ore financial center

Argentina
used as a transshipment country for cocaine headed for
Europe; some money-laundering activity, especially in the Tri-Border
Area; domestic consumption of drugs in urban centers is increasing

Armenia
illicit cultivation of small amount of cannabis for domestic
consumption; minor transit point for illicit drugs - mostly opium
and hashish - moving from Southwest Asia to Russia and to a lesser
extent the rest of Europe

Aruba
transit point for US- and Europe-bound narcotics with some
accompanying money-laundering activity

Australia
Tasmania is one of the world's major suppliers of licit
opiate products; government maintains strict controls over areas of
opium poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw concentrate

Austria
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and South
American cocaine destined for Western Europe

Azerbaijan
limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy,
mostly for CIS consumption; small government eradication program;
transit point for Southwest Asian opiates bound for Russia and to a
lesser extent the rest of Europe

Bahamas, The
transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for
US and Europe; offshore financial center

Bangladesh
transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring
countries

Barbados
one of many Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics
bound for Europe and the US; offshore financial center

Belarus
limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly for
the domestic market; transshipment point for illicit drugs to and
via Russia, and to the Baltics and Western Europe; a small and
lightly regulated financial center; new anti-money-laundering
legislation does not meet international standards; few
investigations or prosecutions of money-laundering activities

Belgium
growing producer of synthetic drugs; transit point for
US-bound ecstasy; source of precursor chemicals for South American
cocaine processors; transshipment point for cocaine, heroin,
hashish, and marijuana entering Western Europe; despite a
strengthening of legislation, the country remains vulnerable to
money laundering related to narcotics, automobiles, alcohol, and
tobacco

Belize
transshipment point for cocaine; small-scale illicit producer
of cannabis for the international drug trade; money-laundering
activity related to narcotics trafficking and