U.S. Department of State: Drug Abuse Doesn't Constitute Serious Problem in Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia is not a major drug-producing country and its domestic abuse of drugs is relatively small, says the 2006 International Narcotics Control Straggly Report of the U.S. Department of State. "As a crossroads between Europe and Asia, Armenia has the potential to become a transit point for international drug trafficking. At present, limited transport traffic between the country and its neighboring states makes Armenia a secondary traffic route for drugs. Drug abuse does not constitute a serious problem in Armenia itself, and the local market for narcotics, according to the police, is not large. The principal drugs of abuse are opium and cannabis. In the first 9 months of 2005, the Armenian Police uncovered 458 criminal drug trafficking cases and 15 cases of criminal drug abuse. In this period more than 14 kilograms of drugs were seized, compared to 12 kilograms for the first 9 months of 2004. Armenia's borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan remain closed due to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict but opiates and heroin are smuggled to Armenia from Turkey via Georgia. The USG will continue aiding Armenia in its counternarcotics efforts through capacity building of Armenian law enforcement and will continue to engage the government on operational trafficking issues," the report says.