ARTICLE - INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL

INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY REPORT SUBMITTED TO CONGRESS

(RTTNews) - The U.S. State Department has submitted the International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) to the Congress.

The INCSR reviews conditions in the major illicit drug-producing countries, the major drug-transit countries, and the major source countries for precursor chemicals used in the production of illicit narcotics. In addition, the INCSR discusses conditions in the major money-laundering countries. This is the 28th edition of the annual report to Congress and covers calendar year 2010.

The two-part report is the State Department's comprehensive assessment of foreign governments' efforts to deal with their domestic narcotics problems and meet their international responsibilities, as set out in U.N. narcotics and crime treaties.

The Drugs and Chemical Control section covers some 125 countries and jurisdictions. The second section, Money-Laundering and Financial Crimes, describes the efforts of the 60 major money laundering countries to implement strong anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing regimes.

The INCSR is prepared by the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).

U.S. President has identified 20 countries as major illicit drug producing and/or drug-transit countries and notified the same to Congress in September last year. They are Afghanistan, The Bahamas, Bolivia, Burma, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Laos, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Peru and Venezuela.

Of them, Burma, Bolivia, and Venezuela were designated by the President as having "failed demonstrably" during the previous 12 months to adhere to their obligations under international counter-narcotics agreements. However, the President determined that continued support for bilateral programs in Bolivia and limited programs in Venezuela are vital to the national interests of the United States.

Fifteen countries have been identified to be major sources of precursor or essential chemicals used in the production of illicit narcotics. They are: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Germany, India, Mexico, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Sixty-three countries have been identified as major money laundering countries, "whose financial institutions engage in currency transactions involving significant amounts of proceeds from international narcotics trafficking." They include US, Russia and India.