R - 1 Drug Trafficking

R - 2 Drug Transit Interior Ministry report concludes that seizures of illegal drugs transiting Hungary has doubled in past six months. Comments that enforcement capabilities at border points and overall are at same time declining due to lack of resources. A Turkish truck driver arrested at the border with a load of heroin with a street value of $4 million told his police interrogators that a close friend in the Turkish Mafia told him that they would now focus their illegal shipments on routes transiting Hungary to Northern and Central Europe.

R - 3 Drug Transit (Cont.) A Health Ministry report indicates that internal drug addiction in Hungary has increased an estimated 36% over the past two years. The U.S. Embassy approached the government voicing concern over the use of Hungarian territory for drug transit, offering financial, technical, and advisory aid to deal with the problem.

R - 4 Drug Transit (Con’t) The Hungarian Ambassador in Brussels advises that the EU is examining aspirant members’ drug control capabilities as a criterion for admission, and has concerns over the amount of bad publicity Hungary has received on this problem in recent months. Our Ambassador tells us that the EU plans to form an adhoc investigation into this situation. A special team in the Interior Ministry investigating Hungarian officials’ possible involvement in drug traffic submits a report that there is “some” evidence that as many as twenty-five officials might be implicated in a major trafficking syndicate.

R - 5 Drug Transit (Con’t) There is a division of opinion among senior officials as to the future handling of the situation, particularly how, when, and if to go public with the information. Austria sends a demarche to the Hungarian government indicating their concern over the flow of drugs into their country from Hungary, noting that they have evidence of possible involvement by Hungarian customs and police officials.