Iran
despite substantial interdiction efforts, Iran remains a key
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin to Europe; domestic
narcotics consumption remains a persistent problem and according to
official Iranian statistics there are at least 2 million drug users
in the country; lacks anti-money-laundering laws
Ireland
transshipment point for and consumer of hashish from North
Africa to the UK and Netherlands and of European-produced synthetic
drugs; minor transshipment point for heroin and cocaine destined for
Western Europe; despite recent legislation, narcotics-related money
laundering - using bureaux de change, trusts, and shell companies
involving the offshore financial community - remains a concern
Israel
increasingly concerned about cocaine and heroin abuse; drugs
arrive in country from Lebanon and, increasingly, from Jordan;
money-laundering center
Italy
important gateway for and consumer of Latin American cocaine
and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market; money
laundering by organized crime and from smuggling
Jamaica
transshipment point for cocaine from South America to North
America and Europe; illicit cultivation of cannabis; government has
an active manual cannabis eradication program; corruption is a major
concern; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian narcotics
traffickers favor Jamaica for illicit financial transactions
Kazakhstan
significant illicit cultivation of cannabis for CIS
markets, as well as limited cultivation of opium poppy and ephedra
(for the drug ephedrine); limited government eradication of illicit
crops; transit point for Southwest Asian narcotics bound for Russia
and the rest of Europe
Kenya
widespread harvesting of small plots of marijuana; transit
country for South Asian heroin destined for Europe and North
America; Indian methaqualone also transits on way to South Africa;
significant potential for money-laundering activity given the
country's status as a regional financial center; massive corruption,
and relatively high levels of narcotics-associated activities
Korea, North
for years, from the 1970s into the 2000s, citizens of
the Democratic People's Republic of (North) Korea (DPRK), many of
them diplomatic employees of the government, were apprehended abroad
while trafficking in narcotics, including two in Turkey in December
2004; police investigations in Taiwan and Japan in recent years have
linked North Korea to large illicit shipments of heroin and
methamphetamine, including an attempt by the North Korean merchant
ship Pong Su to deliver 150 kg of heroin to Australia in April 2003
Kyrgyzstan
limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy
for CIS markets; limited government eradication of illicit crops;
transit point for Southwest Asian narcotics bound for Russia and the
rest of Europe
Laos
estimated cultivation in 2004 - 10,000 hectares, a 45% decrease
from 2003; estimated potential production in 2004 - 49 metric tons,
a significant decrease from 200 metric tons in 2003 (2005)