts on July 1, 2001. The law makes the 
"consumption, acquisition, and possession of drugs for personal use" 
a simple administrative offense. In 2007, the Portuguese Parliament 
approved a law allowing police to test drivers' saliva for driving 
under the influence of narcotics and/or alcohol. If the road-side 
sample is positive, drivers must then undergo a blood test at a 
health care establishment to confirm the results. Drug testing prior 
to the new law had to be done at a health care establishment, making 
the process more complicated for both drivers and law enforcement 
officers. 
Law Enforcement Efforts. Portugal has seven separate law enforcement 
agencies that deal with narcotics: the Judicial Police (PJ), the 
Public Security Police (PSP), the Republican National Guard (GNR), 
Customs (DGAIEC), the Immigration Service (SEF), the Directorate 
General of Prison Services (DGSP), and the Maritime Police (PM). The 
PJ is a unit of the Ministry of Justice with overall responsibility 
for coordination of criminal investigations. The PM reports to the 
Ministry of Defense and the other entities are units of the Ministry 
of the Interior. According to a 2007 semi-annual report prepared by 
the PJ, the Portuguese law enforcement forces arrested 2,550 
individuals for drug-related offenses in the first six months of 
2008 as "traffickers/consumers." Of those arrested, 80% were 
Portuguese citizens, but the foreign nationals arrested include 
citizens from Cape Verde (229), Guinea Bissau (50), Brazil (36), 
Angola (30), and Spain (23).  The 2007 PJ semi-annual report 
indicates a significant decrease in the cocaine seized in the first 
half of 2007 compared to the first half of 2006. Cocaine seizures 
fell by 45% from 5.2 metric tons to just 2.6 metric tons in the 
first half of 2008. Also over the first six months of 2008, compared 
to the same timeframe in 2007, hashish seizures jumped by 60% to 
24.4 metric tons, Ecstasy seizures increased to 64,361 pills and 
heroin seizures increased  to 49 kilograms. PJ's first semester 
report on 2008 activities notes the seizure of over 1 million Euros 
in cash, plus the equivalent of over 12,000 Euros in foreign 
currency, and 344 vehicles, 1,565 cell phones, and 114 weapons. 
--  On May 14, 2008, GNR officers seized 4.4 metric tons of hashish 
in Cabanas de Tavira, Portugal.  Most hashish seized in Portugal is 
intended for the Portuguese market, alQough some does go to Spain. 
--  On June 26, 2008, Portuguese Judicial Police (PJ) seized 199 
bales of hashish, weighing 6 metric tons, off the southwestern coast 
in a Portuguese fishing boat. 
 
Corruption. As a matter of government policy, Portugal does not 
encourage or facilitate the illicit production or distribution of 
drugs or substances, or the laundering of proceeds from illegal drug 
transactions. 
Agreements and Treaties. Portugal is party to the 1988 UN Drug 
Convention, the 1961 UN Single Convention as amended by the 1972 
Protocol, and the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances. 
Portugal is party to the UN Convention against Transnational 
Organized Crime and its protocols against trafficking in persons and 
migrant smuggling. In September 2007 Portugal ratified the UN 
Convention against Corruption. A Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement 
(CMAA) has been in force between Portugal and the U.S. since 1994. 
Portugal and the U.S. are parties to an extradition treaty since 
¶1908. Although this treaty does not cover financial crimes or drug 
trafficking or organized crime, certain drug trafficking offenses 
 
are deemed extraditable in accordance with the terms of the 1988 UN 
Drug Convention. 
Drug Flow/Transit. Portugal's long, rugged coastline and its 
proximity to North Africa offer an advantage to traffickers who 
smuggle illicit drugs into Portugal. In some cases, traffickers are 
reported to use high-speed boats in attempts to smuggle drugs into 
the country, and some traffickers use the Azores islands as a 
transshipment point. The U.S. has not been identified as a 
significant destination for drugs transiting through Portugal. 
Domestic Programs. Responsibility for coordinating Portugal's drug 
programs was moved to the Ministry of Health in 2002. The Government 
also established the Institute for Drugs and Drug Addiction (IDT) by 
merging the Portuguese Institute for Drugs and Drug Addiction (IPDT) 
with the Portuguese Service for the Treatment of Drug Addiction 
(SPTT). The IDT gathers statistics, disseminates information on 
narcotics issues and manages government treatment programs for 
narcotic addictions. It also sponsors several programs aimed at drug 
prevention and treatment, the most important of which is the 
Municipal Plan for Primary Prevention. Its objective is to create, 
with community input, locality-specific prevention programs in 
thirty-six municipal districts. IDT runs a hotline and manages 
several public awareness campaigns. Regional commissions are charged 
with reducing demand for drugs, collecting fines and arranging for 
the treatment of drug abusers. A national needle exchange program 
was credited with significantly reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS and 
hepatitis, although HIV infections resulting from injections are 
still a major concern in the Portuguese prison system. In November 
2006, Lisbon city officials approved plans for legalized assisted 
narcotics consumption centers or "shoot houses" to open in late 2007 
but the heated internal debate has stalled plans to open. Portugal 
is implementing its National Drugs Strategy: 2005-2012, with an 
intermediary impact assessment scheduled for 2008. It builds on the 
EU's Drugs Strategy 2000-2004 and Action Plan on Drugs 2000-2004 and 
focuses on reducing drug use, drug dependence and drug-related 
health and social risks. The 2008 strategy includes prevention 
programs in schools and within families, early intervention, 
treatment, harm reduction, rehabilitation, and social reintegration 
measures. 
IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs 
Bilateral Cooperation. DEA-Madrid is responsible for coordinating 
with Portuguese authorities on U.S.-nexus drug cases. The Portuguese 
Customs Bureau cooperates with the U.S. under the terms of the 1994 
CMAA. 
In April 2008, U.S. Director for the Office of National Drug Control 
Policy John Walters visited Portugal and met with Portuguese law 
enforcement, health, and NGO officials to discuss the narcotics 
problem in Portugal. 
The Road Ahead. Portugal and the U.S. will use their excellent 
cooperative relationship to improve narcotics enforcement in both 
countries. 
BALLARD