VZCZCXRO5378
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHDS #2499/01 2940537
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 210537Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6555
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEPADJ/CJTF HOA PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADDIS ABABA 002499 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/E, INL, INR 
PASS TO ADICT 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR ASEC ET
SUBJECT: DRUG TRAFFICKING IN ETHIOPIA 
 
REF: STATE 105731 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Ethiopia has become increasingly popular as 
a transit point along narco-trafficking routes as a result of 
convenient air service, limited law enforcement, and minimal 
criminal penalties.  Heroin is the most commonly trafficked 
substance, followed by cannabis and cocaine.  Most 
international traffickers convicted in 2009 were of East 
African origin; nearly half were Tanzanian citizens. 
Cannabis has traditionally been grown in Ethiopia and is 
commonly sent via the postal service to the UK and, to a 
lesser extent, other countries.  Ethiopia has not experienced 
significant security or public health problems to date as a 
result of increased narco-trafficking, but police are wary of 
this growing phenomenon.  Communication between post and law 
enforcement authorities is good, but cooperative programming 
is limited.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) According to Tsegaye Gebrehiwot, Counter Narcotics 
Chief at the Ethiopian Federal Police Commission, 
international narco-trafficking has become an increasingly 
serious problem in Ethiopia over the past two years.  While 
Ethiopia is not a significant source or destination country 
for illegal drugs, the combination of convenient and 
affordable air service on Ethiopian Airlines, limited police 
capacity to combat narco-trafficking, and minimal prison 
sentences for convicted drug traffickers have led many 
traffickers to utilize Addis Ababa as a transit point. 
Tsegaye told PolOff that in his career as a law enforcement 
officer, Ethiopia had not experienced anywhere near the 
volume of narco-trafficking that it is currently 
experiencing.  He attributed the increase primarily to 
improved pan-African air service on Ethiopian Airlines, and 
noted that the Government of Ethiopia's (GoE) failure to 
improve drug enforcement efforts and update its criminal code 
(which provides for less than two years prison time for most 
narcotics convictions) had allowed the problem to grow 
unchecked. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Tsegaye noted that his unit has stepped up drug 
enforcement operations at Bole International Airport in Addis 
Ababa, and provided statistics on drug seizures for 2009. 
Since January, police have arrested 16 narco-traffickers 
(seven Tanzanian, two each from Uganda, South African, and 
the UK, and one each from Ethiopia, Belgium, and Guinea).  Of 
these seizures, the most commonly trafficked substance was 
heroin (9 cases), followed by cannabis (4 cases) and cocaine 
(2 cases).  In one case where the substance was not 
identified, post's RSO and LEGATT are working to provide 
technical assistance to the Ethiopian authorities.  Tanzania, 
India, and UAE were most commonly identified as source or 
destination countries.  Ethiopia was a source country in four 
cases, three of which involved the trafficking of 
locally-grown cannabis to Europe.  Specific trafficking 
routes for each case are noted below: 
 
Origin                     Destination 
------                     ----------- 
Tanzania                   China 
China                      Tanzania 
UAE                        Tanzania 
DRC                        Belgium 
India                      Uganda 
UAE                        Tanzania 
South Africa               Thailand 
India                      DRC 
UAE                        Rwanda 
Ethiopia                   UK 
UAE                        Tanzania 
India                      DRC 
Ethiopia                   Germany 
Ethiopia                   UK 
India                      Kenya 
China, India, Ethiopia     Mali, Thailand 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) Drug production within Ethiopia is primarily 
confined to cannabis grown around the Rastafarian community 
at Shashemene.  While some cannabis is trafficked by air, the 
vast majority is sent through the Ethiopian postal service. 
Tsegaye noted that his unit had also stepped up enforcement 
efforts in conjunction with the postal service, and provided 
specific data on 44 seizures of cannabis from mailed 
packages.  Of these, 37 were mailed to the UK.  According to 
the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) office in 
 
ADDIS ABAB 00002499  002 OF 002 
 
 
Cairo, which covers Ethiopia, there is also limited poppy 
production in Ethiopia. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Communication between post and DEA regional office 
and Ethiopian law enforcement authorities concerning 
narco-trafficking is good, and the USG has provided various 
forms of counter narcotics assistance to the GoE in the past. 
 Currently, cooperative activities are limited to DEA 
training.  Ethiopia did not receive INL funding in FY 2009, 
but is scheduled to receive funding in FY 2010. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Tsegaye reported that while some narco-traffickers 
may have established safe houses in Addis Ababa, the use of 
Ethiopia as a transit hub has not had a great impact on 
security.  However, he expressed a growing wariness that if 
left unchecked, Ethiopia's reputation as a safe haven for 
traffickers could have a severe impact on security in Addis 
Ababa and at Bole International Airport.  At present, post 
has not observed any impact on security, good governance, or 
public health as a result of this new trafficking pattern. 
MEECE