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FM AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3723
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 BUDAPEST 001218 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INL JOHN LYLE, EUR/CE JAMIE LAMORE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR PGOV HU
SUBJECT: 2008-2009 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY 
REPORT (INCSR): DRUGS AND CHEMICAL CONTROL SECTION, VOLUME 
1 FOR HUNGARY 
 
REF: STATE 100992 
 
¶I. Summary 
 
Hungary continues to be a primary narcotics transit country 
between Southeast Asia and Western Europe due to its 
combination of geographic location, a modern transportation 
system, and the unsettled political and social climate in the 
neighboring countries of the former Yugoslavia.  Since the 
collapse of communism in Europe, Hungary has become a 
significant consumer of narcotics as well.  Drug abuse, 
particularly among persons under 40 years of age, rose 
dramatically during the nineties and continues to increase. 
The illicit drugs of choice in Hungary are heroin, marijuana, 
amphetamines, and Ecstasy (MDMA).  Although the abuse of 
opium-poppy straw, barbiturates, and prescription drugs 
containing benzodiazepine is growing, their share in total 
drug abuse is declining.  In the lead-up to its accession to 
the European Union in May 2004, Hungary adopted and amended 
much of its narcotics-related legislation to ensure 
harmonization with relevant EU narcotics law.  Since 2004, 
the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor has been the lead 
ministry in all matters related to narcotics issues.  Hungary 
continues to expand the collection and reporting efforts of 
its National Narcotics Data Collection Center.  The Center 
was established in 2004 to report valid, comparable, and 
reliable data on drug abuse trends to the European Monitoring 
Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction.  Hungary met Schengen 
Standards for border control and joined the Schengen area on 
December 21, 2007.  Hungary is party to the 1988 UN Drug 
Convention. 
 
II.  Status of Country 
 
Hungary continues to be a primary transit route for illegal 
narcotic smuggling from Southwest Asia and the Balkans into 
Western Europe.  Traditional routes in the Balkans that had 
been disrupted due to the instability in the former Republic 
of Yugoslavia are again being utilized to transport 
narcotics.  Hungarian Ministry of Justice and Law Enforcement 
and Border Guard officials reported narcotics smuggling to be 
especially active across the Ukrainian, Romanian, and Serbian 
borders.  Foreign organized crime, particularly from Albania, 
Turkey, and Nigeria, controls transit and sale of narcotics 
in Hungary.  Concurrently, Hungarian drug suppliers and 
criminal networks are getting stronger and are involving an 
increasing number of immigrants and ethnic minorities in the 
transport, sale, and distribution of narcotics.  Officials 
report the increasing seriousness of Hungary's domestic drug 
problem, particularly among teens and those in their twenties. 
 
III.  Country Actions Against Drugs in 2008 
 
POLICY INITIATIVES:  The Drug Prevention Coordination 
Committee, created in 1998, facilitates the implementation of 
the country's national counternarcotics strategy and 
coordinates among different ministries and national 
authorities to combat drug abuse.  A National Drug Strategy 
was adopted by the government in 2000 and contains key action 
plans to address the strategy's goals.  The next strategy 
will be prepared in 2009 and will cover the period starting 
from 2010.  A National Narcotics Data Collection Center, 
established in 2004, in the National Epidemiological Center 
of the National Public Health Network, is charged with the 
compilation of an annual report of data for the European 
Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction.  The National 
Drug Prevention Institute (NDPI) was set up in 2000 to 
provide technical and financial support for drug action teams 
in cities with populations over 20,000.  The NDPI encourages 
the creation of a local fora composed of officials of local 
government institutions, law enforcement agencies, schools, 
and non-governmental organizations to create local drug 
strategies customized for local needs.  In 2008, the 
Department for the National Coordination of Drug Affairs of 
the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor became the 
Directorate for the National Coordination of Drug Affairs, 
within the same ministry.  The change helped to increase the 
profile of the drug policy makers within the government and 
improve their effectiveness. 
 
Hungary continued to maintain strong regional expert 
relations with neighboring countries, including Croatia and 
Romania.  They collaborated on initiatives including regular 
study visits and expert conferences to facilitate information 
exchange in the drug policy field.  As a member of the EU, 
Hungary also maintained regular contact with other member 
states.  Hungary will be the co-chair of the Balkan Regional 
Group within the framework of the Central Dublin Group in 
¶2009. 
 
BUDAPEST 00001218  002 OF 005 
 
 
 
LAW ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS:  Hungary met Schengen standards for 
border control by the end of December 2007, and joined the 
Schengen area.  he Hungarian Border Guards were merged with 
the Hungarian National Police (HNP) and greater cooperation, 
information sharing, and efficiency in border interdiction 
resulted.  Accession to the EU provided Hungarian border 
guards and national police forces with greater access to 
modern electronic equipment provided by the EU to certain 
high-threat border posts.  This equipment was initially 
installed in 2003, and has continued to result in improved 
border interdiction of all types of contraband.  Expanded 
investigative authorities and cooperation between Hungarian 
border guards and the HNP, coupled with investigative 
agreements with neighboring countries, have also played a 
significant role in increasing Hungary's ability to interdict 
shipments of narcotics.  Despite their successes, Hungary 
continues to be a significant trans-shipment point for 
narcotics destined for, and sent from, Western Europe.  The 
Hungarian Ministry of Finance and the national headquarters 
of the Customs and Finance Guard supported anti-narcotics and 
anti-smuggling activities as well.  These groups jointly 
planned and staged actions related to crime and border 
security that were specifically designed to prevent drug 
trafficking and a wide range of illicit transit and smuggling 
activities. 
 
In connection with Hungary's accession to the EU, the 
Hungarian Ministry of Interior had prepared a unified drug 
interdiction strategy for the HNP and Border Guards for the 
period 2005-2012 in line with the requirements of the EU drug 
strategy.  The stated goals of this strategy are to guarantee 
the security of society, combat the illegal production and 
smuggling of drugs and precursors, facilitate joint actions 
with the EU member countries, as well as combat production, 
trading, and consumption of synthetic drugs. 
 
According to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, the 
number of criminal drug cases has continued to increase. 
Much of the increase is attributed to the transition from 
penalty-based court and social systems to treatment-based 
court and social systems, which are alleged to have 
eliminated negative individual consequences for drug use. 
The cooperation between the HNP and the U.S. Drug and Law 
Enforcement Administration (DEA) office in Vienna, Austria, 
has decrease from previous years, with the DEA reporting the 
relationship is "almost non-existent." 
 
Seizure data provided by the National Bureau of Investigation 
covering the first six months of 2008 indicate that police 
seized 10 kilograms of heroin, 13.3 kilograms of cocaine, 22 
kilograms of amphetamine, 65,000 ecstasy tablets, and 20 
kilograms of dried cannabis plants.  The most current 
complete seizure data as reported by the Institute for 
Forensic Sciences in 2006 is below: 
 
Herbal cannabis, 1540 seizures, 266.5 kg 
Cannabis plant, 50 seizures, 3529 pieces 
Cannabis resin, 67 seizures, 3.0 kg 
Heroin, 144 seizures, 131.1 kg 
Cocaine, 113 seizures, 7.3 kg 
Amphetamines, 368 seizures, 21.81 kg 
Methamphetamine, 11 seizures, 0.013 kg 
Ecstasy, 145 seizures, 138,278 tablets 
LSD, 13 seizures, 2148 doses 
 
CORRUPTION:  As a matter of government policy, Hungary does 
not encourage or facilitate the illicit production or 
distribution of drugs or substances, or the laundering of 
proceeds from illegal drug transactions.  No cases of 
official corruption involving narcotics trafficking have come 
to the USG's attention.  The Government of Hungary (GOH) 
aggressively enforces its narcotics-related laws.  In 
addition, it takes administrative steps (e.g. the regular 
re-posting of border guards) to reduce the temptation for 
corruption whenever it can.  On the other hand, it is 
difficult to assess accurately the scope and success of 
Hungarian efforts as the GOH treats corruption-related 
information and prosecutions as classified national security 
information. 
 
AGREEMENTS AND TREATIES:  Hungary is 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 mutual legal assistance and extradition 
treaty between the U.S. and Hungarian Governments has been in 
force since 1997.  These agreements have paved the way for 
closer cooperation between the U.S. and Hungarian law 
enforcement agencies.  In addition, in December 2006 the 
 
BUDAPEST 00001218  003 OF 005 
 
 
Hungarian National Assembly ratified the UN Convention 
against Transnational Organized Crime and its protocols 
against trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling.  The 
United States and Hungary also have a bi-lateral extradition 
treaty in effect.  Hungary is a party to the UN Corruption 
Convention. 
 
CULTIVATION/PRODUCTION:  GOH authorities report that 
marijuana is cultivated in western Hungary with seeds being 
transported in from Slovakia and the Netherlands, while the 
technical equipment was available in domestic points of sale 
disguised as "agricultural" stores.  The number of marijuana 
plant seizures continuously increased during the past years, 
indicating an increasing problem with domestic marijuana 
production.  A significant proportion of seized plants was 
grown in nutrient cubes in artificial (i.e. indoor) 
environments.  An increasing number of foreigners are 
reportedly entering Hungary to establish and operate 
clandestine marijuana farms.  Law enforcement officials cite 
this foreign influence as the primary source of financial and 
technological support in the industry. Ecstasy and LSD may 
also be manufactured locally, however, to date no production 
laboratories have been discovered.  All other illegal 
narcotics are smuggled into Hungary rather than produced 
domestically. 
 
DRUG FLOW/TRANSIT:  Hungary is primarily a narcotics transit 
country, with different types of narcotics arriving to the 
country via routes oftentimes controlled by criminal groups. 
Heroin is trafficked into Hungary from the south along the 
Balkan route by organizations that have ethnic, family, and 
blood ties to the country.  Cocaine is most commonly smuggled 
in by a Nigerian courier operation which recruits Hungarian 
women to act as couriers and to conscript others to the 
organization.  The HNP reported that the Nigerian operation 
is looking to establish new routes into Hungary through 
southern Europe where the drugs arrive by ships from South 
America and North Africa. 
 
The HNP reported that synthetics are transported into Hungary 
from newly established labs in Serbia.  Synthetic drugs are 
becoming more popular, with the highly lethal drug nicknamed 
"Gina" the preferred choice among most users.  The HNP also 
reported that a growing source of synthetics and cocaine is 
the Netherlands, while heroin generally arrives from Turkey 
and Albania via Romania.  Many long-term resident Albanians, 
Turks, and Nigerians are also reportedly involved in 
trafficking.  Budapest's Ferihegy International Airport 
continues to be an important stop for cocaine transit from 
South America to Europe.  Synthetic drugs such as Ecstasy are 
transported into Hungary, frequently via car from the 
Netherlands and other Western European countries.  The agent 
in marijuana arriving from abroad has recently changed to a 
more concentrated form. 
 
DOMESTIC PROGRAMS/DEMAND REDUCTION:  Hungarian ministry 
officials report that drug abuse is significantly higher 
among youth between the ages of 12-25 and truly addicted 
abusers are commonly found in the 25-34 age group.  The 
majority of addicted drug abusers are male, with an average 
age of 25 years, who use amphetamines, heroin, or Ecstasy. 
 
Drug prevention programs are taught to teachers as part of 
the normal teacher education training.  In 2008, the GOH 
provided drug prevention education grants to 230 schools 
totaling HUF 157,098,200 (USD $785,491).  From those grants, 
35,557 schoolchildren studying in grades 5-8 (age 10-14) and 
81,237 secondary school students (age 14-18) participated in 
prevention activities, representing 8 percent and 17.2 
percent of the student population, respectively. 
 
Public schools in Hungary include several drug prevention and 
health promotion programs in their normal education program. 
The life skills program is the largest of the 
counter-narcotics programs and was developed in the early 
nineties with INL assistance through USIA.  Through 2005, the 
fifteen year program had trained nearly 12,000 teachers and 
educators.  Community-based prevention efforts are primarily 
focused on the teen/twenties age group and provide 
information about the dangers of substance abuse, while 
emphasizing active and productive lifestyles as a way of 
limiting exposure to drugs. 
 
There are approximately 230 health care institutions that 
care for drug patients in Hungary.  The total number of drug 
users receiving both inpatient and outpatient treatment 
during 2007 was 13,457, and was broken-down as follows: 
 
Addiction treatment centers: 
 
BUDAPEST 00001218  004 OF 005 
 
 
number / percent all patients = 2,807 / 20.9 
number / percent new patients = 728 / 18.0 
 
Specialized outpatient treatment centers: 
number / percent all patients = 5,641 / 41.9 
number / percent new patients = 2,115 / 52.4 
 
Child and youth psychiatric care centers: 
number / percent all patients = 9 / 0.1 
number / percent new patients = 8 / 0.2 
 
Psychiatric care centers: 
number / percent all patients = 288 / 2.1 
number / percent new patients = 146 / 3.6 
 
Psychiatric and addiction treatment inpatient care: 
number / percent all patients = 1,161 / 8.6 
number / percent new patients = 278 / 6.9 
 
Other (toxicology): 
number / percent all patients = 3,551 / 26.4 
number / percent new patients = 761 / 18.9 
 
TOTAL 
number / percent all patients = 13,457 / 100.0 
number / percent new patients = 4,036 / 100.0 
 
 
Fourteen organizations operated needle exchange programs in 
2007 and distributed a total of 213,774 sterile needles in 
exchange for 105,313 used needles.  The joint programs 
reached 2,019 clients in 2007, and increase of 14 percent 
over the previous year.  Together the organizations 
distributed the sterile needles via mobile units, street 
outreach, and needle vending machines.  The total number of 
needles distributed in 2007 was 30 percent higher than the 
2006 total. 
 
The Ministry of Health continues to establish and fund drug 
outpatient clinics in regions where such institutes are 
generally not available.  The 2003 amendment to the Hungarian 
counter-narcotics legislation was designed to shift the focus 
of criminal investigations from consumers to dealers.  Before 
this amendment was enacted, Hungarian civil rights advocates 
claimed that the Hungarian narcotics law, among the toughest 
on users in Europe, subjected even casual users to stiff 
criminal penalties, while addicts were often exempted from 
prosecution.  The 2003 amendment, called the "diversion 
program," allowed police, prosecutors, and judges to place 
drug users in a 6-month government-funded treatment program 
or mandate participation in a counseling program instead of 
prison.  Drug addicts are encouraged to attend treatment 
centers while casual users are directed to prevention and 
education programs.  The amendment also provided judges with 
alternatives and flexibility when sentencing drug users. 
According to Ministry of Health data, 2,930 drug users 
participated in diversion programs in 2007. 
 
Due to the continued increase in the rate of drug use as well 
as drug-related crime in Hungary, the GOH has become 
dissatisfied with the results of the treatment-focused 
deterrence system and is currently considering a return to 
the punishment-based system.  As a result, the constitutional 
court has begun to scale-back treatment programs in its 
sentencing guidelines and focus again on prison sentences. 
However, the State Secretary for Drug Affairs has reconfirmed 
the GOH commitment to maintaining treatment programs as an 
alternative to simple prison time for drug abusers. 
 
IV.  U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs 
 
BILATERAL COOPERATION:  The primary USG focus in support of 
GOH couter-narcotics efforts is through training and 
cooperative education at the International Law Enforcement 
Academy (ILEA).  In addition, the DEA maintains a regional 
office in Vienna, Austria that is accredited to Hungary to 
work with local and national Hungarian authorities.  However, 
because of recent restructuring within the HNP drug units, 
direct contact between the DEA and HNP diminished in 2007. 
An FBI task force located within the HNP headquarters 
responds to DEA requests for information about seizures and 
trends in trafficking. 
 
ROAD AHEAD:  The USG continues to support and encourage 
Hungarian legislative efforts to stiffen criminal penalties 
for drug offenses and will continue to support GOH law 
enforcement efforts through training programs and seminars at 
ILEA as well as through specialized in-country programs. 
 
 
BUDAPEST 00001218  005 OF 005 
 
 
 
Foley