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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY REPORT, MARCH 1996:
MAJOR CHEMICAL SOURCE COUNTRIES
United States Department of State
Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
The European Union (EU) and its administrative arm, the European
Commission, have been active collaborators in international cooperation
to regulate chemicals to prevent their diversion to illicit drug
manufacture. The European Union Chemical Regulation, originally
promulgated to meet the chemical control provisions of the 1988 UN
Convention, has been amended to include the more comprehensive
recommendations of the Chemical Action Task Force. The amended
regulation became binding on all EU members on January 1, 1993. The EU
regulation includes provision for record keeping on transactions in the
chemicals listed in the 1988 UN Convention, requires a system or permits
or declarations for exports and imports of regulated chemicals and
authorizes governments to suspend shipments of them. EU member states
implement the regulation through national laws.
In 1995, the European Commission followed through to completion
initiatives begun in 1994 to negotiate chemical control agreements with
Latin American importers of European-origin chemicals. Agreements were
signed in December 1995 with Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and
Venezuela.
Germany and The Netherlands remain the two major European source
countries for chemicals used in the illicit manufacture of drugs. They
have large chemical manufacturing and trading sectors and significant
trade with drug-producing areas.
Germany. Germany is the world's foremost manufacturer of pharmaceuticals. In
addition, virtually all types of precursor and essential chemicals are
manufactured and/or traded by the vast German chemical and
pharmaceutical industry.
Germany is a party to the 1988 UN Convention and it has implemented the
EU chemical regulation that came in effect in December 1993. The
industry generally complies with the implementing laws and regulations
and most companies are cooperative with law enforcement agencies in
investigations of suspected diversion of both controlled and non-
controlled chemicals.
US/German law enforcement cooperation in chemical control is good,
including sharing of information on suspicious chemical transactions in
the normal course of this cooperation. During 1995, close cooperation
between the DEA Frankfurt regional office and the German Federal Police
Chemical Division Group resulted in the suspension of several large
shipments of ephedrine and essential chemicals intended for Central and
South America.
The Netherlands. The Netherlands has laws and regulations in conformity with the 1988 UN Convention, to which it is a party, and the EU chemical regulation.
These include record keeping, export licensing procedures, requiring
information about the shipment, the buyer and the shipper, and import
permits.
The Dutch Economic Control Service, which operates under the Ministry of
Economic Affairs, has the authority to investigate suspected violations
of chemical control laws. The seizure of the chemicals and up to six
years in jail are the penalties for violations. The Dutch cooperate
closely with the US on chemical control. In 1994, procedures were
established for the exchange of records of transactions in regulated
chemicals. Law enforcement information is also exchanged in the normal
course of cooperation.
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