illicit-trade-wco-2013

DRUGS
15 kg of opium seized by Tajikistan Customs, from a passenger travelling from Afghanistan
Photos courtesy of the Russian Federation and Tajikistan Customs
Opium seizures
Opium, the second typical component in the opiates
category, featured 298 times in the CEN database in
2013, compared with 277 seizures reported in 2012.
In contrast, the quantities intercepted were down
sharply in 2013 (1,726 kg) as against the 4,576 kg of
products seized in 2012.
As was already the case over the three preceding
years, approximately 70 per cent of the total quantities
of opium seized throughout the world were reported
by the United States.
Three other countries made opium seizures amounting
to an overall quantity in excess of 80 kg in 2013, those
being Germany with 25 seizures totalling 266 kg,
Pakistan with seven seizures totalling 84 kg and
Georgia with one seizure totalling 80 kg of opium.
Approximately 70 per cent of seizures (mainly those
made in the United States), relating to around 40 per
cent of the quantities intercepted, were made in the
postal and express mail sector.
Some 10 per cent of seizures (mainly those made in
Europe), relating to 25 per cent of the quantities
intercepted, were made in road transport.
In terms of the place of consignment and/or origin of
the opium seized in 2013, the United Kingdom (61
seizures; 142 kg), followed by the Lao People’s
Democratic Republic (58 seizures; 171 kg), Iran (47
seizures; 30 kg), Thailand (35 seizures; 105 kg), India
(19 seizures; 26 kg), China (11 seizures; 43 kg),
Turkey (10 seizures; 250 kg), Pakistan (eight seizures;
88 kg), the Netherlands (three seizures; 690 kg) and
Azerbaijan (two seizures; 80 kg), appeared in the
routings as departure countries for the opium
shipments intercepted.
Cocaine
An analysis of the Table 6 showing worldwide cocaine
seizures reveals that the number of seizures
remained relatively stable between 2012 and 2013.
Table 6. Number of seizures and quantity of
cocaine seized by region
Region
2012 2013
Number of Quantity Number of Quantity
seizures (kg) seizures (kg)
Western Europe 3,437 19,441 3,461 34,606
North America 2,134 26,739 1,979 24,215
South America 410 71,303 578 20,493
Asia-Pacific 152 1,170 89 1,014
CIS 26 36 21 166
West Africa 24 120 34 145
Caribbean 5 132
Middle East 15 144 35 64
Eastern and 6 11 33 61
Southern Africa
Eastern and 33 264 39 57
Central Europe
Central Africa 6 22 19 33
North Africa 1 3 1 1
Total 6,244 119,253 6,296 80,996
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ILLICIT TRADE REPORT 2013