Presidential Determination on Major Illicit Drug Transit or Major Illicit Drug Producing Countries for Fiscal Year 2011, 67019-67022 [2010-27676]

Agencies

• Executive Office of the President
• Presidential Documents

[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 210 (Monday, November 1, 2010)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 67019-67022]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-27676]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 75 , No. 210 / Monday, November 1, 2010 / 
Presidential Documents

[[Page 67019]]


                Presidential Determination No. 2011-16 of September 15, 
                2010

                
Presidential Determination on Major Illicit Drug 
                Transit or Major Illicit Drug Producing Countries for 
                Fiscal Year 2011

                Memorandum for the Secretary of State

                Pursuant to section 706(1) of the Foreign Relations 
                Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2003 (Public Law 107-28) 
                (FRAA), I hereby identify the following countries as 
                major drug transit or major illicit drug-producing 
                countries: Afghanistan, The Bahamas, Bolivia, Burma, 
                Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, 
                Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Laos, 
                Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, and 
                Venezuela.

                A country's presence on the Majors List is not 
                necessarily an adverse reflection of its government's 
                counternarcotics efforts or level of cooperation with 
                the United States. Consistent with the statutory 
                definition of a major drug transit or drug producing 
                country set forth in section 481(e)(2) and (5) of the 
                Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (FAA), one 
                of the reasons that major drug transit or illicit drug 
                producing countries are placed on the list is the 
                combination of geographic, commercial, and economic 
                factors that allow drugs to transit or be produced 
                despite the concerned government's most assiduous 
                enforcement measures.

                Pursuant to section 706(2)(A) of the FRAA, I hereby 
                designate Bolivia, Burma, and Venezuela as countries 
                that have failed demonstrably during the previous 12 
                months to adhere to their obligations under 
                international counternarcotics agreements and take the 
                measures set forth in section 489(a)(1) of the FAA. 
                Accompanying this report are justifications for the 
                determinations on Bolivia, Burma, and Venezuela, as 
                required by section 706(2)(B).

                I have also determined, in accordance with provisions 
                of section 706(3)(A) of the FRAA, that continued 
                support for bilateral programs in Bolivia and limited 
                programs in Venezuela are vital to the national 
                interests of the United States.

                Afghanistan continues to be the world's largest 
                producer of opium poppies and a major source of heroin. 
                The United States Government recognized the Government 
                of Afghanistan's ongoing commitment to combat narcotics 
                and the range of initiatives undertaken in this regard 
                under the auspices of the government of President 
                Karzai. A noteworthy achievement is the reduction of 
                opium poppy cultivation from 157,000 hectares in 2008, 
                to 131,000 hectares in 2009, a 17 percent decline.

                The connections between opium production, the resulting 
                narcotics trade, corruption, and the insurgency 
                continue to be among the most challenging obstacles to 
                reducing the drug threat in Afghanistan. Poppy 
                cultivation remains largely confined to provinces in 
                the south and west where security problems greatly 
                impede counternarcotics efforts. Nearly all significant 
                poppy cultivation occurs in insecure areas with active 
                insurgent elements, although progress has been made in 
                stabilizing these regions. Nevertheless, the country 
                must demonstrate even greater political will and 
                programmatic effort to combat opium trafficking and 
                production nationwide.

                Pakistan is a major transit country for opiates and 
                hashish for markets around the world, especially for 
                narcotics originating in Afghanistan. Pakistan also is 
                a major transit country for precursor chemicals 
                illegally smuggled to Afghanistan where they are used 
                to process heroin.

[[Page 67020]]

                Pakistan is still challenged by extremist groups who 
                have power over parts of the Federally Administered 
                Tribal Areas, particularly where most of Pakistan's 
                poppy is grown. These extremist groups are also found 
                in settled areas of the Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa Province 
                such as its capital, Peshawar, and the Swat Valley. The 
                Government of Pakistan is forced to divert law 
                enforcement resources and equipment from poppy 
                eradication efforts to address these incursions.

                The Government of Pakistan remains concerned about 
                opium poppy cultivation in Pakistan and is working to 
                return to opium poppy-free status soon. A joint U.S.-
                Pakistan survey in 2009 estimated that 1,779 hectares 
                of opium poppies were under cultivation in Pakistan, 
                approximately 130 hectares less than was under 
                cultivation in the country during the previous year.

                The range of U.S.-Pakistan initiatives, which include 
                programs to defeat the insurgency on the Pakistan-
                Afghanistan border and prevent terrorist safe-havens, 
                have the spin-off effect of helping Pakistan to fortify 
                its land borders and seacoast against drug trafficking 
                and terrorists, support expanded regional cooperation, 
                and encourages Pakistan to return to opium poppy-free 
                status. United States Government support focuses 
                especially on upgrading the institutional capacity of 
                Pakistan's law enforcement agencies.

                Although Brazil no longer qualifies as a major drug 
                transit country to the United States, narcotics control 
                in this country which occupies such a large landmass in 
                the hemisphere is of serious concern. Dynamic drug 
                trafficking trends from Brazil are directed primarily 
                at other countries, especially to and through Africa, 
                and onward to Europe. For example, seizures of maritime 
                vessels that departed Brazil in 2009, primarily to 
                European destinations, recorded an unprecedented 2.2 
                metric tons of cocaine. With its vast terrain and 
                shared borders with so many other countries, Brazil 
                faces unique challenges in terms of patrolling so much 
                illegal land, air, and sea activity. Brazil is seeking 
                to reduce its growing domestic drug use at home, 
                especially the use of cocaine, cocaine base, and crack 
                cocaine, primarily from Bolivia; and marijuana. The 
                United States recognizes Brazil's emergence as a 
                forward-leaning regional leader for cooperation among 
                neighboring states to thwart drug production, 
                trafficking, and use. Like all hemispheric countries, 
                it is important for Brazil to place narcotics and crime 
                control at the top of its national security agenda to 
                thwart these negative influences.

                As Mexico and Colombia continue to apply pressure on 
                drug traffickers, the countries of Central America are 
                increasingly targeted for trafficking of cocaine and 
                other drugs primarily destined for the United States. 
                This growing problem resulted in Costa Rica, Honduras, 
                and Nicaragua meeting the threshold for inclusion in 
                the Majors List. Panama and Guatemala, already on the 
                Majors List, are especially vulnerable because of their 
                geographic location. Enhanced and effective 
                counternarcotics measures are needed to thwart 
                smugglers from moving illegal drugs through the seven 
                countries on the isthmus, as well as the waters along 
                the region's long Atlantic and Pacific coastlines 
                between the coca producing Andes to the south and 
                determined and flexible criminal trafficking 
                organizations based in Mexico. United States Government 
                support through the Central American Regional Security 
                Initiative provides Central American countries with the 
                opportunity to boost their rule of law institutions and 
                promote greater regional law enforcement cooperation to 
                counter drug trafficking and transnational organized 
                crime.

                United States and international data show a continued 
                strengthening of illegal drug trafficking between Latin 
                America and West Africa, especially via Brazil and 
                Venezuela, with a considerable portion of illegal 
                product destined for Europe. Nigeria, a worldwide drug 
                trafficking focal point, makes counternarcotics a top 
                national security concern for the country, but 
                Nigeria's efforts are often thwarted by lack of 
                resources, institutional capability, and corruption. A 
                number of U.S. projects in Nigeria and other West 
                African

[[Page 67021]]

                countries are aimed at building limited capacity to 
                investigate and prosecute organized drug traffickers.

                Drug traffickers continue to move significant 
                quantities of cocaine through West Africa. For example, 
                Gambian officials recently discovered over two tons of 
                cocaine being stockpiled in the country. The crash of a 
                Boeing 727 in Mali, which was believed to be carrying 
                cocaine, points to new trafficking methods being used 
                in the region. Drug trafficking remains a threat to 
                security, good governance, and increasingly, public 
                health in West Africa. Many countries in the region 
                have weak criminal justice institutions and are 
                vulnerable to corruption. The facilitation of drug 
                trafficking by government officials continues to be a 
                significant challenge, especially in Guinea-Bissau. The 
                United States is encouraged that some countries are 
                actively investigating illegal drug traffickers. 
                Liberia, for example, worked closely with the United 
                States to arrest suspects and deliver them into U.S. 
                custody to stand trial.

                The assistance of international donors and 
                organizations to West African governments to improve 
                their counternarcotics capability is increasingly 
                urgent. The United States fully supports all efforts to 
                promote, preserve, and protect the stability and 
                positive growth of countries in West Africa.

                The United States continues to maintain a strong and 
                productive law enforcement relationship with Canada. 
                Both countries are making significant efforts to 
                disrupt the two-way flow of drugs, bulk currency, and 
                other contraband. Canadian criminal groups continue to 
                produce large quantities of MDMA (ecstasy) and high-
                potency marijuana that is trafficked to the United 
                States. The frequent mixing of methamphetamine and 
                other unknown substances into pills marketed as MDMA by 
                Canada-based criminal groups poses an emerging public 
                health risk in the United States, as well as in Canada.

                The stealth with which both natural and synthetic drugs 
                including marijuana, MDMA, and methamphetamine are 
                produced in Canada and trafficked to the United States, 
                makes it extremely difficult to measure the overall 
                impact of such transshipments from this shared border 
                country, although U.S. law enforcement agencies record 
                considerable seizures of these substances from Canada.

                At the same time, the Drug Enforcement Administration 
                reports that of the amount of MDMA seized in the United 
                States, about half was traced to Canada as its country 
                of origin in 2009.

[[Page 67022]]

                You are hereby authorized and directed to submit this 
                determination under section 706 of the FRAA, transmit 
                it to the Congress, and publish it in the Federal 
                Register. 
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    WASHINGTON, September 15, 2010

[FR Doc. 2010-27676
Filed 10-29-10; 8:45 am]
Billing code 4710-10-P