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PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHTH #1561/01 3220556
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 170556Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2797
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEABND/DEA WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ATHENS 001561 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT ALSO FOR EUR/SE AND INL:JOHN LYLE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR KCRM PGOV PREL GR
SUBJECT: GREECE: 2008-2009 INCSR PART I 
 
¶1. (U) The full text of the draft 2008-2009 INCSR Part I for Greece 
follows: 
 
 
 
Greece[DVM1] 2008-2009 INCSR Part I: Drugs and Chemical Control 
 
¶I. Summary 
 
Greece is a "gateway" country in the transit of illicit drugs and 
contraband. Although not a major transit country for drugs headed 
for the United States, Greece is part of the traditional "Balkan 
Route" for drugs flowing from drug-producing countries in the east 
to drug-consuming countries in Western Europe. Greek authorities 
report that drug abuse and addiction continue to climb in Greece as 
the age for first-time drug use drops. Drug trafficking remains a 
significant issue for Greece in its battle against organized crime. 
Investigations initiated by the DEA and its Hellenic counterparts 
suggest that a dramatic rise has occurred in the number and size of 
drug trafficking organizations operating in Greece. 
 
During the year, the DEA and Hellenic authorities conducted numerous 
counternarcotics investigations, which resulted in significant 
arrests, narcotics seizures, and the dismantling of drug trafficking 
organizations.  The Greek court system and the Ministry of Justice 
continued to lack databases for the case management and tracking of 
convictions and sentences for traffickers.  Greece is a party to the 
1988 UN Drug Convention. 
 
II. Status of Country 
 
With an extensive coastline border, numerous islands, and land 
borders with other countries through which drugs can be transported, 
Greece's geography makes it a favored drug transshipment country on 
the route to Western Europe. Greece is also home to the world's 
largest merchant marine fleet. While many of these vessels are 
flagged in places such as Panama and Liberia, it is estimated that 
Greek firms own one out of every six cargo vessels and control 20-25 
percent of cargo shipments worldwide. The utilization of cargo 
vessels is the cheapest, fastest and most secure method to transport 
multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America to distribution 
centers in Europe and the United States. Greece is not a significant 
source country for illicit drug production, and in general, the 
marijuana produced locally is destined for the domestic market. 
Authorities estimated that annual production of the drug appears to 
be well over 80 tons. Crete, Arcadia, Messinia, Ileia and Laconia 
are the top production regions, while only Arta and Grevena appear 
to have completely clean records.  It is also estimated that 
domestic production accounts for only 10-20 percent of local 
consumption; the remainder is believed to be grown in Albania. 
 
III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 2008 
 
Policy Initiatives. Greece participates in the Southeast European 
Cooperative Initiative's (SECI) anticrime initiative and in a 
specialized counternarcotics task force at the regional Anti-Crime 
Center in Bucharest. Enhanced cooperation among SECI member states 
has the potential to disrupt and eventually eliminate the ability of 
drug trafficking organizations to operate in the region. 
 
Law Enforcement Efforts. Several notable joint U.S./Hellenic 
counternarcotics investigations occurred during 2008 with 
significant arrests and seizures. Drug trafficking organizations in 
the Balkan region, including Greece, usually transport southwest 
Asian heroin from the Middle East and Turkey to Western Europe. 
Recent investigations and trends indicate more frequent cocaine 
seizures by Hellenic authorities. 
 
During February 2008, with intelligence provided to the DEA by 
Hellenic Authorities, the French Coast Guard seized 3,210 kilograms 
of cocaine. Nine (9) individuals were arrested, two of whom were 
Hellenic Nationals. In addition, the Greek owner of the vessel was 
also arrested for his knowledge of, and participation in, the 
smuggling operation. This shipment originated in South America and 
was destined for Western Europe. 
 
In April 2008, the Hellenic Coast Guard seized 22.5 kilograms of 
heroin from an individual in the port city of Igoumenitsa.  This 
individual was going to board a ferry destined for Italy when the 
heroin, hidden in his vehicle, was discovered. 
 
During the same month, the Hellenic Special Control Service (YPEE) 
seized 4 kilograms of cocaine, which had been mailed from Costa Rica 
and was concealed inside cereal boxes. Two individuals were arrested 
in connection with this case. 
 
In July 2008, the YPEE inspected a motorized RV/camper on the island 
of Hios; the vehicle had just arrived from Turkey.  After a careful 
search of the vehicle, 140 kilograms of heroin were seized; three 
(3) Hungarian nationals were arrested. 
 
ATHENS 00001561  002 OF 004 
 
 
 
During August 2008, the Hellenic National Police seized 6.6 
kilograms of heroin and arrested two (2) individuals, one Greek and 
one Albanian.  Also seized were a handgun, magazines, an electronic 
scale, and 11,000 euro in cash. 
 
In September 2008, the Hellenic Coast Guard seized 26 kilograms of 
marijuana hidden inside a vehicle.  The Albanian national associated 
with the marijuana escaped. 
 
While Greek law enforcement authorities achieved successes in making 
seizures and arrests, the Greek court system and the Ministry of 
Justice continued to lack databases to track convictions and 
sentences for traffickers.  This lack of information management 
capacity also hinders the ability of law enforcement authorities to 
manage and complete complex, long-term investigations in narcotics 
trafficking. 
 
Drug Seizure Statistics, 2005-2007 
(Source: Coordinating Body for Drug Enforcement, National 
Information Unit) 
 
Statistics are provided in this format:  2005 / 2006 / 2007 
 
Drug Seizures (Cases): 10,461 / 9,873 / 9,540 
Accused Persons (Persons): 14,922 / 13,963 / 13,253 
 
CANNABIS: 
Processed Hashish (kg): 10,209.28 / 74.964 / 4.833 
Unprocessed Cannabis (kg): 8,004.04 / 12,314.205 / 6,909.688 
Hashish "Honey Oil" (kg): 3.011 / 0.523 / 1.484 
Cannabis Plants (units): 34,993 / 32,495 / 17,611 
 
OPIATES: 
Heroin and Morphine (kg): 331.329 / 312.243 / 259.33 
Raw Opium (kg): 1.680 / 0.314 / 24.891 
Methadone (kg): 8.719 / 9.456 / 24.783 
Codeine (tablets): 0 / 50.5 / 0 
Other Opiates (kg): 0.023 / 0.419 / 0.005 
Poppy Plants (units): 0 / 0 / 62 
 
STIMULANTS: 
Cocaine (kg): 42.819 / 60.658 / 225.247 
Coca Leaves (kg): 0.005 / 0.898 / 0.115 
Amphetamines (kg): 1.11 / 0.05 / 0.112 
Methamphetamines (kg): 0.09 / 0.006 / 0.066 
Crystal Methamphetamines (kg): 0 / 0 / 0.079 
Ecstasy (kg): 0.023 / 0.051 / 0.281 
Qat (kg): 34.398 / 25.08 / 10.697 
New Synthetic Drugs (kg): 0 / 0.288 / 0.047 
 
NARCOTIC PHARMACEUTICALS: 
Hallucinogens (kg): 0 / 0.83 / 0 
LSD (drops): 120 / 146 / 2,880 
LSD (tablets): 6 / 120 / 4 
Psilocybin (kg): 0 / 0.041 / 0 
Tranquilizers (kg): 0.1 / 0.058 / 0.261 
Barbiturates (kg): 0.003 / 0 / 0 
 
PRECURSOR SUBSTANCES: 
Ephedrine Hydrochloride (tablets): 1088 / 14 / 0 
Sassafras Oil (liters): 0 / 0 / 3 
 
Burgled Drugstores: 43 / 33 / 19 
 
Corruption. Officers and representatives of Greece's law enforcement 
agencies are generally under-trained and underpaid.  Thus, 
corruption in law enforcement is a problem.  In November 2007, law 
enforcement officers and politicians were involved with the sale of 
hashish and marijuana on the island of Crete. In September 2008, a 
former Minister and personal aide of the Prime Minister was 
convicted and given a 12-month suspended prison sentence for 
intervening on behalf of a constituent who was growing cannabis. 
 
Transparency International's annual corruption report perennially 
ranks Greece near the bottom for European Union member states. 
 
As a matter of government policy, Greece neither encourages nor 
facilitates the illicit production or distribution of narcotics, 
psychotropic drugs, or other controlled substances or the laundering 
of proceeds from illegal drug transactions. 
 
Agreements and Treaties. Greece is a party to the 1988 UN Drug 
Convention, the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and 
the 1961 UN Single Convention as amended by its 1972 Protocol. An 
agreement between Greece and the United States to exchange 
information on narcotics trafficking has been in force since 1928. A 
bilateral mutual legal assistance treaty and an extradition treaty 
between the U.S. and Greece are in force.  Greece has also signed 
but not ratified the U.S.-EU extradition and mutual legal assistance 
 
ATHENS 00001561  003 OF 004 
 
 
agreements.  However, in practice the Greek government refuses to 
extradite Greek nationals and Greek-Americans to the United States. 
The United States and Greece also have concluded a customs mutual 
assistance agreement (CMAA). The CMAA allows for the exchange of 
information, intelligence, and documents to assist in the prevention 
and investigation of customs offenses, including the identification 
and screening of containers that pose a terrorism risk. Greece has 
signed, but has not yet ratified, the UN Convention against 
Transnational Organized Crime and the UN Convention against 
Corruption. 
 
Cultivation/Production. Cannabis is the only illicit drug produced 
in Greece. Cannabis is cultivated in relatively small amounts and 
generally intended for local consumption. However, it was discovered 
in November 2007 that an organization on the island of Crete had 
been selling marijuana and hashish to parts of Western Europe for 
many years. 
 
Drug Flow/Transit. Greece is part of the "Balkan Route" and as such 
is a transshipment country for Southwest Asian heroin, primarily 
from Afghanistan via Turkey, hashish, and marijuana coming 
predominantly from the Middle East and Africa.  2007 statistics, 
released this year, indicate that one ton of heroin transited the 
city of Thessaloniki--only 10% of which was confiscated by police. 
In addition, metric-ton quantities of marijuana and smaller 
quantities of other drugs (principally synthetic drugs) are 
trafficked into Greece from Albania, Bulgaria, and the Republic of 
Macedonia. Hashish is offloaded in remote areas of the country and 
transported to Western Europe by boat or overland. Larger shipments 
are smuggled into Greece in shipping containers, on bonded Transport 
International Routier ("TIR") trucks, in automobiles, on trains, and 
in buses. Some Southwest Asian heroin is smuggled into the United 
States but there is no evidence that significant amounts of 
narcotics are entering the United States from Greece.  There have 
also been unconfirmed reports that Turkish-refined heroin is traded 
for Latin American cocaine. 
 
Domestic Programs / Demand Reduction. Drug addiction problems 
continued to increase in Greece. According to new statistics from 
the National Documentation Center for Narcotics and Addiction, run 
by the Mental Health Research Institute of the Medical School of the 
University of Athens, 19.4 percent of the Greek population between 
12 and 64 years of age reported that they experimented or used an 
illegal substance at least once. The most commonly used substances 
were chemical solvents, marijuana, and heroin. There was a surge in 
the illegal use of tranquilizers and, to a lesser extent, ecstasy 
pills, reflecting growth in the European synthetic drug market. The 
government of Greece estimated that there were between 20,000 and 
30,000 addicts in Greece and that the addict population was growing; 
approximately 20,000 individuals were addicted to heroin, and 9,500 
of this population used injected heroin. Recent enforcement trends 
indicated a rise in the distribution and use of cocaine within 
Greece and in Europe in general. Cocaine use has tripled in Europe 
over the past decade. 
 
Demand reduction programs in Greece are typically 
government-supported; few drug prevention and treatment programs 
with independent or private funding exist. 
 
The Organization Against Narcotics (OKANA) is a government-supported 
agency that coordinates the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation 
of drug addiction in Greece.  Besides OKANA, other officially 
supported drug treatment organizations include the Therapy Center 
for Dependent Individuals (KETHEA), the "18 Ano" Detoxification Unit 
of the Psychiatric Hospital of Attika, the Psychiatric Hospital of 
Thessaloniki, the Psychiatric Clinic of the University of Athens, 
and other public hospitals in Greece which run joint programs with 
OKANA. OKANA operates 70 prevention centers, 57 therapeutic 
rehabilitation centers (33 of which offer "drug free" programs), and 
20 substitution centers, offering methadone and buprenorphine.  In 
2006, 4,847 drug addicts were treated (a 14% increase over 2005), 
and while 3,250 individuals were treated in drug substitution 
programs, as of May 2007 the waiting list was 4,000 persons. OKANA 
extended its programs to new regions in 2007 and 2008 despite strong 
local reactions against the establishment of treatment centers. 
KETHEA operates four narcotics prevention centers in Athens, 
offering prevention, support, and drug awareness programs--as well 
as referrals to other rehabilitation/detoxification centers. 
 
Demand for these prevention and treatment programs continues to 
outstrip supply.  In June 2008, a Thessaloniki newspaper reported 
that a lack of funding for drug addiction treatment and prevention 
centers in the city contributed to long waiting lists for these 
rehabilitation programs.  The report indicated that 950 persons were 
in treatment but that the waiting list was approximately 1,500 
persons long. 
 
IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs 
 
Bilateral Cooperation. DEA officers work with the Hellenic police to 
 
ATHENS 00001561  004 OF 004 
 
 
support coordination of regional counternarcotics efforts through 
joint operations as well as training seminars. The DEA Athens 
Country Office conducted multiple workshops with counterparts from 
the Hellenic National Police and Hellenic Coast Guard during this 
year.  The workshops provided an opportunity for DEA personnel and 
Greek counterparts to receive and exchange ideas on various issues, 
including regional drug trends, the nexus between drug trafficking 
and terrorism, officer safety and survival, undercover operations, 
and confidential source management.  The workshops were well 
received by Greek law enforcement authorities and the Hellenic 
Police has expressed interest in further events.  A DEA 
international training team may travel to Athens to conduct a more 
formal training seminar with Greek and regional counterparts in 
early 2009. 
 
The Road Ahead. The United States continues to encourage the GOG to 
participate actively in international organizations focused on 
narcotics assistance coordination efforts, such as the Dublin Group 
of narcotics assistance donor countries. The DEA will continue to 
organize regional and international conferences, seminars, and 
workshops with the goal of building regional cooperation and 
coordination in the effort against narcotics trafficking. 
 
SPECKHARD 
[DVM1]Clearances: 
 
LEGATT: Jeff Rolka   ok 
RSO: Tim Haley  ok 
DEA: Andrew Diamond  ok