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PP RUEHSL
DE RUEHAH #0765/01 1690341
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 180341Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2992
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 5328
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 3056
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 2921
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
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RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
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RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000765 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, INL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KCRM SOCI TX
SUBJECT:  TURKMENISTAN: "DRUG GODMOTHER" ARRESTED IN 
DASHOGUZ PROVINCE 
 
ASHGABAT 00000765  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  (U)  Sensitive but unclassified.  Not for public 
Internet. 
 
¶2.  (U)  SUMMARY:  The acting Chief of the State Counter- 
Narcotics Service (SCNS) reported at the June 12 session 
of the Cabinet of Ministers about a recently identified 
group of drug traffickers led by a female resident of 
Dashoguz.  In the course of investigations conducted 
jointly by Turkmen law enforcement agencies, the "Drug 
Godmother" from this northern province was arrested, 
together with her closest relatives, for involvement with 
large shipments of heroin.  The ringleader's property was 
confiscated and her admission of guilt and request for 
forgiveness was broadcast on local television.  President 
Berdimuhamedov stressed that efforts to combat drug 
trafficking and abuse should be carried out at the national 
level, as well as through transnational efforts.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
¶3.  (U)  On June 12, at the Cabinet of Minister's session 
chaired by President Berdimuhamedov, the acting Chief of 
the State Counter-Narcotics Service, Major Serdar 
Batyrov, reported on the detection of a group of people, 
led by a female resident of Dashoguz Province, engaged in 
the trafficking and illicit distribution of large 
quantities of illegal narcotics.  Law enforcement 
officers of the Ministry of National Security, Prosecutor 
General's Office and Police carried out an investigation 
based on information provided by the SCNS and detained 
the "Drug Godmother" Rakhatay Razzakova and her close 
relatives.  An ethnic Uzbek, Razzakova reportedly had 
delivered large batches of heroin to Turkmenistan since 
¶2004.  As was revealed, she used the income obtained from 
the sale of narcotics to buy several houses, apartments, 
shops, cars and other property in Dashoguz and Ashgabat. 
The majority of the property was registered in her relatives' names 
 
and in the name of other persons.  As material evidence 
of her illegal activities, a television broadcast 
showed the confiscated goods, including heroin, large 
amounts of cash in USD and local manats, gold and diamond 
jewelry, cars, trucks, apartments, houses, shops and a 
beauty salon. 
 
¶4.  (U)  Following the Cabinet of Minister's session, a 
locally-broadcast meeting to condemn the drug dealers was 
held at the governor's office in Dashoguz province. 
The meeting was attended by representatives of 
public organizations, community elders, representatives 
of law enforcement and military agencies, and employees 
of the mayors' offices of districts and cities in 
Dashoguz province.  The meeting participants noted that 
there was no place for such wrongdoers in their society 
and condemned Razzakova for her illegal activities. 
 
¶5.  (U)  Razzakova, who had been prosecuted previously, 
was amnestied in 2004 with the hope that she had been 
rehabilitated.  Following the televised public criticism, 
Razzakova, who was present at the meeting, made a public 
confession of her guilt.  The weeping "Drug Godmother" 
said, "My name is Rakhatay Razzakova, born in 1961.  I 
earlier served a prison sentence in 2004 for selling 
narcotic drugs.  Now in 2009, I was detained again for 
drug trafficking.  I made large amounts of money selling 
this stuff [narcotics], bought apartments in Ashgabat and 
built houses here [in Dashoguz city] and I was blinded by 
such wealth.  I promise that I will never ever do such 
things again.  Now I regret going to prison again, 
leaving behind my children and grandchildren.  I promise 
before our people and our esteemed President that I will 
never do such evil again." 
 
ASHGABAT 00000765  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  As usual, government officials failed to 
announce publicly the quantity of seized drugs. 
Politcal/Economic Assistant learned from a contact, whose 
brother works as a section chief in SCNS, that there were 
different amounts of narcotics seized at different 
properties in Dashoguz.  Reportedly, there were three 
batches of five, ten and 100 kilos of drugs, 
respectively, (most likely heroin) seized from 
Razzakova.  A local UN Office on Drugs and Crime 
official, who also tried to find out from government 
officials the exact amount of seized drugs, was told that 
"several dozen kilos" of heroin were detected. 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  COMMENT:  Commenting on SCNS' report, 
President Berdimuhamedov said that despite the measures 
taken in the country to control illicit drug trafficking, 
the problem had not been eliminated.  He then focused on 
the need to coordinate efforts to combat drug trafficking 
and abuse at the national and international levels.  Such 
remarks suggest that the SCNS might be allowed to engage 
in further cooperation with international donors. 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  COMMENT CONTINUED:  Although government 
officials did not disclose the amount of drugs seized in 
this case, it can be assumed that the amounts were 
significant since the case was given so much public 
attention.  It was probably no coincidence that the case 
was reported at a Cabinet meeting shortly before 
observance of the International Day against Drug Abuse 
and Illicit Trafficking on June 26.  Such a major drug 
seizure may help to boost Major Batyrov's credentials in 
the President's eyes, leading him to appoint Batyrov 
permanently to the position that he has been holding as 
the acting chief for almost half a year.  END COMMENT. 
 
MILES