VZCZCXYZ0001
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHVI #1623/01 3091459
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 041459Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY VIENNA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1278
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHINGTON DC
RHEHOND/DIRONDCP WASHDC

UNCLAS VIENNA 001623 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR INL AND EUR/AGS 
STATE PLEASE PASS TO JOHN LYLE/INL AAE 
JUSTICE FOR OAI, AFMLS, AND NDDS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER SNAR AU
SUBJECT: AUSTRIA: 2008 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL 
STRATEGY REPORT (INCSR) 
 
REF:  STATE 100992 
 
RESPONSES BELOW ARE KEYED TO REFTEL INSTRUCTIONS: 
 
NOTE: THE INCSR'S MONEY LAUNDERING SECTION WILL BE SENT 
SEPTEL. 
 
¶I. Summary 
---------- 
¶1. (U) Austria is primarily a transit country for illicit 
drugs; it is not a drug producing country. Experts see no 
change in the usual strategies of illegal trade of 
narcotic substances in 2008, except for precursor 
substances, where since 2007 Austria has begun to serve 
as a depot country for interim storage. Foreign criminal 
groups from former Soviet-bloc countries, Turkey, West 
Africa, and Central and South America, dominate the 
organized drug trafficking scene in the country. 
Austria's geographic location along major trans-European 
drug routes allows criminal groups to bring drugs into 
the country. Production, cultivation, and trafficking by 
Austrian nationals remain insignificant.  Drug 
consumption in Austria is well below average west 
European levels and authorities do not consider it to be 
a severe problem.  However, there is a trend toward more 
high-risk drugs. The number of drug users is currently 
estimated at around 35,000.  The number of drug-related 
deaths has gone down recently (2007). Cooperation with 
U.S. authorities continued to be excellent during 2008. 
International cooperation led to significant seizures, 
frequently involving multiple countries. 
 
¶2. (U) In 2008, Austria continued its efforts to 
intensify regional police cooperation, particularly with 
regard to the Balkans.  Austria also continued its year- 
long focus on providing policing know-how to countries in 
Central Asia.  Austria is the seat of the United Nations 
Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and has been a major 
donor for several years.  Austria has been a party to the 
1971 and 1988 UN drug conventions since 1997. End 
Summary. 
 
II. Status of Country 
--------------------- 
¶3. (U) There was no significant increase in the number of 
drug users in Austria during the period  January-October 
¶2008.  Austria's National Drug Coordinator estimates the 
number of total drug abusers at around 35,000.  The 
number of users of MDMA (Ecstasy) remained largely stable 
in 2008.  Austria counted 175 drug-related deaths in 2007 
and expects a similar, low figure for 2008 - a downward 
trend compared to the previous three years.  However, the 
number of deaths from mixed intoxication continues to 
rise as drug users consume more high-risk substances. 
According to police records, total violations of the 
Austrian Narcotics Act increased marginally in 2007 and 
¶2008.  The latest prosecution statistics (for 2007) show 
24,166 charges, a rise of 1.05 percent from the previous 
year's total.  Of these charges 1,236 involved 
psychotropic substances and 22,929 involved narcotic 
drugs. One offense involved precursors.  Ninety percent 
of the charges were misdemeanors.  Amphetamines and 
derivatives ("Ecstasy" pills) are predominantly smuggled 
in from the Netherlands via Germany, whereby Austria 
increasingly serves also as a transit country for onward 
smuggling to Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Usage of 
amphetamines rose 114 percent from 2007 to 2008, tracking 
a Europe-wide trend as these substances are increasingly 
available outside of urban areas. 
 
¶4. (U) According to a 2005 survey commissioned by the 
Health Ministry, approximately one-fifth of respondents 
admitted to consumption of an illegal substance at some 
time during their lives.  Most respondents cited 
cannabis, with "Ecstasy" and amphetamines in second and 
third place respectively.  Among young adults (ages 19- 
29), about 30 percent admitted "some experience" with 
cannabis at least once in their lifetime.  According to 
the study, 2-4 percent of this age group had already used 
cocaine, amphetamines, and "Ecstasy," while 3 percent had 
experience with biogenetic drugs. 
 
III. Country Action Against Drugs in 2008 
----------------------------------------- 
¶5. (U) Policy Initiatives: Throughout 2008, the Austrian 
 
government retained its no tolerance policy regarding 
drug traffickers and its traditional "therapy before 
punishment" policy for non-dealing offenders. The 
government introduced legislation in 2007 for better data 
quality of drug users. According to critics, this would 
restrict prescriptions and infringe on patient privacy 
rights through increased surveillance of medical 
narcotics users.  Legislation is expected to be passed by 
the end of 2008. Certain types of surveillance of illegal 
drug behavior are already possible under a 2005 amendment 
allowing the set up of cameras in high-crime public 
areas. Critics argue that this only moves the drug scene 
to other areas. The 2005 law also provided for the 
establishment of a "protection zone" around schools and 
retirement centers from which police may ban suspected 
drug dealers for up to thirty days. Austrian authorities 
continue to demand stricter regulations on an EU-wide 
scale regarding internet trade of illegal substances. At 
the end of 2008, drug experts were debating a possible 
ban of the "fashion drug" commonly called "Spice." 
 
¶6. (U) During its latest EU presidency (January-July 
2006), Austria initiated the EU's "Partnership for 
Security," with over fifty countries and organizations, 
including the U.S. and Russia, as participants. It 
reflects Austria's strong, year-long focus on the 
Balkans. One element of this strategy is the "Police 
Cooperation Convention for Southeastern Europe," which 
Austria co-signed.  In 2007, Austria headed a follow-up 
conference entitled "Drug Policing Balkans," during which 
high-level officials, including Embassy Vienna's DEA 
representative, discussed operational aspects with 
respect to drug smuggling along the Balkans route. 
Austria also participated in a pertinent follow-up 
meeting in Zadar in 2008. 
 
¶7. (U) At the EU level, the GOA continues to push for a 
European Narcotics Institute (European Drug Academy) 
styled along the lines of the U.S. NIDA.  Austria remains 
critical of the EU Drug Action Plan however, saying it 
contains no evaluation of harm reduction measures. 
Throughout 2008, Austria maintained its lead role within 
the Central Asian Border Security Initiative (CABSI) and 
the Vienna Initiative on Central Asia (VICA), and 
participated in conferences in Astana and Dushanbe. 
Vienna is the seat of the UN's drug assistance agency, 
the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC). 
Austria contributed EUR 550,000 ($709,000) to this 
organization in 2008.  In past years, Austria has been 
working with the UNODC, the EU, and Iran to establish 
border control checkpoints along the Afghan-Iranian 
border in order to prevent drug trafficking, particularly 
in opiates. Within the UNODC, Austria also participates 
in crop monitoring and alternative development plans in 
Peru, Bolivia, Columbia, and Honduras.  At an ECOWAS 
anti-drug trafficking conference in Cape Verde in 
October, Austria pledged 300,000 Euros for drug control 
for the ECOWAS region. Austria values the "vital role" 
played by foreign liaison officers accredited in Austria, 
as well as by the network of Austrian liaison personnel 
stationed in critical countries abroad. 
 
8.(U) Law Enforcement Efforts: Comprehensive seizure 
statistics for 2007 (the latest available figures) show a 
strong increase in seizures of heroin (up 240 percent), 
"Ecstasy" (up 114 percent), and Cocaine (up 26 percent), 
and a decrease in seizures  for various types of 
cannabis, LSD, and other amphetamines.  Experts stress 
that the degree of purity and concentration of "Ecstasy," 
speed, and other illegal substances has become 
increasingly volatile, representing a growing risk 
factor.  This is due, in large part, to the advanced 
technology used in drug laboratories.  The labs use 
precursors, such as acetic anhydride and potassium 
permanganate, to produce illicit drugs.  The 2007 drug 
report from the Interior Ministry states that Austria's 
Precursor Monitoring Unit dealt with 206 cases in 
relation to precursors and clandestine drug laboratories- 
representing a noticeable increase of 31 percent-compared 
to 157 cases in 2006.  In 2007, one illegal drug 
laboratory was raided in Austria, producing an 
insignificant number of synthetic methamphetamines.  The 
total street value of illicit drugs was higher in 2007 
than during the previous years.  One gram of cannabis 
sold for EUR 10.00 ($14); one gram of heroin for EUR 
 
85.00 ($120); and one gram of cocaine for EUR 80.00 
($112).  Amphetamines sold for EUR 25.00 ($35) per gram 
and one LSD trip for EUR 35.00 ($49). 
 
¶9. (U) Corruption: Austria has been a party to the OECD 
anti-bribery convention since 1999 and to the UN 
Corruption Convention since January 2006.  The GOA's 
public corruption laws recognize and punish the abuse of 
power by a public official.  An amendment which went into 
effect January 1, 2008 substantially increased penalties 
for bribery and abuse of office offenses.  As of fall 
2008, there were no corruption cases pending involving 
bribery of foreign public officials.  In September 2008, 
a Vienna appellate court upheld a guilty verdict from 
2007 involving a senior Vienna police official for minor 
bribery charges, which were not drug related.  As a 
matter of government policy, the GOA 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.  Austria ranks among the 12 least 
corrupt countries worldwide, according to the 2008 
"Corruption Perception Index" compiled by the watch-dog 
NGO Transparency International. 
 
¶10. (U) Agreements and Treaties: Austria is a party to 
the 1988 UN Drug Convention, the 1961 Single Convention 
on Narcotic Drugs and its 1972 Protocol, and the 1971 UN 
Convention on Psychotropic Substances.  Austria is a 
party to the UN Convention Against Transnational 
Organized Crime and its Protocol against Trafficking in 
Persons.  An extradition treaty and mutual legal 
assistance treaty are in force between the U.S. and 
Austria. 
 
¶11. (U) Cultivation: Production of illicit drugs in 
Austria continued to be marginal in 2008.  The Interior 
Ministry's annual report on drug-related crime noted a 
rise in private, indoor-grown, high-quality cannabis. 
Austria recorded no domestic cultivation of coca or opium 
in 2008. 
 
¶12. (U) Drug Flow/Transit: The Interior Ministry's drug 
report stresses that Austria is not a source country for 
illicit drugs, but remains a transit country.  According 
to the DEA's quarterly trafficking report (note: DEA will 
no longer provide Quarterly reports, only an annual 
Foreign Situation Report. end note), illicit drug trade 
by Austrian nationals is negligible. Foreign criminal 
groups (e.g. Turks, Serbs, Bosnians, Russians, Albanians, 
Bulgarians) carry out organized drug trafficking in 
Austria.  The Balkan route into the country is a 
particularly difficult one to control. In addition to 
opiates, 90 percent of cocaine enters Austria by the 
Balkan Route.  The illicit trade increasingly relies on 
Central and East European airports, including Vienna's 
Schwechat International Airport.  A continuing trend in 
Austria is West African narcotics smugglers using 
Caucasian women from former Soviet-bloc countries to 
smuggle drugs into Austria. The GOA reports a noticeable 
increase in Austria's growing role as a transit country 
for "Ecstasy" coming from the Netherlands to the Balkans. 
 
¶13. (U) Domestic Programs/Demand Reduction: Austrian 
authorities and the public generally view drug addiction 
as a disease rather than a crime.  This is reflected in 
relatively liberal drug legislation and in court 
decisions.  The government remains committed to measures 
to prevent the social marginalization of drug addicts. 
Federal guidelines ensure minimum quality standards for 
drug treatment facilities.  The GOA's demand reduction 
program emphasizes primary prevention, drug treatment, 
counseling, and harm reduction measures, such as needle 
exchange programs. Ongoing challenges in demand reduction 
are the need for psychological care for drug victims and 
greater attention to older victims and immigrants. 
Primary intervention starts at the pre-school level and 
continues through secondary school, apprenticeship 
institutions, and out-of-school youth programs.  The 
government and local authorities routinely sponsor 
educational campaigns both within and outside of the 
classroom.  Overall, youths in danger of addiction are 
primary targets of new treatment and care policies. 
Austria has syringe exchange programs in place for HIV 
and hepatitis prevention.  Hepatitis B and C is 
 
commonplace among intravenous drug users at 59 percent. 
Policies toward greater diversification in substitution 
treatment (methadone, prolonged-action morphine, and 
buprenorphine) continued in 2008.  Austria currently has 
approximately 10,000 people in rehabilitation programs. 
The government remains skeptical regarding heroin 
substitution programs however, arguing that there are 
better solutions. 
 
IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs 
---------------------------------------- 
¶14. (U) Bilateral Cooperation: Cooperation between 
Austrian and U.S. authorities continued to be excellent 
in 2008.  Several bilateral efforts exemplified this 
cooperation, including DEA support of Austria's Drug 
Policing Balkans initiative.  Austrian Interior Ministry 
officials continued to consult the FBI, DEA, and DHS on 
how to update criminal investigation structures. 
The U.S. worked with Austria's Federal Crime Office (BKA) 
and its regional chapters on a multilateral investigation 
involving a Colombian violator in Vienna linked to a 
Colombian trafficking organization, who was trafficking 
cocaine loads from South America into Europe.  Similarly, 
Airport Police at Austria's Schwechat airport worked 
jointly with DEA Vienna on the arrests of two couriers 
from New York charged with importing approximately 5 
kilograms of cocaine into Austria.  The cooperative 
investigation led to the identification of the 
responsible organization.  Also, leads passed from the 
Bangkok DEA office to Airport Police at Schwechat airport 
proved valuable with respect to drug seizures, arrests 
and intelligence sharing between agencies.  Austrian 
national and regional crime fighting agencies facilitated 
interviews by U.S. prosecutors and DEA agents of 
defendants incarcerated in Austria on a huge cocaine 
importation case from 2005.  The interviews were 
important for the larger, overall prosecution of the 
main, global criminal organization.   DEA continued to 
work together with the BKA in support of important annual 
BKA/Croatia Balkan Drug Conference in Zadar, Croatia, 
which was held in September 2008.  Furthermore, the U.S. 
Embassy regularly sponsors speaking tours for U.S. 
counternarcotics experts in Austria. 
 
¶15. (U) The Road Ahead. The U.S. will continue to support 
Austrian efforts to create more effective tools for law 
enforcement.  As in past years, the U.S. will work 
closely with Austria within the framework of U.S.-EU 
initiatives, the UN, and the OSCE. The U.S. priority will 
remain the promotion of a better understanding of U.S. 
drug policy among Austrian officials. 
 
GIRARD-DICARLO