U.S. Embassy donates vehicles to aid Kazakhstan's fight against drug trafficking

11:41, 29 October 2009

ASTANA. October 29. KAZINFORM On October 28 at 11:30, U.S. Ambassador Richard Hoagland will attend a ceremony at the Kazakhstani Interior Ministry to mark the U.S. Embassy's donation of vehicles to aid the ministry's counternarcotics sections. At the ceremony, Vice Minister of the Interior, Amantai Aubakirov, will officially hand over the American vehicle donation - 21 vehicles worth $279,326 - to the Chairman of the Interior Ministry's Committee on Combating Drugs, Zhanat Suleimenov. The official handover ceremony will take place on the parade ground of the Interior Ministry, 4 Manas Street, at 11:30 a.m.

The aim of this U.S. contribution is to strengthen the operational and special counternarcotics divisions of Kazakhstan's Committee on Combating Drugs throughout every region of the country. The special operations divisions will be able to patrol high-risk areas and respond to threats in a timely manner. This donation will include seventeen GAZels (GAZ-322132-220) and four NIVAs (VAZ-21214), and the U.S. Embassy plans to donate two more GAZels to the Committee on Combating Drugs this November.

The U.S. Embassy has enjoyed a rich history of cooperation with Kazakhstan's Ministry of Interior in the field of combating transnational crime. For example, the embassy's International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) Section has supported the Committee on Combating Drugs' project to equip internal drug control checkpoints and conduct counternarcotics training sessions, including canine specialists' training. The U.S. Embassy is also equipping the Interagency Counternarcotics Training Center in Almaty which will be used as a platform for in-service counternarcotics training across all law enforcement agencies, a press release of the U.S. Embassy in Astana reads.

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