U.S. Official to open counternarcotics center in Almaty

ASTANA.  December 9. KAZINFORM On December 9, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL), David T. Johnson, will visit Almaty for the official opening of the CARICC Center in Almaty.  He will also appear at the Academy of the Ministry of Interior to take part in the opening of the Interagency Counternarcotics Training Center's new building.  The Training Center was first opened in December 1998 and provides counternarcotics training courses for law-enforcement agencies, including the Ministry of Interior, the Committee for National Security, the Border Guard Service, the Customs Control Committee, and the Agency on Combating Economic Crimes and Corruption.

Earlier this year, the Training Center moved to provide more classroom space.  The first half of the training center was renovated by the Academy of the Ministry of Interior and the Border Management in Central Asia (BOMCA) program, which is funded by the European Commission and implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).  The U.S. Embassy INL office provided $172,000 in office equipment, furniture, and construction material to the Training Center.

 The U.S. Embassy has also provided a grant to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to renovate a dormitory for 14 students and one instructor next year.

The U.S. Embassy has successfully cooperated with the Ministry of Interior in implementing different programs to combat transnational crime.   The Embassy has implemented joint projects with the Committee on Combating Drugs, supported a project to equip internal drug control checkpoints, and conducted training sessions for the counternarcotics divisions, including canine specialists.  

 U.S. Assistant Secretary of State David T. Johnson will be joined by Hardy Roehling, Chief Technical Advisor for BOMCA, and Dzhan Kenzhetayev, the head of the Academy of the Ministry of Interior, at the opening.  Following the ceremony, Assistant Secretary Johnson will be available for questions.

The official opening will start at 16:00 at the Interagency Counternarcotics Training Center at 262 Furmanova Street in Almaty on December 9.  For additional information, please contact the U.S. Embassy's Public Affairs Section at 50 48 62,  a press release of the U.S. Embassy in Astana reads.