VZCZCXRO2587
PP RUEHDBU RUEHKW
DE RUEHUNV #0422 2531502
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 101502Z SEP 09
FM USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0035
INFO AFGHA/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
RUCNNAR/VIENNA NARCOTICS COLLECTIVE
RUEHVI/AMEMBASSY VIENNA 1471

UNCLAS UNVIE VIENNA 000422 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:N/A 
TAGS: PREL SNAR PTER UN AF
SUBJECT: StaffDel Nunez-Neto Meeting with UNODC Terrorism Prevention 
Branch 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY:   At the request of Congressional staff delegation 
(staffdel) Nunez-Neto, UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 
officials provided the staffdel with background information on its 
findings related to the production and trafficking of illicit drugs 
and insurgency or terrorist activities.  Terrorism Prevention Branch 
(TPB) officials focused on the situation in Afghanistan, briefing 
the staffdel on current opium production data and trafficking 
routes, as well as Taliban involvement in trade and production. The 
staffdel appreciated the briefing and indicated they would follow up 
on U.S. seizure statistics.  END SUMMARY. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
Opium/Heroin Production in Afghanistan 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  On August 27, a Senate Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs delegation consisting of Blas Nunez-Neto, 
Bradford Belzak, Tera Shaw, Stephen Vina, Michael Russel and 
Department of Homeland Security officials Marc Frey and Edward 
Lovett,  met with UNODC officials including John Sandage (Officer in 
Charge, Terrorism Prevention Branch), Bernard Frahi (Deputy 
Director, Division for Operations), Bernard Leroy (Senior 
Inter-Regional Adviser) and Hakan Demirbuken (Afghan Opiate Trade 
monitoring Program). The meeting commenced with an overview of 
statistics and numbers on production, trafficking, and market size 
of raw opium and heroin in Afghanistan. According to Demirbuken, 340 
tons of heroin and 1,100 tons of opium (which equals a total of 
3,700 tons dry opium) is the estimated yearly global demand. 
Demirbuken noted the current level of production is 8,600 tons per 
year and the level of stocks is 10,000 (without 2009 production). 
Demirbuken opined that these stocks are either located in the FATA 
or Baluchistan, Pakistan.   According to Demirbuken's research, the 
Taliban receives an estimated U.S.$125 million per year from this 
drug trade; he added that the Taliban's yearly costs were around 
U.S. $700-800 million. The staffdel asked about Al Qaida involvement 
in the Afghanistan narcotics trade; according to UNODC officials, 
there is currently no evidence that Al Qaida is involved in the 
illicit production or trafficking in Afghanistan. 
 
 
------------------------------------------- 
Overall Narcotics Trafficking and Terrorism 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  UNODC officials noted that it was important to study possible 
links between transnational organized crime groups and terrorist 
organizations. For example, noted Frahi, the heroin market in Russia 
and Europe alone is worth U.S. $32bilion per year and would thus be 
an opportunity for terrorists to raise assets.  Demirbuken was 
pleased with the DHS Frey's offer to follow up on U.S. seizure 
statistics.  Mr. Leroy shared his experience as a regional adviser 
to several countries. North Korea is heavily involved in drug 
trafficking, he reported. It is a main provider of amphetamines for 
the Japanese market but there is growing evidence that the country 
is getting involved in heroin trafficking. Hezbollah is involved in 
drug trade due to the large Lebanese communities in regions such as 
South America and West Africa, Leroy added. Furthermore, he stated 
that terrorists in North Africa may be benefiting from drug trade 
money. Other terrorist groups in Europe which benefit from drug 
trafficking are the Kurdish PKK or Kosovo networks. In response to a 
staffdel question, Leroy added that China's drug problem is 
increasing and that most of the heroin consumed in China comes from 
Afghanistan. 
 
¶4.  COMMENT: UNODC officials, as usual, provided a detailed and 
comprehensive oversight of the narcotics flows in the Afghanistan 
region and straightforward information on flows elsewhere in the 
world.  Staffdel members were clearly interested in the information 
and indicated they would follow up on the issue of U.S. seizure 
statistics.  END COMMENT. 
 
¶5.  Staffdel did not have an opportunity to clear on this cable. 
 
Davies