VZCZCXRO1565
PP RUEHLA
DE RUEHMD #1139/01 3311310
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 271310Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY MADRID
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1496
INFO RUEHLA/AMCONSUL BARCELONA 4237
RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 MADRID 001139 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR INL - JOHN LYLE; ALSO FOR EUR/WE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL SNAR KCRM SP
SUBJECT: SPAIN: INCSR 2009-2010 REPORT, PART 1 
 
REF: STATE 97228 
 
¶1.  (U) As requested in Ref, Post's submission for the 
"International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), Part 1, 
Drugs and Chemical Control," follows in paragraph 2.  Post will send 
statistical data on seizures for the full 2009 calendar year as soon 
as this information is available.  POC for the INCSR, Part 1 in 
Spain is Hugh Clifton.  Telephone: 34-91-587-2294, email: 
CliftonLH@state.gov. 
 
¶2.  (U) 
 
¶I. Summary 
 
Spain remains the primary transshipment and an important market for 
cocaine imported into Europe from South and Central America.  Spain 
continues to be the largest consumer of cocaine in the European 
Union (EU), with 3 percent of the Spanish population consuming it on 
a regular basis, although in 2009 its government continued to claim 
that domestic cocaine consumption is no longer on the increase. 
Spanish National Police, Civil Guard, and Customs Services, along 
with autonomous regional police forces, increased the law 
enforcement operational tempo during 2009.  Across the board - for 
heroin, cocaine, hashish and ecstasy - the amount of drugs seized by 
law enforcement officials in Spain is expected to be lower in 2009. 
Spanish law enforcement officials attribute this to a combination of 
factors:  increased maritime enforcement and port controls 
discouraged drug traffickers from sending their shipments to Spain, 
while Spain successfully dismantled drug cartels in Spain.  As of 
the end of September 2009, law enforcement officials had seized only 
a third as much heroin as was seized in 2008.  Also as of the end of 
September, the Spanish security services had only seized half as 
much hashish and ecstasy as in 2008 while cocaine seizures were at 
two-thirds of 2008 levels. 
 
The Spanish government ranks drug trafficking as one of its most 
important law enforcement objectives and Spanish drug enforcement 
continues to maintain excellent relations with U.S. counterparts. 
The United States continues to expand the excellent bilateral and 
multilateral cooperation in law enforcement programs it has with 
Spain, as symbolized by ongoing joint operations throughout the 
year.  Spain is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention. 
 
     II. Status of Country 
 
By most reports, Spain remains the principal entry, transshipment, 
and consumption zone for the large quantities of South American 
cocaine and Moroccan cannabis destined for European consumer 
markets.  However, Spain disputed a November 2009 report by the 
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction that Spain 
is still the largest consumer of cocaine in the EU, arguing that the 
findings did not take into account the latest data on Spain's 
efforts to curb consumption.  Spain is also a major source and 
transit location for drug proceeds returning to South and Central 
America.  Colombia appears to continue to be Spain's largest 
supplier of cocaine from Latin America. 
 
Spain continues to face a sustained flow of hashish from its 
southern neighbors, Morocco and Algeria.  Maritime smuggling of 
hashish across the Mediterranean Sea is a very large-scale business. 
 Spanish police continued to seize multi-ton loads of Moroccan 
hashish, some of which is brought into Spain by illegal immigrants. 
The majority of heroin that arrives in Spain is transported via the 
"Balkan Route" from Turkey, although Security Forces in 2008 have 
noticed recent efforts to transport it into Spain by boat.  The 
Spanish National Police have identified Turkish trafficking 
organizations that distribute the heroin once it is smuggled into 
Spain. Illicit refining and manufacturing of drugs in Spain is 
minimal, although small-scale laboratories of synthetic drugs such 
as LSD are discovered and destroyed each year.  MDMA-Ecstasy labs 
are rare and unnecessary in Spain as MDMA labs in the Netherlands 
prefer shipping the final product to Spain.  However, the Ecstasy 
trafficking trend has been to transship small quantities to the U.S. 
through cities in Spain to foil U.S. Customs inspectors who are wary 
of packages mailed from Belgium or the Netherlands. 
 
Spain's pharmaceutical industry produces precursor chemicals; 
however, most precursors used in Spain to manufacture illegal drugs 
are imported from China.  There is effective control of precursor 
shipments within Spain from the point of origin to destination 
through a program administered under the Ministry of Health and 
Social Policy's National Drug Plan, known by its Spanish acronym of 
PNSD. 
 
     III. Country Actions against Drugs in 2008 
 
Policy Initiatives.  The PNSD provides overall guidance and 
strategic directives for Spain's national policy on drugs.  In 
January 2009, Spain approved its new PNSD for 2009-2016, which aims 
to have citizens more involved in the fight against drugs, with the 
 
MADRID 00001139  002 OF 004 
 
 
hope to prevent and/or lower consumption, delay the age for initial 
consumption (currently at age 20 for cocaine and heroin, and age 18 
for hashish), and to guarantee assistance to drug addicts.  On 
January 23, 2009, the Council of Ministers approved a plan for 
drug-trafficking related assets to be confiscated and used to 
finance programs and activities of the security forces in the fight 
against drugs, drug-prevention programs, provide help to 
drug-addicts, and facilitate their social and labor insertion. 
 
In June 2009, the Ministry of Health and Social Policy reported that 
domestic cocaine consumption continued to stabilize following a 
decline in 2007.  Similarly, cannabis use reportedly stabilized. 
The Ministry touted these developments as evidence that its 
prevention-based policies are effective. 
 
In July 2009, Spain hosted a mission by the International Narcotics 
Control Board (INCB), the independent and quasi-judicial monitoring 
body for the implementation of the UN's international drug control 
conventions.  Spain held wide-ranging talks with the INCB, which in 
its annual report released in February, congratulated Spain on the 
decreased cocaine use by Spanish youths aged 14-18 years old. 
 
Spain is a UNODC Major Donor and a member of the Dublin Group, a 
group of countries that coordinates the provision of 
counternarcotics assistance. 
 
Law Enforcement Efforts.  The Spanish law enforcement agencies 
responsible for narcotics control are the Spanish National Police 
and the Civil Guard, both of which fall under the domain of law 
enforcement and civil security matters within the Ministry of 
Interior.  The Spanish Customs Service, under the Ministry of the 
Treasury, also carries a mandate to enforce counternarcotics 
legislation at Spain's borders and in Spanish waters.  Because of 
the economic crisis, the Spanish Customs Services' intervention 
ships in the Cantabrian Sea area reduced their activity to 15 days 
per month in order to cut fuel expenses.  The U.S. DEA Madrid 
Country Office continued to work with Spanish authorities in several 
of the more significant seizures and arrests this past year. 
 
Large-scale cocaine importation in Spain is principally controlled 
by Colombian drug traffickers, though Galician organizations also 
play an important role in the trafficking of cocaine into and within 
the country.  Spanish authorities recorded several large seizures of 
cocaine in 2009.  For example, a speed boat in Ribeira (A Corua) 
with 4,000 kilos of cocaine was stopped in January by the Spanish 
IRS (the drugs could have reached a market value of 120 million 
Euros).  In February, a fishing boat with 5,000 kilos of cocaine was 
seized 800 miles from the Canary Islands.  In June, 900 kilos of 
cocaine were seized in Alicante and Murcia.  In September 
authorities seized 1,500 kilos of cocaine and dismantled a 
laboratory in Ciudad Real. 
 
Hashish trafficking is controlled by Moroccan, British, and 
Portuguese smugglers and, to some extent, nationals of Gibraltar and 
the Netherlands.  All year long and across the country, Spanish 
authorities recorded large seizures of hashish in 2009.  Security 
forces began the year with what would be their largest operation of 
2009 when police in January seized 11,000 kilos of hashish in an 
underground parking lot in Seville.  A slew of large-scale 
operations followed, including 7,000 kilos seized in February.  In 
April, 2,100 kilos were seized in Ibiza while another 3,000 kilos 
were seized in a boat near Cadiz.  In June security forces seized 
13,750 kilos of hashish in five different operations around Spain. 
 
 
Spanish law enforcement officials, concerned about the increasing 
quantity of heroin coming into Spain from Turkey, in July launched a 
joint operation with France which ended with the seizure in Madrid 
of 92 kilos of heroin, the largest amount seized so far this year. 
 
In March, the Spanish National Police notched their largest seizure 
of "speed" in recent years, when they captured more than 35 kilos of 
amphetamine sulphate in a single raid in Zaragoza. 
 
SEIZURES: 
 
 
---    Heroin - Cocaine (MT) - Hashish - Ecstasy 
       (KG)       (MT)          (MT)   (pills x 1000) 
 
2001   631    -    34        -  514   -     860 
 
2002   275    -    18        -  564   -     1,400 
 
2003   242    -    49        -  727   -      772 
 
2004   271    -    33        -  794   -      797 
 
2005   174    -    48        -  670   -      573 
 
 
MADRID 00001139  003 OF 004 
 
 
2006   454    -    47        -  451   -      408 
 
2007   227    -    38        -  653   -      491 
 
2008   548    -    28        -  682   -      535 
 
2009   187    -    19        -  298   -      282 
 
Corruption.  Spain's Organized Crime Intelligence Center (CICO) 
coordinates counternarcotics operations among various government 
agencies, including the Spanish Civil Guard, National Police, and 
Customs Service. Under their guidance, law enforcement cooperation 
appears to function well. Spain neither encourages nor facilitates 
illicit production or distribution of narcotic or psychotropic drugs 
or other controlled substances, or the laundering of proceeds from 
illegal drug transactions. There is no evidence of corruption of 
senior officials or their involvement in the drug trade, but there 
continue to be isolated cases involving corrupt law enforcement 
officials who were caught facilitating drug trafficking.  For 
example, in early 2009 authorities arrested nearly a dozen Civil 
Guard officers, including a Lieutenant Colonel, in the Barcelona 
area for ties to drug traffickers dating back to the mid-1990s.  The 
corrupt officers are accused of tipping off thieves on drug 
shipments so that they could steal and re-sell the goods and divide 
the spoils.  The case, with 27 defendants, went to trial in November 
¶2009. 
 
Agreements and Treaties.  Spain is a party to the 1988 UN Drug 
Convention, the 1961 UN Single Convention as amended by the 1972 
Protocol and the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances. 
Spain is also a party to the UN Convention against Corruption and 
the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its 
three protocols.  A 1970 extradition treaty and its three 
supplements govern extradition between the U.S. and Spain.  The 
U.S.-Spain Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty has been in force since 
1993, and the two countries have also signed a Customs Mutual 
Assistance Agreement.  Spain has signed bilateral instruments with 
the U.S. implementing the 2003 U.S.-EU Extradition and Mutual Legal 
Assistance Agreements. Both countries have ratified these 
agreements.  None have entered into force. 
 
Cultivation/Production. Coca leaf is not cultivated in Spain. 
However, there has been concern in recent years regarding 
clandestine laboratories in Spain.  In October, a cocaine laboratory 
was dismantled in Ciudad Real.  The Ministry of Interior reported 
the lab was capable of producing more than 50 kilos per week, making 
it the largest laboratory dismantled in the last eight years.  Some 
cannabis is grown in country, but the seizures and investigations by 
Spanish authorities indicate the production is minimal.  Opium poppy 
is cultivated licitly under strictly regulated conditions for 
research, and the total amount is insignificant.  In 2008 Spain was 
added to the list of nontraditional countries authorized to export 
narcotic raw materials (NRM) to the United States.  This enabled 
Spain to join the other "non-traditional" NRM exporters, Australia, 
France, Hungary, and Poland, as the only countries allowed to supply 
approximately 20 percent of the NRM required annually by the United 
States.  Traditional exporters India and Turkey have preferred 
access to 80 percent of the NRM market.  Spain is not a significant 
production zone for synthetic drugs.  While not a significant 
producer of MDMA/Ecstasy, limited production of the drug has been 
reported in Spain. 
 
Drug Flow/Transit. Spain is the major gateway to Europe for cocaine 
coming from Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador.  Traffickers 
exploit Spain's close historic and linguistic ties with Latin 
America and its extensive coastlines to transport drugs for 
consumption in Spain or distribution to other parts of Europe.  The 
DEA continues to note that Colombian cocaine continues to be sent 
first to Africa and then smuggled northward into Spain.   Spanish 
police note that the country's two principal international airports, 
Madrid's Barajas and Barcelona's El Prat, are increasingly entry 
points for much of the cocaine trafficked into and through Spain, 
and substantial numbers of body cavity smugglers continue arriving 
by air.  Those two airports remain key transit points for passengers 
who intend to traffic Ecstasy and other synthetic drugs, mainly 
produced in Europe, to the United States.  These couriers, however, 
are typically captured before they leave Spain or when they arrive 
in the U.S., due to strong bilateral collaboration.  Spain remains a 
major transit point to Europe for hashish from Morocco, and Spain's 
North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla are principal points of 
departure.  Spanish law enforcement has disrupted many drug 
shipments through its use of the Integrated External Surveillance 
System (Spanish acronym SIVE), deployed on its southern coast.  In 
2009 Spain expanded the use of SIVE by installing a fixed radar site 
in Ibiza, the first among a series of SIVE sites planned for the 
Balearic Islands, which are increasingly used as new transport 
routes for hashish originating from Morocco and Algeria. 
 
Domestic Programs/Demand Reduction. The national drug strategy 
identifies prevention as its principal priority and the government 
 
MADRID 00001139  004 OF 004 
 
 
implemented an awareness campaign targeting Spanish youth and school 
children.  The PNSD closely coordinates its demand reduction 
programs with the Spanish National Police, Civil Guard, Ministry of 
Health and Consumer Affairs, and Ministry of Public Administration. 
Spain's autonomous communities receive central government funding 
and provide drug addiction treatment programs, including methadone 
maintenance programs and needle exchanges.  Prison rehabilitation 
programs also distribute methadone.  As of early September, the 
government had contributed nearly 4 million euros to assist private, 
nongovernmental organizations that carry out drug prevention and 
rehabilitation programs. 
In July 2009, the Delegate of the Government for the National Drug 
Plan announced that beginning in the fourth quarter of 2009, "nine 
or 10" Spanish hospitals would begin to administer, on an 
experimental basis, a vaccine against cocaine addiction. 
 
     IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs 
 
Bilateral Cooperation. The United States enjoys excellent bilateral 
and multilateral cooperation in law enforcement programs it has with 
Spain.  Spain hosted two visits by the Secretary of Homeland 
Security in 2009 while the Ministers of Justice and Interior each 
visited Washington during separate visits.  In anticipation of 
increased bilateral cooperation during Spain's assumption of the 
rotating EU Presidency during January-June 2010, a liaison officer 
from the Department of Homeland Security began a rotation at the 
Ministry of Interior.  DEA worked very closely with its Spanish law 
enforcement counterparts during 2009, contributing to numerous 
successful joint investigations.  The Coast Guard and JIATF-S in 
September hosted a delegation of senior Civil Guard officials for a 
visit to discuss best practices in counter-narcotics programs and 
preparations are underway for a delegation of senior 
counternarcotics officials from CICO to visit JIATF-S, SouthCom, and 
the Drug Enforcement Administration in January 2010. 
 
Road Ahead. As drug traffickers continue targeting Spain and its 
government recognizes the rewards of collaboration, the U.S. will 
continue close coordination with Spanish counternarcotics officials. 
 Spain will continue to be a key player in the international fight 
against drug trafficking.  The U.S. and Spain are natural partners 
in Latin America.  Our expanding partnership will benefit Latin 
America in its counternarcotics efforts, as well as Spain and the 
U.S. 
 
CHACON