This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
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@2086 Illicit drugs
Afghanistan
world's largest producer of opium; cultivation dropped
48% to 107,400 hectares in 2005; better weather and lack of
widespread disease returned opium yields to normal levels, meaning
potential opium production declined by only 10% to 4,475 metric
tons; if the entire poppy crop were processed, it is estimated that
526 metric tons of heroin could be processed; source of hashish;
many narcotics-processing labs throughout the country; drug trade
source of instability and some antigovernment groups profit from the
trade; 80-90% of the heroin consumed in Europe comes from Afghan
opium; vulnerable to narcotics money laundering through informal
financial networks
Albania
increasingly active transshipment point for Southwest Asian
opiates, hashish, and cannabis transiting the Balkan route and - to
a far lesser extent - cocaine from South America destined for
Western Europe; limited opium and growing cannabis production;
ethnic Albanian narcotrafficking organizations active and expanding
in Europe; vulnerable to money laundering associated with regional
trafficking in narcotics, arms, contraband, and illegal aliens
Angola
used as a transshipment point for cocaine destined for
Western Europe and other African states
Anguilla
transshipment point for South American narcotics destined
for the US and Europe
Antigua and Barbuda
considered a minor transshipment point for
narcotics bound for the US and Europe; more significant as an
offshore financial center
Argentina
used as a transshipment country for cocaine headed for
Europe; some money-laundering activity, especially in the Tri-Border
Area; domestic consumption of drugs in urban centers is increasing
Armenia
illicit cultivation of small amount of cannabis for domestic
consumption; minor transit point for illicit drugs - mostly opium
and hashish - moving from Southwest Asia to Russia and to a lesser
extent the rest of Europe