FBIS3-41387
"jptdd008__l94095"
JPRS-TDD-94-008-L
Document Type:JPRS
Document Title:Narcotics
23 February 1994
WEST EUROPE
REGIONAL AFFAIRS
Interpol Director General Discusses Drug Situation in West, East Europe
AU1502200194 Prague RUDE PRAVO in Czech 9 Feb 94 p 9
AU1502200194
Prague RUDE PRAVO
Language: Czech
Article Type:BFN
[Interview with Interpol Director General Raymond Kendall by
Vladimir Sevela in Strasbourg; date not given: "According To
the Interpol Chief, the Drugs Mafia in Europe Is Winning"]
[Text] Strasbourg -- Interpol Director General Raymond
Kendall declared in the Council of Europe last week that the
methods employed so far to combat the organized drugs trade have
failed. He said that, despite the efforts by police forces
throughout the continent, the drugs mafias have become
consolidated during the past three years and the aggression
shown by their organizations has also increased.
The Interpol chief appealed to European countries to
incorporate their security and information services into the
struggle against international drug mafias and to utilize all
the potential left behind in this sphere following the collapse
of the Iron Curtain. "Let us proceed from the fact that the
organized drugs mafia is a foreign power set against the state.
The current deployment of forces and resources between them and
the police is uneven; therefore, it is necessary to apply other
courses of action," he said.
Kendall also said that drugs-related crime is now spreading
dramatically throughout Eastern Europe. Russia, Poland, and the
Baltic states have become the main European producers of
psychotropic substances, which are beginning to be the most
sought-after drugs. According to Interpol's figures, several
times more heroin was seized in Bulgaria and Hungary last year
than in the countries with a long "tradition" of using
it--France and Belgium.
Because the drugs problem is affecting the Czech Republic
increasingly, MLADA FRONTA DNES asked Raymond Kendall for an
interview.
[Sevela] How are politicians responding to your appeal to
use the intelligence services in the struggle against the drugs
trade?
[Kendall] At the moment, it is too early for me to outline
any specific reactions, because this entire idea is--in
essence--new. First of all, it is necessary for government and
political officials to understand the seriousness of the threat
represented by organized crime in the drugs trade and to be
aware of the kind of resources that it is necessary to use. I
think, however, that they are aware of the benefit that will
arise from combining efforts in an assault on these criminal
organizations. Then, it is necessary to put the security
services--this massive apparatus for acquiring and analyzing
information--at the immediate disposal of the authorities
involved in the struggle against drugs.
[Sevela] Some politicians maintain, however, that the
security and information services are already being used for
this purpose....
[Kendall] Yes, but intelligence centers always have a
tendency to act independently. According to my proposal, they
should not operate separately and in isolation. They should be
subordinate to the people supervising the struggle against
drugs-related crime.
[Sevela] Is it possible somehow to prevent corruption in the
offices intended to combat the drugs trade?
[Kendall] Your question touches upon one of the biggest
problems. Organized crime is a source of huge profit and brings
with it the possibility of corruption among officials in all
posts, including the most senior ones. Therefore, it is
important for all countries--but mainly those whom corruption
most concerns--to introduce specific measures.
[Sevela] You yourself are an advocate of balance between
repression and prevention in the drugs sphere. You have
proposed orienting efforts toward restricting the demand for
narcotics. Should Eastern Europe proceed differently from
Western Europe?
[Kendall] No, this problem is the same everywhere. Despite
this, the countries of the former Eastern bloc are--to a certain
extent--lucky, because the majority of people there cannot
afford the prices that the traffickers demand for drugs.
Another aspect is that many things from Western
Europe--including drugs--are attractive, especially to young
people. Of course, it is possible to avoid the problems that
afflict us by means of prevention. It is enough to learn from
our experience, first and foremost, in restricting the demand
for drugs and to try to stop them infiltrating into the
country--something that is on the increase--until your economy
improves.
[Sevela] In what direction should prevention be oriented?
[Kendall] It is simply necessary to explain to people that
drugs are bad. It is necessary to explain the health risks from
these dangerous toxic substances as is being done for tobacco
and alcohol.