Cayman Islands
major offshore financial center; vulnerable to drug
transshipment to the US and Europe (2008)
Chile
transshipment country for cocaine destined for Europe and the
region; some money laundering activity, especially through the
Iquique Free Trade Zone; imported precursors passed on to Bolivia;
domestic cocaine consumption is rising, making Chile a significant
consumer of cocaine (2008)
China
major transshipment point for heroin produced in the Golden
Triangle region of Southeast Asia; growing domestic consumption of
synthetic drugs, and heroin from Southeast and Southwest Asia;
source country for methamphetamine and heroin chemical precursors,
despite new regulations on its large chemical industry (2008)
Colombia
illicit producer of coca, opium poppy, and cannabis;
world's leading coca cultivator with 167,000 hectares in coca
cultivation in 2007, a 6% increase over 2006, producing a potential
of 535 mt of pure cocaine; the world's largest producer of coca
derivatives; supplies cocaine to nearly all of the US market and the
great majority of other international drug markets; in 2005, aerial
eradication dispensed herbicide to treat over 130,000 hectares but
aggressive replanting on the part of coca growers means Colombia
remains a key producer; a significant portion of narcotics proceeds
are either laundered or invested in Colombia through the black
market peso exchange; important supplier of heroin to the US market;
opium poppy cultivation is estimated to have fallen 25% between 2006
and 2007; most Colombian heroin is destined for the US market (2008)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the one of Africa's biggest producers of cannabis, but mostly for domestic consumption; traffickers exploit lax shipping controls to transit pseudoephedrine through the capital; while rampant corruption and inadequate supervision leaves the banking system vulnerable to money laundering, the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center (2008)
Costa Rica
transshipment country for cocaine and heroin from South
America; illicit production of cannabis in remote areas; domestic
cocaine consumption, particularly crack cocaine, is rising;
significant consumption of amphetamines; seizures of smuggled cash
in Costa Rica and at the main border crossing to enter Costa Rica
from Nicaragua have risen in recent years (2008)
Cote d'Ivoire
illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for local
consumption; utility as a narcotic transshipment point to Europe
reduced by ongoing political instability; while rampant corruption
and inadequate supervision leave the banking system vulnerable to
money laundering, the lack of a developed financial system limits
the country's utility as a major money-laundering center (2008)
Croatia
transit point along the Balkan route for Southwest Asian
heroin to Western Europe; has been used as a transit point for
maritime shipments of South American cocaine bound for Western
Europe (2008)
Cuba
territorial waters and air space serve as transshipment zone
for US- and European-bound drugs; established the death penalty for
certain drug-related crimes in 1999 (2008)
Cyprus
minor transit point for heroin and hashish via air routes and
container traffic to Europe, especially from Lebanon and Turkey;
some cocaine transits as well; despite a strengthening of
anti-money-laundering legislation, remains vulnerable to money
laundering; reporting of suspicious transactions in offshore sector
remains weak (2008)