VZCZCXRO7564
PP RUEHIK
DE RUEHPS #0480/01 3071505
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 031505Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY PRISTINA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9409
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 1241
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1768
RHFMIUU/AFSOUTH NAPLES IT
RHMFISS/CDR TF FALCON
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEPGEA/CDR650THMIGP SHAPE BE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUZEJAA/USNIC PRISTINA SR

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 PRISTINA 000480 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/SCE, INL (JLYLE) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR PGOV KJUS KCRM EAID KDEM KV
SUBJECT: KOSOVO:  2009 INCSR REPORT PART ONE 
 
REF: STATE 97228 
 
PRISTINA 00000480  001.2 OF 006 
 
 
¶1.  Following is Part One of Kosovo's 2009 INCSR report (narcotics 
and chemical control). 
 
¶2.  Begin report. 
 
¶I. Summary 
 
Though Kosovo is primarily a transit country for Afghan drugs 
destined for Europe, anecdotal evidence from the Kosovo Police (KP) 
suggests a growing domestic narcotics market.  Kosovo faces 
challenges in its battle against narcotics trafficking:  its borders 
are porous and there is corruption among the Kosovo Border Police 
(KBP) and Customs officers.  The KP continues its efforts to combat 
the drug trade, but suffers from limited resources and the low 
priority of its counternarcotics branch.  The Kosovo Government, led 
by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MOIA) adopted its national 
counternarcotics strategy in July 2009 but has yet to find the 
resources to implement it fully. 
 
Kosovo has not yet become a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention. 
Its unique history under UNSCR 1244 as a United Nations-administered 
territory previously prevented it from entering into most bilateral, 
multilateral and international agreements, including the Convention. 
 Kosovo declared independence on February 17, 2008 and the United 
Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) began to transfer competencies to 
the Kosovo Government starting on June 15, 2008 when Kosovo's 
constitution came into force.  Kosovo now possesses the authority to 
sign treaties and agreements and is currently reviewing and 
prioritizing the most important treaties for future ratification. 
The European Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) was declared operational 
December 9, 2008, replacing most of UNMIK's civilian police, 
prosecutors and judges, but with a significantly different mandate. 
EULEX, unlike UNMIK, has very limited executive authority, focusing 
on the roles of mentoring, monitoring, and advising.   The United 
States and the European Union continue to provide rule of law 
technical assistance, including training and equipment that will 
help Kosovo combat narcotics trafficking more effectively over time. 
 
 
II. Status of Country 
 
The Kosovo Border Police (KBP), an element of the KP, lacks basic 
equipment, and narcotics traffickers capitalize on weak border 
controls in Kosovo.  The KBP patrol all border crossing points 
except two entry points in northern Kosovo, which are staffed by 
EULEX and the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR).  EULEX provides police 
and customs advisors to the KBP at all other border crossings.  The 
KBP and KFOR jointly patrol the "Green Border," the area where there 
are no official manned borders or administrative boundary line 
gates, along the borders with Albania (112 km), Macedonia (159 km) 
and Montenegro (79 km).  At this time, KFOR alone patrols the 352 km 
border with Serbia.  This patrolling along the "Green Border" 
extends up to the actual border, but traffickers nevertheless take 
advantage of numerous roads leading into Kosovo that lack border 
controls.  Narcotics interdiction is not part of KFOR's mandate. 
KFOR soldiers seize narcotics they happen to encounter while 
performing their duties, but they do not actively investigate 
narcotics trafficking.  A proposed drawdown of KFOR troops would 
place additional border management responsibilities on the KBP. 
 
Information on domestic narcotics consumption is gathered by UNICEF 
and NGO Labyrinth, who agree that there is a growing local market 
and that illegal drug use is on the rise.  They add that the levels 
of narcotics consumption among teenagers and university-aged young 
adults, the primary users, are close to those in most Western 
European countries.  There are no reliable estimates of the number 
of drug users, but UNICEF places the figure around 20,000, mostly 
heroin users, although cocaine seems to be gaining popularity.  The 
vast majority of addicts referred for treatment are heroin users. 
 
III. Country Actions against Drugs in 2008 
 
Policy Initiatives. 
 
 
PRISTINA 00000480  002.2 OF 006 
 
 
Kosovo has made limited progress on counternarcotics policy 
initiatives in 2009.  The country's national counternarcotics 
strategy, developed by the MOIA, was released in July 2009 but has 
yet to be implemented, in part due to financial constraints.  The 
new national strategy calls for better coordination with other 
organizations such as the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Ministry 
of Education, and for better communication within the KP.  For 
instance, street-level drug enforcement is managed by the KP 
Department of Order while higher-level drug crimes are managed by 
their Department of Crime.  Although these two departments do not 
communicate well now, a proposed reorganization of the KP should 
address that problem. 
 
The MOH, in its strategic plan and budget for 2008-2013, included 
the goals of accurately assessing the extent of the drug problem in 
Kosovo, developing a national strategy for preventing drug use among 
adolescents and youths, creating regular mechanisms for monitoring 
drug use levels among adolescents and youths, and increasing 
services to drug addicts.  In December 2007, the MOH compiled the 
National Strategy on Mental Health, which includes treatment and 
services for drug addicts, but implementation has been slow due to 
lack of funding. 
 
The MOIA reported that it is working to increase Kosovo's narcotics 
investigative capacity and plans to meet European Partnership 
Agreement Program goals by training counternarcotics officials, 
procuring technical equipment, and strengthening interagency 
cooperation. 
 
Law Enforcement Efforts. 
 
KP counternarcotics officers face many challenges. Their resources 
are limited and counternarcotics is not a top priority for the GOK. 
Furthermore, statistics on seizures, arrests and prosecutions are 
largely unreliable and inconsistent. 
 
From January through September 2009, according to a report published 
by the KP Unit for Planning and Development, the KP confiscated 27.7 
kg of heroin, 2.4 kg of cocaine, 19.5 kg of marijuana, 2.2 kg of 
hashish and 7278 individual marijuana plants.  The KP has found no 
evidence of synthetic drug production in Kosovo. 
 
In the first nine months of 2009, the KP has arrested 275 people on 
narcotics charges and filed 169 narcotics-related cases, 122 of 
which were sent to the Prosecutor's Office.  The remaining cases are 
still under investigation. 
 
The KP uses a wide range of investigative techniques, from 
information collection to interception and surveillance. 
"Intelligence-led policing" is an approach being used by the KP to 
find traffickers and learn of their activities.  It is a logical 
extension of community policing and relies on good relationships 
formed between the police and local communities.  However in 
contrast to other countries, this strategy is difficult to implement 
in Kosovo because of the tight-knit family and clan structures. 
 
Much of the intelligence gained by police on narcotics trafficking 
comes from wiretaps.  However, the degree with which the telephone 
providers cooperate with the police varies widely. 
 
A common technique used in the West for infiltrating drug 
organizations is for an undercover agent to make increasingly larger 
buys.  In Kosovo, cumbersome regulations often limit the amount of 
money available to the investigators, preventing them from going 
beyond the lowest level street pusher. 
 
While UNMIK focused its anti-drug efforts on intercepting drugs 
smuggled into Kosovo and preventing them from departing to third 
countries, EULEX provides mentoring, monitoring and advising 
services to the KP.  The quality of EULEX advice varies, depending 
on the background and experience of the individuals assigned to the 
narcotics unit. 
 
Corruption. 
 
It is difficult to estimate the extent to which corruption in Kosovo 
 
PRISTINA 00000480  003.2 OF 006 
 
 
influences drug trafficking. Kosovo has taken legal and law 
enforcement measures to prevent and punish public corruption that 
facilitates the production, processing, or shipment of narcotic and 
psychotropic drugs and other controlled substances, or that 
discourages the investigation or prosecution of such offenses, 
especially by senior government officials.  However, results so far 
have been mixed. 
 
The "Suppression of Corruption" law, passed in April 2005, is the 
prevailing legislation that directs anti-corruption activities. 
There are no laws that specifically address narcotics-related public 
corruption.  The Suppression of Corruption law created the Kosovo 
Anti-Corruption Agency, an independent agency that began operations 
in July 2006.  In early 2009, the Government of Kosovo drafted an 
amendment to the Suppression of Corruption law and also an official 
strategy against corruption for 2009 to 2011.  As of November, 2009, 
neither measure had yet been approved by the Kosovo Assembly. 
 
While there is no evidence of systemic corruption in the KP or 
Customs, there are reports of individual corruption, which officials 
are attempting to address. Cases reportedly involve officers turning 
a blind eye to narcotics trafficking or accepting bribes to allow 
narcotics to pass through borders. KP officials see the potential 
for problems due to the officers' low salaries and lack of benefits, 
and they believe corruption exists in the regional counternarcotics 
offices. 
 
The Police Inspectorate of Kosovo (PIK) is an independent body under 
the MOIA designed to promote police efficiency and effectiveness and 
investigate and punish serious misconduct.  (Note:  The PIK has been 
run by a temporary director for five months.  A permanent director 
has not been appointed for political reasons.  End note)  In May 
2009, 47 kg of heroin and a large quantity of money and other 
evidence were stolen from a police evidence room.  While there are 
at least 15 suspects, so far no charges have been brought, nor has 
any of the stolen property been recovered.  The case is being 
investigated by the PIK, while a government official is being 
investigated by the EULEX Police Executive Department. 
 
There is no information indicating that the Kosovo Government or its 
senior officials encourage or facilitate illicit production or 
distribution of narcotic or psychotropic drugs or other controlled 
substances, or launder the proceeds from illegal drug transactions. 
 
Agreements and Treaties. 
 
The 1902 extradition treaty with the Kingdom of Serbia is now 
recognized as being in force by both the United States and the 
Government of Kosovo.  However, Kosovo will not extradite its 
nationals. 
 
Due to its unique history as a UN-administered entity, Kosovo was 
not previously party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention or any other 
international convention or protocol.  Since declaring independence 
in February 2008 and adopting a new state constitution in June 2008, 
Kosovo has gained the authority to sign international treaties as 
well as bilateral and multilateral agreements; however, this 
authority is for practical purposes limited to agreements with the 
62 countries which have recognized Kosovo.  Kosovo is not yet a UN 
member-state. 
 
The Kosovo Government is currently prioritizing the most important 
international agreements for ratification but has not yet become a 
party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention, the UN Convention against 
Transnational Organized Crime, or the UN Convention Against 
Corruption.  The Kosovo Government has reaffirmed its commitment to 
existing treaties signed on its behalf by UNMIK and the former 
Yugoslavia, including the extradition treaty originally signed 
between the United States and Yugoslavia. 
 
Kosovo cooperates and exchanges information with countries in the 
region through informal bilateral and multilateral meetings.  For 
example, the Director of Organized Crime in the KP regularly meets 
with his Albanian counterpart.  The KP reports that data sharing 
with Macedonia and Montenegro on drug investigations is poor while 
data sharing with Albania, with whom a data sharing agreement was 
 
PRISTINA 00000480  004.2 OF 006 
 
 
signed in 2008, is reported to be excellent.  Data sharing 
agreements with Macedonia and Montenegro are being negotiated.  The 
effectiveness of EULEX advisors assigned to the narcotics department 
has not yet been reflected in increased arrests and prosecutions. 
Data sharing between EULEX and the KP could improve due to recently 
signed data sharing agreements between EULEX and Serbia and EULEX 
and the KP. 
 
Additionally, Customs has memoranda of understanding with both 
Albania and Macedonia. 
 
Cultivation/Production. 
 
Kosovo is not a significant narcotics producer.  The KP has found 
some evidence of small-scale marijuana cultivation in rural areas, 
mostly in the form of plants mixed in with corn crops or cultivated 
in back yards. The police have also found some uncultivated 
marijuana plants growing in rural areas.  The KPS determine crop 
yield by counting individual plants, and the number of plants grown 
by any one producer is small enough to make this feasible.  There 
have been a few reports of seizures of small quantities of precursor 
chemicals in Kosovo, but KP officials have found no evidence of 
narcotics refining or production labs. 
 
Drug Flow/Transit. 
 
Though Kosovo is primarily a transit country for Afghan drugs 
destined for Europe, anecdotal evidence from the KP suggests a 
growing domestic narcotics market.  Data on drugs entering the 
country is weak, but data on drugs leaving the country is virtually 
non-existent.  The KP reported a sharp drop in heroin coming from 
Bulgaria and transiting Macedonia after Bulgaria entered the EU, 
while drug flow from Albania has increased.  Most of the drug 
traffic entering Kosovo is carried in small quantities across rugged 
borders on foot or by mule.  Most drug seizures do not occur at a 
border crossing. 
 
While the most pervasive drug in Kosovo is heroin, synthetic drugs 
manufactured in Serbia have been intercepted enroute to Albania 
while marijuana grown in Albania has been intercepted heading for 
Serbia.  Several years ago most of the drug traffic was coming from 
Macedonia but now much of it comes from Albania.  The street value 
of heroin is from 10,000 to 15,000 euro per kilogram uncut while 
cocaine is between 50,000 and 60,000 euro.  Despite the much higher 
cost of cocaine, the KP reports that the amount of cocaine entering 
Kosovo from Albania, Montenegro and other sources has been growing. 
In fact the KP recently seized a shipment of cocaine coming from 
Belgium. 
 
EULEX and KP officials report many small movements of narcotics, 
such as two to five kg on one person or 10 to 20 kg in a bag on a 
bus.  EULEX advisors have observed the KBP allowing buses to pass 
without search, and in some cases, without checking passports of the 
passengers. 
 
The Kosovo Government continues its efforts to interdict and seize 
drugs transiting Kosovo.  However, there have been no significant 
changes in the methodology or tactics used by the Kosovo Police or 
Customs agencies.  The KBP are attempting to acquire drug detection 
dogs but have not yet secured funding. 
 
Domestic Programs/Demand Reduction. 
 
According to NGO Labyrinth, the use of marijuana in schools has been 
increasing.  Only 18% of 15 to 24-year-olds understand the dangers 
of drug use according to recent surveys by UNICEF.  Even more 
alarming is that the age of first injection has dropped to 14 years. 
 While there are no reliable estimates of the number of drug users 
in Kosovo, UNICEF believes that there are now 20,000, up from 10,000 
to 15,000 in 2001.  One problem in obtaining data is that parents in 
this culture are deeply ashamed if their children use drugs and try 
to deny and hide the addiction rather than seek help.  Also, 
wealthier parents are able to send their children to Slovenia and 
Croatia for rehabilitation.  One initiative sponsored by UNICEF is 
called the Peer Education Network which so far has recruited 1500 
young people in 22 municipalities to provide training and awareness 
 
PRISTINA 00000480  005.2 OF 006 
 
 
to other young people on drug prevention, the risks of HIV, sexually 
transmitted diseases, and the risks of smoking.  In addition UNICEF 
is pioneering a life skills-based education program for eighth 
graders which will be expanded to other grades.  The program, 
already in 500 schools, focuses on health, nutrition, sexuality, and 
HIV as well as drug prevention. 
 
Both the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education run 
domestic prevention programs, and community police officers visit 
schools throughout Kosovo to educate students about the risks 
associated with drug use.  NGOs such as Labyrinth assist with both 
education and treatment.  Labyrinth says that based on the number of 
people asking for treatment for cocaine addiction, usage of cocaine 
has increased considerably in the last five years, an opinion 
supported by the KP.  Labyrinth currently has about 600 clients in 
various stages of treatment.  The number of new clients is ten to 
eleven per month, up from seven to eight per month two years ago. 
In addition only about 3% of Labyrinth's clients remain drug-free 
compared to about 25% in the European Union.  Labyrinth attributes 
this to lack of follow-up and social services, cultural norms 
according to which a child can be disowned from his or her family 
for using drugs, and lack of economic or educational opportunities 
for young people. 
 
The Pristina University Hospital Psychiatry Department, which also 
provides drug treatment, reports that on average two to four people 
are receiving in-patient treatment at any given time.  The 
overwhelming majority of the patients are heroin addicts. 
Approximately 120-140 addicts receive out-patient treatment each 
year.  The staff at Pristina University Hospital is limited, with 
only one doctor and one nurse devoted to treating drug addicts. 
Other regional medical centers' psychiatry wards reportedly do what 
they can to assist drug addicts, but they do not devote staff 
exclusively to their treatment. 
 
The Hospital notes that the number of patients is increasing and 
sees an urgent need for a better drug treatment program that 
includes more and better trained staff, individual and group 
therapy, and separation from the psychiatric ward.  Hospital 
officials consider the construction of a separate drug treatment 
facility a priority.  They believe that the current arrangement that 
places drug addicts alongside psychiatric patients in the same ward 
creates a social stigma that prevents all but the most severe cases 
of drug addiction from seeking treatment. 
 
Methadone has not been prescribed by public health services due to a 
technicality in the law although NGO Labyrinth has been using it as 
part of its rehabilitation program.  Last year the Global Fund 
awarded Kosovo $5.6 million for a five-year methadone treatment 
program.  The methadone, taken orally, will be administered and 
tracked by Labyrinth and other clinics under this program beginning 
in December 2009.  Labyrinth reports a success rate of only 12 
percent using methadone to treat heroin addiction, and it attributes 
this low rate of success to the absence of a long-term maintenance 
and follow-up program. 
 
IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs 
 
Bilateral Cooperation. 
 
Kosovo cooperates with the United States on counternarcotics issues 
to the extent possible. 
In 2009, the U.S. Department of Justice's OPDAT program (Overseas 
Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training) conducted 
training for prosecutors in the new Kosovo Special Prosecutors 
Office, which handles narcotics trafficking and other complex 
crimes.  Projects included instruction on how to handle Trafficking 
in Persons cases and the Confiscation of Documents, as well as a 
course in Terrorism, Organized Crime, Interagency Decision Making, 
Consequence Management, and Border Management. In past years, the 
United States Government has provided technical assistance and 
equipment donations that directly or indirectly support 
counternarcotics work in Kosovo.  The USGs Export Control and 
Related Border Security (EXBS) program donated a large amount of 
border security equipment, including x-ray machines, density 
measuring kits, and other equipment. The United States Government 
 
PRISTINA 00000480  006.2 OF 006 
 
 
funded and contributed 80 police officers, one judge, and three 
prosecutors to EULEX's rule of law mission. 
 
In partnership with the North Carolina US Attorney General's office, 
OPDAT has led a series of trainings in both Kosovo and the United 
States aimed at teaching the KP and Kosovar prosecutors US methods 
of drug detection, investigation and prosecution.  OPDAT will also 
provide the KP with much-needed equipment including field test kits 
and specialized communications and tracking gear. 
 
The Road Ahead. 
 
The United States will continue to provide rule of law assistance to 
Kosovo for the foreseeable future. USG-funded police, prosecutors, 
and judges will continue working in Kosovo as part of the EULEX 
deployment.  The U.S. Government is coordinating its rule of law 
assistance goals and priorities for Kosovo with the EU, and it will 
continue to provide training, technical assistance and equipment to 
the KP and Kosovo's criminal justice sector that directly and 
indirectly support counternarcotics work.  Among the USG's 
contribution of police officers to the EULEX police mission in 
Kosovo, some officers will possess special organized crime and 
counternarcotics skills. 
 
End report. 
 
DELL