INTERNATIONAL ILLICIT DRUG TRAFFIC - 1970

• NCJ Number: 66226
• Author(s): ANON
• Date Published: 1971
• Length: 41 pages
• Corporate Author: International Criminal Police Organization
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: France
• Note: SUBMITTED BY THE GENERAL SECRETARIAT TO THE 40TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY SESSION, OTTAWA, CANADA, SEPTEMBER 6-11, 1971

Annotation

INFORMATION RECEIVED BY THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL POLICE ORGANIZATION (INTERPOL) DURING 1970 REVEALS THAT, COMPARED WITH 1969, CERTAIN NEW TRENDS AND VARIATIONS IN DRUG TRAFFIC HAVE APPEARED.

Abstract

TRAFFIC IN CANNABIS HAS RISEN SHARPLY, WHILE TRAFFIC IN OPIUM, MORPHINE, AND HEROIN HAS DECREASED. COMPARED WITH 1969, SEIZURES OF HALLUCINOGENS TRIPLED IN 1970. INTERNATIONAL CANNABIS TRAFFIC APPEARS TO BE DEVELOPING ALONG THE SAME LINES AS THE TRAFFIC IN OPIATES; I.E., IT IS CARRIED BY WELL-ORGANIZED GANGS. HOWEVER, THESE GANGS CONSIST OF ONLY 3 OR 4 MEMBERS, WHEREAS THOSE TRAFFICKING IN OPIUM DERIVATIVES USUALLY HAVE 10 TO 25 MEMBERS. A TOTAL OF 57 COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES REPORTED DRUG SEIZURES IN 1970, COMPARED WITH 55 IN 1969. THE NUMBER OF DRUG SEIZURES ROSE FROM 1,929 IN 1969 TO 3,041 IN 1970, AN INCREASE OF 57.6 PERCENT. THE NUMBER OF ARRESTS ALSO ROSE, FROM 3.549 IN 1969 TO 4,364 IN 1970, AN INCREASE OF 22.9 PERCENT. REPORTS FROM AFRICA STILL DO NOT ADEQUATELY REFLECT THE EXTENT OF DRUG TRAFFIC IN THE AREA. DESPITE SEVERE MEASURES ENACTED TO DEAL WITH TRAFFICKERS, THE AMOUNT OF DRUG TRAFFIC TOWARDS THE U.S. INCREASES EACH YEAR. HEROIN AND COCAINE, AS WELL AS CANNABIS, ARE SMUGGLED INTO THE COUNTRY. EUROPE REMAINS AN IMPORTANT AREA OF PRODUCTION AND TRANSIT OF DIACETYLMORPHINE INTENDED FOR THE NORTH AMERICAN BLACK MARKET. THE MIDDLE AND NEAR EAST CONTINUE TO BE AN IMPORTANT SUPPLY CENTER FOR DRUGS INTENDED FOR INTERNATIONAL ILLICIT TRAFFIC, WITH SUPPLIES COMING FROM ILLICIT CROPS OR FROM QUANTITIES DIVERTED FROM AUTHORIZED CROPS. ALTHOUGH QUANTITIES SEIZED IN THE FAR EAST WERE MARKEDLY SMALLER THAN IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR, TRAFFIC IN OPIATES REMAINS A MAJOR PROBLEM IN THE FAR EAST. TABLES PRESENT DATA ON OPIUM, MORPHINE, DIACETYLMORPHINE, COCAINE, CANNABIS, OTHER NATURAL DRUGS AND THEIR DERIVATIVES, SYNTHETIC DRUGS, AND SUBSTANCES NOT SUBJECT TO INTERNATIONAL CONTROL (DEPRESSANTS, STIMULANTS, AND HALLUCINOGENS). INFORMATION ON INTERNATIONAL POLICE COOPERATION IS ALSO PROVIDED. (PRG)