Belgium
growing producer of synthetic drugs; transit point for
US-bound ecstasy; source of precursor chemicals for South American
cocaine processors; transshipment point for cocaine, heroin,
hashish, and marijuana entering Western Europe; money laundering
related to trafficking of drugs, automobiles, alcohol, and tobacco
Belize
major transshipment point for cocaine; small-scale illicit
producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; some
money-laundering activity related to offshore sector
Benin
transshipment point for narcotics associated with Nigerian
trafficking organizations and most commonly destined for Western
Europe and the US; vulnerable to money laundering due to a poorly
regulated financial infrastructure
Bolivia
world's third-largest cultivator of coca (after Colombia and
Peru) with an estimated 24,400 hectares under cultivation in June
2002, a 23% increase from June 2001; intermediate coca products and
cocaine exported to or through Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, and
Chile to the US and other international drug markets; eradication
and alternative crop programs under the SANCHEZ DE LOZADA
administration have been unable to keep pace with farmers' attempts
to increase cultivation after significant reductions in 1998 and
1999; money-laundering activity related to narcotics trade,
especially along the borders with Brazil and Paraguay
Bosnia and Herzegovina
minor transit point for marijuana and opiate
trafficking routes to Western Europe; organized crime launders
money, but the lack of a well-developed financial infrastructure
limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center
Brazil
illicit producer of cannabis; minor coca cultivation in the
Amazon region, used for domestic consumption; government has a
large-scale eradication program to control cannabis; important
transshipment country for Colombian and Peruvian cocaine headed for
the US and Europe; also used by traffickers as a way station for
narcotics air transshipments between Peru and Colombia; upsurge in
drug-related violence and weapons smuggling; important market for
Colombian, Bolivian, and Peruvian cocaine; illicit narcotics
proceeds earned in Brazil are often laundered through the financial
system; significant illicit financial activity in the Tri-Border Area
British Virgin Islands
transshipment point for South American
narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial
center
Brunei
drug trafficking and illegally importing controlled
substances are serious offenses in Brunei and carry a mandatory
death penalty
Bulgaria
major European transshipment point for Southwest Asian
heroin and, to a lesser degree, South American cocaine for the
European market; limited producer of precursor chemicals; some money
laundering of drug-related proceeds through financial institutions
Burma
world's second largest producer of illicit opium (potential
production in 2002 - 630 metric tons, down 27% due to drought and,
to a lesser extent, eradication; cultivation in 2002 - 77,000
hectares, a 27% decline from 2001); surrender of drug warlord KHUN
SA's Mong Tai Army in January 1996 was hailed by Rangoon as a major
counternarcotics success, but lack of government will and ability to
take on major narcotrafficking groups and lack of serious commitment
against money laundering continues to hinder the overall antidrug
effort; major source of methamphetamine and heroin for regional
consumption