CENTRAL ASIA : DRUG SITUATION AT-A-GLANCE

Mid-year 2008

DRUG SEIZURES IN CENTRAL ASIA

During the first 6-months of 2008, a total of 15.1 tons of drugs were seized in Central Asia, 1.1 tons more than during the same period in 2007. An increase in total drug seizures was reported in Uzbekistan (by 91%), Kyrgyzstan (by 50%), Tajikistan (by 24%) while seizures in Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan decreased (32% and 11% respectively). Of the total amount seized, heroin represented 3.2 tons (last year 1.7); opium - 2.3 tons (3.1); marijuana - 8.3 tons (8.4); and hashish 753 kg (354).

Heroin

Compared to 2007, total heroin seizures nearly doubled in 2008 (94%) due to considerable increases in seizures in Uzbekistan (410%) and Kazakhstan (290%), and to a lesser extent, Tajikistan (15%) and Kyrgyzstan (11%). The sharp increases in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan were a consequence of several large volume seizure cases in January-June 2008. Turkmenistan reported a 20% decrease in heroin seizures.

According to semi-annual heroin seizures, for the first time Kazakhstan ranks first among Central Asian countries in heroin seizures with 35% of total heroin seizures (1,111 kg). Tajikistan's share of regional heroin seizures has remained high constituting 32% (1,030 kg) of total seizures in Central Asia. Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan seized 24% (771 kg), 5% (162 kg), and 4% (133 kg) respectively.

Opium

In the first half on 2008, opium seizures decreased by 25% compared to the same period in 2007. Given the rise in heroin seizures (94%), this could indicate that more opiates trafficked through the region are in the form of heroin rather than opium. 

Tajikistan continues to seize the largest proportion of opium constituting approximately 58% of total seizures in Central Asia (1.4 tons). This figure represents a modest 10% increase on the same period in 2007. Despite of decrease in seizures, Turkmenistan (-55%) and Uzbekistan (-26%) seized over 400 kg of opium each. Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan seized 38 kg (+2%) and 13 kg (-92%) respectively.

Cannabis group

Kazakhstan annually leads the region in marijuana seizures, confiscating more than 20 tons every year. As of 1 ^st July 2008, law enforcement agencies in the republic have seized over 5 tons of marijuana representing 61% of total amount of seizures in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan seized 1,371 kg (16%), 1,179 kg (14%), and 681 kg (8%) respectively.

In Central Asia, 753 kg of hashish were seized for the first six months of 2008, more than double the amount seized in same period in 2007 and six times the amount seized in same period in 2006. The majority of hashish seizures were made in Kyrgyzstan (415 kg) and Kazakhstan (218 kg).

Drug Related Crime (DRC)

The largest number of drug related crimes was registered in Uzbekistan (5737 cases) following by Kazakhstan (5480), Kyrgyzstan (1076), and Tajikistan (404) in January-June 2008. Compared to the same period of 2007, only Uzbekistan has reported an increase (+6%) in drug related crimes, while a decrease varying from 2% to 6% was observed in the other countries of the region. In terms of drug related crimes per 100,000 population, Kazakhstan reports the highest DRC rate (71 per 100,000 population) following by Uzbekistan (41), Kyrgyzstan (40), and Tajikistan (12).

HIV/AIDS

The overall trend of registered HIV cases illustrates that the HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to grow in all countries in the region. Recent data indicate that the number of officially recorded HIV cases in the region increased a mammoth fifteen-fold from 2000 to 2008. There were 2,500 new recorded HIV cases for 6 months of 2008, bringing the total number of confirmed HIV cases to more than 27,590. Nonetheless, UNAIDS estimates the number of people living with HIV/AIDS is much higher.

As of 1 ^st July 2008, a total of 10,601 HIV cases were registered in Kazakhstan. Injecting drug use remains the main mode of HIV transmission (over 70%). Of the 1220 newly diagnosed cases, nearly 63% of infections occurred among injecting drug users. A total of 703 AIDS cases were reported.

As of 1 ^st July 2008, total 1724 HIV cases were registered in Kyrgyzstan. HIV cases were registered in all provinces but the majority of cases had been reported from Osh city (30%), Chui (22%) and Osh (20%) provinces.

Of the 245 new HIV cases reported in the first 6 months 2008, 70% are attributed to injecting drug use, 23.9% to unprotected sexual contact, 4.5% to hospital-acquired infection, 1.3% to mother-to-children transmission. The routes of transmission of the remaining 0.3% cases were undetermined. An increasing proportion of women are reported among HIV positive persons (28% of total), the majority of them acquired it from a sexual partner who injects drugs.

Thirteen new cases of AIDS were reported as of 1 ^st July 2008, bringing the total number of confirmed AIDS cases reported since 1995 to 121. So far 199 HIV positive persons have died, of which 88 deaths have occurred due to AIDS.

The National Coordination Committee for HIV/AIDS Prevention of Tajikistan announced that 182 people tested positive for HIV in the first mid-year of 2008, bringing the cumulative total of reported HIV infections to 1231.  The majority of HIV cases have been reported in the capital, Dushanbe city (39%), Sogd province (26%) and Khatlon province (18%).

Note: RRS-Republican Regions Subordination

Of the cumulative total of HIV cases, 57% are attributed to injecting drug use and 25% to unprotected sex, and 1% to mother-to-child transmission (17% undetermined). due to inadequate data.

Uzbekistan being the most populous country in the region has the highest recorded number of registered HIV/AIDS cases. There were 849 newly registered HIV cases in the first six months 2008, compared to 1218 cases registered in same period of 2007 (a decrease of 30%). Of new HIV cases, 231 infections (27%) were reported among injecting drug users (568 in 2007). These figures suggest that the HIV epidemic in Uzbekistan is no longer confined primarily to the injecting drug user community.

In total, the cumulative number of HIV cases registered in Uzbekistan as of 1 July 2008 is 14,033, including 6,446 infections among injecting drug users (46% of total).