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U.S. Department of State
1996 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, March 1997

United States Department of State

Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs


NORWAY

I. Summary

Norway's drug seizures increased slightly in 1996. Narcotics production is rare, but Norwegian authorities believe Norway is becoming a transit country for drugs from Central Europe destined to other Nordic and West European markets. Norwegian officials are concerned about increasing drug use, primarily among teens. Norway actively cooperates with international counternarcotics efforts. Norway is a party to the 1988 Convention.

II. Status of Country

Norwegian authorities reported 6,033 illicit drug seizures in 1996 compared to 5,977 in 1995. Cocaine seizures increased but seizures of marijuana, morphine, opium, amphetamines and LSD decreased. There also was decreased demand for heroin; as a result, overdose deaths increased as the price of heroin declined. The greatest increase in drug abuse, mostly synthetic drugs and marijuana, has been among the 14-20 year-old group.

III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 1996

Policy Initiatives. The GON considers counternarcotics efforts a high priority. Norwegian authorities cooperate closely with police forces in Eastern Europe on drug cases, and are seeking to strengthen this cooperation.
Parliament is reviewing a draft law requiring that large money transactions be reported to a special police unit on economic crime (ECOKRIM). It is expected to receive Parliamentary approval by December 1997.

Agreements and Treaties. Norway is a party to the 1988 UN Convention, and is meeting the Convention's requirements. Norway is also a party to the 1961 Single Convention, as amended in 1972, and the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Norway has bilateral Customs Agreements with the US, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and Russia. Norway also has a Customs Agreement with the EU and posts customs liaison officers in London, Madrid, Islamabad, and Karachi. Norway is part of a joint effort (along with Sweden, Finland and Denmark) to train Baltic police officers in counternarcotics work.

Norway is a member of the Dublin Group; the "Pompidou Group", which it has chaired since 1991; INTERPOL; the Nordic Police and Customs Initiative (PTN); and the Nordic Coordinating Council on Drug Abuse. Norway contributed approximately $1.3 million to the UNDCP in 1996. The GON contributed $12,307, through the Pompidou Group, for a narcotics education project in Central Europe.

Law Enforcement. GON counternarcotics authorities are efficient and effective. Norwegian police and customs officials seized 50 kgs of heroin during the year (46 kgs in 1995), 6 kgs of amphetamines (60 kgs in 1995), 1.6 kgs of cocaine (.5 kg in 1995), 252 kgs of hashish (278 kgs in 1995), 3 kgs of marijuana (1,300 kgs in 1995) and 3,913 ecstasy tablets (5,784 in 1995).

Corruption. Public official corruption is rare; it is punishable under Norwegian law.

Cultivation/Production. The only illicit drug cultivation in Norway is of cannabis for personal use.

Drug Flow/Transit. Norwegian authorities are concerned about an increase in drugs transiting Norway via the Balkan route. The route has changed as a result of the conflict in the former Yugoslavia. Instead of using the Near East route via Greece-Yugoslavia-Germany-Scandinavia, narcotics are now originating in the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Hungry and Poland . They move through Germany and by ferry from Kiel to Oslo, or by land through Denmark and Sweden and into Oslo. Norwegian authorities believe that organized crime plays an important role in the drug trade in Norway, and is responsible for 80 percent of the heroin and 50 perent of the amphetamines arriving in the country. Officials believe persons from the former Yugoslavia are taking over the narcotics markets, particularly heroin.

Demand Reduction. The GON uses much of its resources for drug treatment instead of prevention or enforcement efforts to control the distribution of illicit drugs. Under its drug control program, the GON distributes clean needles to users, but this does not appear to be a weakening of the government's policy of banning the use of illegal drugs. Norway provides counternarcotics education for police, parents, and children; some Norwegian critics believe this program needs improvement if it is to be effective.

IV. US Policy Initiatives and Programs

Bilateral Cooperation. Norwegian counternarcotics authorities cooperate regularly with their US counterparts.

The Road Ahead. The USG seeks to build on an already good narcotics law enforcement cooperation with the GON and to increase cooperation between the two governments in international narcotics fora. The USG will encourage Norway to continue its support of drug control projects in the Baltic countries.

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