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US State Department publicizes 2015 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report

19 March 2015 10:33 (UTC +04:00)

The report also covers the drug trafficking situation in Azerbaijan.

According to the report, Azerbaijan remains a transit country for illicit narcotics by virtue of its situation along major drug trafficking routes from Afghanistan and Iran to Europe and Russia.

“Azerbaijan may be an increasingly favored transit country for drugs over neighboring countries such as Turkey, which has strengthened its border controls in recent years. The Government of Azerbaijan has expressed concerns related to its inability to secure international borders in the occupied territories that surround Nagorno-Karabakh,” said the report.

According to the INCSR, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs seized approximately 700 kg of illegal drugs over the first ten months of 2014. Authorities opened 1,743 cases for drug-related crimes during the same period, of which 449 involved narcotics sales.

“The MIA also reported that it disrupted 27 criminal groups involving 90 people. According to ministry statistics, authorities convicted 1,252 people of drug-related crimes in the first half of 2014. Of the individuals, 91.9 percent were unemployed, 28.2 percent were previously convicted, and 2.6 percent were women”.

The report noted that domestic drug use and cultivation exist on a relatively small scale, although the Government of Azerbaijan may underestimate the scope of the problem.

“Government-sponsored programs targeting drug abuse remain inadequate, and drug treatment centers in Azerbaijan would benefit from increased support. The United States provided training to and cooperated with Azerbaijani counterparts on investigations, which helped Azerbaijan pursue international drug trafficking organizations in 2014. The United States has received important cooperation from Azerbaijan and anticipates that this will continue,” said the report.