Azernews.Az

Intensified efforts of Azerbaijan`s border service have reduced drug trafficking through the country`s territory, the US State Department said in a report.

The 2012 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) says Azerbaijan is frequently used as a transit country along major drug trafficking routes from Afghanistan and Iran to Europe due to its location. Portions of Azerbaijan`s border are also uncontrolled due to regional conflict.

The report did not specify why Azerbaijan, part of whose land is occupied by Armenia, is unable to control some of its territory, and only cited this as a factor facilitating drug transit.

The State Department report, submitted to US Congress, said, however, that the quantity of drugs seized by the Azerbaijani authorities, as well as the number of reported crimes related to drugs, have increased over the last decade.

``The Ministry of Interior leads domestic counternarcotics efforts while the Ministry of National Security leads international counternarcotics operations. The State Border Service and State Customs Committee also play significant counternarcotics roles,`` it says.

According to the report, Deputy Prime Minister and chair of the state committee for fighting narcotics, Ali Hasanov, stated to the press that in 2010, the government seized 1,859 kg of illegal narcotics.

The infrastructure for border protection in Azerbaijan has been significantly improved by the government`s efforts and by the U.S. Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) program, the report said.

The US State Department last year allocated $1.226 million to Azerbaijan, $2.824 million to Armenia and $4 million to Georgia to combat drug trafficking.

The report said domestic drug cultivation includes both cannabis and opium poppy, but is not widespread, and is mostly for regional consumption.

It also said few government-sponsored programs exist in Azerbaijan to address domestic drug use.

The State Department noted that Azerbaijani legislation on combating drugs is in line with a number of international documents.

``Azerbaijan was one of the first countries in the South Caucasus to become a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention in 1993. Azerbaijan also started one of the first police units that specifically targeted drug trafficking in the region.``

Azerbaijan also is a party to the UN Convention against Corruption, and to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its three protocols.

The report said that according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), approximately 11 tons of heroin enter the Caucasus annually; 4 tons of that is either consumed or seized annually within the region; and 7 tons are smuggled to Europe. According to the US government, mainly opiates are brought to Azerbaijan from Afghanistan. The report said Afghan opiates transit Azerbaijan by three primary routes: from Central Asia and across the Caspian Sea; from Iran through the south of the country; and through uncontrolled territories of Azerbaijan. While international attention is focused on the Iran-Azerbaijan border and Caspian routes, Azerbaijani officials regularly identify the uncontrolled territories as a more significant threat, it said.

In Azerbaijan itself, mostly marijuana is grown in minute quantities, mainly for consumption in the region, the State Department said.

It said the annual prevalence rate for opiate use for persons aged 15 to 64 in Azerbaijan decreased from 0.3% in 2004 to 0.2% in 2008. The most recent data suggests that the prevalence rate for marijuana usage for that same age group was 3.5% in 2008.

The report says that current figures from an Azerbaijani NGO indicate that there are 25,489 drug addicts in Azerbaijan, with 4,554 of those 29 years old or younger.

In its section on corruption, the report said Azerbaijan does not encourage or facilitate the production or distribution of illicit substances, nor the laundering of proceeds from illegal drug transactions. However, it claimed, corruption of government and law enforcement officials remains ``a serious concern``.

It said that in 2011, a US State Department funded legal advisor from the Department of Justice arrived in Baku. The advisor is expected to increase cooperation between the U.S. and the Azerbaijani government in the field of anti-corruption.

Also in 2011, the Financial Monitoring Service under the Central Bank of Azerbaijan signed an agreement with UNODC to use new software designed to enhance Azerbaijan`s ability to track money laundering related to corruption and drug trafficking, the US government said.

In its conclusion, the report said opiate production in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan`s long border with Iran, and the instability and lack-of-control across some portions of Azerbaijan`s borders ``combine to make Azerbaijan an attractive conduit for the illicit flow of narcotics and other controlled substances``. It said that while more progress is necessary, the government continues to develop and implement measures, both unilaterally and with international partners, designed to secure its borders.