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Crime in Moldova, as everywhere in former Soviet republics, has risen dramatically since the fall of the Soviet Union. Economic and drug-related crimes, the most visible and predictable results of the deteriorating economic situations in the newly independent countries, have simply overwhelmed the human and financial resources devoted to them. Often, however, the problem is more extensive than what is acknowledged: many crimes are not registered. For example, in mid-1995, the Moldovan government stated that overall crime in Moldova had risen by 29 percent over the previous year. However, the number of motorbikes and motor vehicles "being searched for" was thirteen times the number of vehicles listed as "stolen." Illicit cultivation of opium poppies and cannabis is carried out in Moldova, mainly for consumption in CIS countries. In addition, Moldova is a transshipment point for illegal drugs to Western Europe and a source and transit nation in the trafficking in human beings, in particular women and girls into forced prostitution. The annual human rights report from the U.S. Department of State pinpoints some involvement by government officials and Moldovan law enforcement in human trafficking.
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