FBIS3-31267
"dreeu032_c_94011"
FBIS-EEU-94-032
Document Type:Daily Report
16 Feb 1994
CZECH REPUBLIC
Interpol Favors Using Security Services in Drug War
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 drug 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 drug 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 drug-related crime is now spreading
dramatically throughout East 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 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 drug 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 drug
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 drug 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] It is possible somehow to prevent corruption in the
offices intended to combat the drug 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 drug sphere. You have proposed
orienting efforts toward restricting the demand for narcotics.
Should East Europe proceed differently from West 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 the traffickers demand for drugs. Another aspect is
that many things from West 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.