VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHPG #0707/01 3170934
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 120934Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY PRAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0830
INFO RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA PRIORITY 0055
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

UNCLAS PRAGUE 000707 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR DRL/ILCSR MARK MITTELHAUSER 
STATE FOR G/TIP STEVE STEINER 
LABOR FOR DOL/ILAB RACHEL RIGBY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR ELAB PHUM SOCI EZ
 
SUBJECT: 2008-2009 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY REPORT, 
CZECH REPUBLIC 
 
REF:  STATE 100992 
 
¶1. Summary:  Illegal narcotics are imported to, manufactured in, and 
consumed in the Czech Republic. While the overall number of drug 
users in the country is relatively stable, the rates of use for 
marijuana, Ecstasy, and methamphetamines are among the highest in 
Europe. Marijuana, grown locally and imported from Holland, is used 
more than any other drug. Locally produced high-THC content 
marijuana is exported to neighboring countries, and methamphetamine 
(known locally as pervitin) is sold for domestic consumption and 
export. Levels of heroin reaching the Czech Republic have remained 
stable over recent years, while cocaine use is low. The Czech 
Republic is a producer of ergometrine, which is then used for the 
production of LSD. Extensive and ongoing police reforms and 
recurrent changes in police management have led to understaffing 
which has hampered the ability of the police to effectively do their 
job. The Czech Republic is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention. 
 
Status of Country 
------------------------ 
¶2.  Several factors make the Czech Republic an attractive country 
for groups engaged in the drug trade. These factors include its 
central location, relatively short sentences for drug-related 
crimes, and the low risk of assets confiscation. A new law on public 
sector compensation has caused many police officers to pursue early 
retirement, leading to major understaffing. The abolition of the 
Financial Police has led to a decrease in detection rates of 
laundered drug money. The decrease in border control mechanisms as 
part of EU accession in 2004 and entry into the Schengen System at 
the end of 2007 have made detection of narcotics coming across the 
border more difficult. The maximum sentence for a drug-related crime 
is 15 years imprisonment, but often convicted drug traffickers 
receive only light or suspended sentences. A four-year governmental 
action plan, "The National Drug Policy Strategy for 2005-2009," is 
re-evaluated internally every year for appropriate changes. 
According to the annual report of European Monitoring Center for 
Drugs and Drug Addiction, the rate of marijuana use in the Czech 
Republic is the highest in Europe, with 28.2 percent of young adults 
having used the drug within the previous twelve months. Together 
with Danes, Czechs are also the most likely to have used marijuana 
in their lifetimes. Consumption of Ecstasy and pervitin was among 
the highest in the EU. 
 
¶3.  The "Czech National Focal Point for Drugs and Drug Addiction" is 
the main body responsible for collecting, analyzing and interpreting 
data on drug use. According to their annual report the number of 
drug users was stable in 2007. The report estimates there were 
20,900 pervitine and approximately 10,000 opiate users-among the 
highest percentages of use in the EU. The use of Subutex (an opiate 
used in the treatment of addiction)  and heroin declined  and 
showed  4,250  and 5,750 users respectively. 
 
¶4.  A 2007 "Health Behavior in School-aged Children" (HBSC) study 
confirmed the trend observed in the 2006 HBSC survey carried out 
among 15-year-old students: the dramatic increase in experience with 
drugs use observed since the mid-1990s has stopped.  It showed that 
25 percent of 15 year old children have tried marijuana, and 19 
percent of them used it in the last twelve months. Based on the 
Czech National Monitoring Center (Focal Point) the situation 
improved compared to 2002. At that time, 30 percent of polled 15 
year-olds reported they had tried marijuana, and 27 percent admitted 
that they had used marijuana in the last twelve months. 
 
Country Actions Against Drugs in 2008 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  Policy Initiatives:  Drug policy remains a contentious issue in 
Czech domestic politics. In March 2008 Minister of Justice Jiri 
Pospisil submitted a new penal code to the Parliament. The bill is 
currently due for the second reading in the House of Deputies of the 
Czech Parliament, and parliamentary sources say it could be passed 
by the end of November. Under the new bill, imprisonment up to one 
year may be imposed for possession of so-called "soft drugs," while 
a two-year limit has been set for the remaining drugs. The Greens, 
one of three parties in the current government, promote legalization 
of marijuana, i.e. decriminalize the use. The Criminal Code passed 
in 2005 for the first time made a sharp distinction between the use 
of "soft" drugs, such as marijuana and Ecstasy, and "hard" drugs, 
such as heroin and pervitin. An important and long-awaited law on 
social services was passed and came into force in 2006. Among other 
things, it defines basic types of social services for drug users and 
identifies drug users as a target group. This is important 
especially for non-governmental organizations providing such 
services to drug users and requesting funding from the Ministry of 
Labor and Social Affairs. 
 
 
¶6.  The Governmental Committee for Coordination of Drug Policy is 
the main body responsible for the Czech National Drug Policy 
strategy. The strategy document created for 2005-2009 highlights the 
importance of enforcement operations against organized criminal 
enterprises and focuses efforts on the reduction of addiction and 
associated health risks, and the establishment of a certification 
system for drug prevention programs. The government also controlled 
the availability of pills containing chemical precursors. The 
Committee includes representatives of local governments, medical 
specialists and NGO representatives. 
The National Drug Headquarters (NDH) is the main organization within 
the country responsible for major drug investigations. The drug 
units of the Czech Customs Service are also responsible for tracking 
drugs, but their roles differ. In addition to Customs common 
operational work and investigations, they focus on the control of 
the major port-of-entry into the country located at Prague 
international airport. Additionally, they use mobile groups to 
monitor suspicious trucks on highways around the country. This work 
has become more difficult after the country's 2004 entry into the 
EU, when border control checks were reduced. Customs is also 
responsible for monitoring the Czech Republic's modest licit poppy 
crop, highway permits, and trafficking in cigarettes, as well as 
levying certain taxes and fees. As a result of these additional 
tasks and changes related to the December 2007 accession to the EU 
Schengen System, the monitoring of drug trafficking is no longer the 
highest priority. 
 
¶7.  The NDH cooperates regularly with the Customs Service based on 
an agreement signed between the Ministries of Interior and Finance. 
Discussions continue on whether the NDH and the customs drug unit 
should be joined under one institution owing to overlapping 
responsibilities. 
 
¶8.  The NDH cooperates regularly with other police units including 
the Unit Combating Corruption and Financial Crimes, as the NDH is 
responsible for financial investigations following the abolition of 
the Financial Police in January 2007. Despite its strong reputation, 
the Interior Minister decided to abolish the Financial Police as 
part of a broader reform package. The decision has been criticized 
as having been politically motivated. As a result, the NDH conducts 
its basic financial investigations alone and refers cases of 
extensive financial investigations to the Unit Combating Corruption 
and Financial Crimes. 
 
¶9.  Law Enforcement:  In the first six months of 2008, the National 
Drug Headquarters, together with the Customs Service, seized 39.6 kg 
of heroin, compared to 20.33 kg in the entire 2007; 15,936 Ecstasy 
pills, compared to 63,226 pills in 2007; 1.84 kg of methamphetamine, 
compared to 5.9 kg of methamphetamine in 2007; 135.42 kg of 
marijuana, compared to 122.12 kg of marijuana in 2007; 7.9 kg of 
cocaine, compared to 37.5 kg of cocaine in 2007; and 11,910 cannabis 
plants.  They also uncovered 197 methamphetamine laboratories, 
compared to 388 methamphetamine laboratories in 2007; and 61 
marijuana cultivation laboratories, compared to 34 laboratories in 
¶2007. Of the 61 laboratories 53 were operated by Vietnamese gangs. 
The police also seized 245 LSD trips in the first half of 2008. 
 
¶10.  In March, after two months of intensive work, the police 
arrested five persons, three Czechs and two Brits, and closed what 
is believed to have been one of the most productive pervitin 
laboratories where they produced half a kilogram of the drug per 
week. The manufacture was funded from Britain, and most of the drugs 
were smuggled via an air courier to Britain. A smaller part of the 
production was sold in the Czech Republic. The five detainees are 
facing up to 15 years in prison. 
In April the police broke an organized gang producing drugs in the 
Central Bohemian region. Five men and a woman were arrested.  The 
group distributed pervitin and heroin worth more than CZK 4 million 
($245,000) mainly among Roma communities. 
 
¶11.  In April the Customs Service detained 31 persons suspected of 
manufacture and distribution of drugs. The operation, in which Czech 
officials in cooperation with their counterparts in West European 
countries and South America seized more than 30 kilograms of various 
drugs, lasted two years. The gang was operated by Nigerians living 
in the Czech Republic and using Czechs as couriers for shipments of 
drugs from Belgium, the Netherlands, Argentina, and Bolivia to the 
Czech Republic. 
In August the police detained an organized group suspected of 
illicit manufacture and distribution of anabolic steroids. The gang 
of two Czechs and a Turk were arrested after more than a year of 
investigation that involved cooperation with the police in Sweden, 
Spain, United Kingdom and Germany where four shipments of anabolic 
steroids worth millions of Czech crowns were seized. On Czech 
 
territory the police seized anabolic semi products and equipment 
worth also millions of Czech crowns.  The gang faces up to five 
years in prison. 
 
¶12.  The number of drug offences in the Czech Republic has remained 
relatively stable in recent years. According to the Czech National 
Monitoring Center, the number of people prosecuted for drug offences 
in 2007 was the lowest in the past four years and ranged, depending 
on the source, from 2,023 to 2,282. Two thousand and forty two 
people were charged with drug offences, which represents a decrease 
of 12% compared to 2006, and the lowest total number of people 
charged with such offences since 2000. 
 
¶13.  The annual 2007 Czech National Monitoring Center Report states 
that courts passed final sentences for 1,382 persons convicted of 
drug offences. In 2007 there was an increase in the proportion of 
individuals prosecuted for drug offences under Section 187a 
(possession of drugs for personal use). The most frequent drug 
offences were associated with pervitin (50-70%), followed by 
cannabis (20-30%). The proportion of cocaine has been increasing in 
recent years, although it still accounts for fewer than 3% of drug 
offences. Statistics for the first six months of 2008 show that of 
858 convicted criminals 370 received conditional sentences for 
drug-related crimes, and 228f received prison sentences.  Only 38 of 
this latter group received sentences of 5 to 15 years. The majority 
of those sentenced to serve time in prison (157) received sentences 
ranging from one to five years. According to 2007 data, higher 
prison sentences are given to people convicted of production and 
lower sentences are given for possession. 
 
¶14.  Corruption:  The Czech government does not encourage or 
facilitate illicit production or distribution of narcotic or 
psychotropic drugs or other controlled substances, or the laundering 
of proceeds from illegal drug transactions. A current provision in 
Czech law permits possession of a small amount of certain drugs, but 
does not give a definition of "small amount". To avoid confusion and 
to eliminate potential corruption, the Police President and Supreme 
Public Prosecutor have issued internal regulations that provide 
guidelines that attempt to define "small amount". While not binding, 
these guidelines are commonly followed. In 2007 no police officer 
was charged with drug-related crimes. The Czech Republic signed the 
UN Convention against Corruption in 2005, but has not yet ratified 
it. 
 
¶15.  Agreements and Treaties:  The Czech Republic is a party to the 
1961 UN Single Convention as amended by the 1972 Protocol, the 1971 
UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances and the 1988 UN Drug 
Convention. A 1925 extradition treaty between the U.S. and the Czech 
Republic, as supplemented in 1935, remains in force. U.S. and Czech 
representatives signed supplements to the U.S.-EU extradition treaty 
in May 2006. 
 
¶16.  Drug Flow/Transit:  Whereas in the past heroin trafficking in 
the country was mainly under the control of ethnic Albanian groups 
importing their product from Turkey, according to the Czech 
counternarcotics squad and Customs this is no longer the case. The 
importation of heroin is now mainly organized by Turks who have 
closer relations with suppliers in Turkey. Heroin is transported to 
the Czech Republic primarily using modified vehicles, in many cases 
vehicles importing textiles. Given the fact that Vietnamese 
immigrants specialize in the textile business in the Czech Republic, 
they play a role in further distribution. Heroin can be bought for a 
street price of 800 - 2000 crowns a gram ($44 - $115). Police and 
Customs suspect the Balkan route of heroin trafficking has moved 
south to Austria and, therefore, the Czech Republic is no longer 
viewed as a transit country for heroin. 
 
¶17.  Cocaine abuse is not as widespread as other drugs, but abuse is 
increasing due to the growing purchasing power of Czech citizens. 
Cocaine is frequently imported by Nigerians or Czechs through 
Western Europe from Brazil, Venezuela or, most recently, Argentina. 
Mail parcels, Czech couriers or "swallowers" are the most common 
methods of import. In 2007, the Czech Customs Service detected 38 kg 
of cocaine, which is almost four times more than in 2006. The drug 
was smuggled especially from the Netherlands.  Customs extended 
their cooperation with express courier services, which seem to be 
the most common way of importation. Cocaine can be bought for a 
street price of 1200 - 3500 crowns a gram ($67 - $200). 
 
¶18.  Pervitine is a synthetic methamphetamine-type stimulant that is 
popular in the Czech Republic. Statistics for pervitin use also 
represent the highest rates in Europe.  It can be easily produced in 
home laboratories from locally available flu pills containing up to 
30 mg of pseudoephedrine. According to the Czech Pharmaceutical 
Association, more than 80% of cold medications sold in the Czech 
 
 
Republic is being used for the clandestine manufacture of pervitin. 
According to the State Institute for Controlled Substances (SUKL), 
just 12 pharmacies were responsible for selling one quarter of the 4 
million medication packets sold in 2007.  The Czech government has 
been preparing a new law regulating access to those flu pills. Czech 
police also appears to have stepped up enforcement.  On June 5, 
Czech police announced charges against a pharmacist in connection 
with allegedly supplying up to 25,000 boxes of cold medications to a 
suspected meth cook in Chomutov, a city in northern Czech Republic 
near the German border. 
 
¶19.  It is believed that pervitine is also produced in bigger 
laboratories from imported ephedrine from the Balkans or Russia, and 
exported to Germany, Austria and Slovakia. Besides Czech citizens, 
who are still the main producers of the drug, Vietnamese and 
Albanians residing in the Czech Republic and Germans are also major 
pervitine traffickers. The Vietnamese control mainly border areas, 
selling drugs in market places. Pervitine can be bought for a street 
price of 400 - 4000 crowns a gram ($23 - $222). Imported Ecstasy 
tablets remain a favorite drug of the "dance scene." Ecstasy is 
trafficked primarily from the Netherlands and Belgium. Ecstasy 
tablets are smuggled into the country by local couriers. The police 
report an increase of larger one-time imports organized mainly by 
Czechs. Import is less risky due to EU's open borders under Schengen 
System. Ecstasy tablets can be bought for a street price of 80 - 500 
crowns a pill ($4.40- $28.60). 
 
¶20.  A trend toward larger-scale growth of cannabis plants in 
hydrophonic laboratories continued in 2007. The cultivation is 
increasingly sophisticated and mainly organized by Vietnamese and 
Czechs. In 2007, the police detected 34 laboratories. The number of 
detected hydrophonic laboratories increased dramatically in the 
first five months of 2008: 61 laboratories were detected of which 53 
were run by Vietnamese operators. According to the NDC thousands of 
cannabis plants, dozens of kilograms of the final dry product, and 
extensive number of technical equipment were seized. Most of the 
final product was intended for illegal distribution on the Czech 
market, and the rest was intended for export, mainly to Germany and 
the Netherlands. Marijuana can be bought for a street price of 50 - 
300 crowns a gram ($2.90 - $17.10). 
 
¶21.  Domestic Programs/Demand Reduction:  The main components of 
Czech demand reduction plans continue to be primary prevention along 
with treatment and re-socialization of abusers. This strategy 
entails a variety of programs that include school-based prevention 
education, drug treatment, and needle exchange programs. Within the 
context of the National Strategy, the government has established 
benchmarks for success. Some of these include stabilizing or 
reducing the number of "problem" (hard drug) users, reversing the 
trend in the Czech Republic toward rising recreational and 
experimental drug use, and ensuring the availability of treatment 
centers and social services. 
 
¶22.  To provide high-level treatment services all over the country, 
the National Strategy sets standards that are required of all drug 
treatment providers. In connection with this effort, the government 
began a certification process in 2005 for treatment facilities. A 
system of certifications of specialized primary prevention programs 
was launched in 2006. All providers of primary prevention programs 
must obtain certification prior to the end of 2008. According to the 
Czech National Monitoring Center 2008 report, a total of 22 
facilities were certified in 2007 (two treatment facilities and 20 
harm reduction facilities. In the first six months of 2008 
additional four facilities were certified for services in the field 
of harm reduction, treatment, and after-care. 
 
¶23.  For better orientation, the Czech government produced an online 
"Map of Help" in 2006 which lists contact information for all drug 
treatment programs in the Czech Republic, including those providing 
services by phone and the Internet. 
 
¶24.  In 2007 there were 109 contact centers and street programs in 
the Czech Republic. About 27,200 drug users used these services, and 
4.5 million injection kits were exchanged, which is 700,000 more 
than in 2006. Thanks to the successful needle exchange program, the 
percentage of HIV positive drug users is very low. Drug testing of 
individuals involved in serious traffic accidents or driving under 
the influence became mandatory in 2006. There were 15 substitutions 
centers in the Czech Republic in 2007 treating addicts with 
methadone and two medicines  Subutex and, since 2008 Subuxone, which 
feature beprenorphine as the addictive substance and can be 
prescribed by any physician, regardless their specialization. 
 
¶25.  In 2007 the state spent 367 million crowns ($20.2 million) on 
its drug policy. Of this amount, 128 million crowns ($5.1 million) 
 
were provided from regional budgets and 62 million ($ 3.35 million) 
was contributed from local budgets. Compared to 2006, total expenses 
increased on all three levels. 
 
¶26.  The National Focal Point statistics have noted a positive 
trend: the increasing average age of long-term drug users: 26.1 
years in 2007, compared to 25.3 years in 2006, 23.4 in 2004, and 22 
in 2002. 
 
U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs 
------------------------------------ 
¶27.  Bilateral Cooperation:  The U.S. covers Czech Republic drug 
issues through the DEA office in Warsaw but cooperation with the 
Vienna office is also very good. Exchange of information especially 
about technical equipment for manufacture of synthetic drugs between 
the DEA office in Vienna and the National Drugs Headquarters in 
Prague has been very productive. The Legal Attach maintains close 
contact with National Drug Headquarters representatives and 
exchanges information as necessary. The relationship with Czech law 
enforcement counterparts is cooperative. Cooperation between 
American and Czech officials on law enforcement and border security 
issues has increased as a result of the Czech Republic's entry into 
the U.S. visa waver program. 
 
¶28.  The Road Ahead:  The Czech Republic continues to implement 
police and legal reforms to ensure a stable, effective and 
independent police force. The Czech Parliament is expected to 
approve the new Penal Code and Criminal Proceedings Code by the end 
of 2008, which would come into effect on January 1, 2010.   The new 
codes will ensure that criminal prosecutions are conducted in a 
timely manner and sentencing is appropriate and predictable. The new 
Penal Code will newly differentiate between marihuana and other 
drugs. The Ministry of Health is expected to complete a draft 
regulation limiting the sale of medications containing precursors, 
such as Nurofen Stopgrip, Modafen, Paralen Plus, and Panadol Plus 
Grip, to one or two packets per person. The National Drugs 
Headquarters and the Czech Pharmaceutics Chamber favor a stricter 
limitation to one packet of these medications. Debate about the 
exact amount of these medications sold over the counter should be 
concluded by December and the new regulation should be effective as 
of January 1, 2009. 
 
Graber