REVOCATION OF VISA (PENA, RICARDO ANTONIO)

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 002549 SIPDIS FOR CA/VO/L/A, WHA/CEN FOR TRIVELLI, WHA/CEN FOR LANG E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: CVIS HO SUBJECT: REVOCATION OF VISA (PENA, RICARDO ANTONIO) ¶A. NAME: PENA, RICARDO ANTONIO ¶B. DATE AND POB: 17 NOV 1962, HONDURAS ¶C. COUNTRY OF NATIONALITY AND RESIDENCE: HONDURAS ¶D. VISA ISSUANCE DATE: 15 NOV 1999 - VISA TYPE: B1/B2, MULTIPLE ENTRY - VISA EXPIRATION DATE: 14 NOV 2009 ¶E. PLACE OF ISSUANCE: TEGUCIGALPA ¶F. PASSPORT TYPE: DIPLOMATIC - PASSPORT NUMBER: 001239 - PASSPORT PLACE OF ISSUANCE: TEGUCIGALPA ¶G. SECTION OF INELIGIBILITY: 212(a)(2)(C)(i) ¶H. Subject was arrested by Panamanian National Police on September 9, 2002 while attempting to cross the Panama/Costa Rica border. He was arrested in the town of Paso Canoas, Panama with 3 to 4 kilograms of heroin concealed in several pairs of shoes that were in his suitcase. Subject attempted to avoid a search by presenting his Honduran diplomatic passport and claiming diplomatic immunity. A check of records in Honduras indicates that Subject is no longer a member of the Honduran Congress. He is therefore no longer entitled to use his diplomatic passport. ¶I. TRAVEL WOULD LIKELY BE THROUGH THE POE MIAMI OR HOUSTON. ¶J. SUBJECT ENTERED INTO CLASS 10 SEP 2002 UNDER 2(C)(i). ¶K. Subject is being contacted by letter and informed of his ineligibility. He is not likely to present his visa for physical cancellation. ¶L. Local carriers have been notified and INS Tegucigalpa has been advised and has passed this information through INS channels. COMMENT: Subject as a former member of the Honduran congress, was supposed to have submitted his diplomatic passport to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for cancellation once he was no longer a member of congress. His use of the diplomatic passport to attempt to evade inspection at a port of entry serves to highlight the widespread use of Honduran diplomatic passports by persons not entitled to have them. Conservative estimates, by the GOH indicates that there are approximately 50,000 diplomatic passports in circulation in this nation of only six and one half million persons. The lack of control by GOH authorities over the issuance and recovery of these passports exacerbates the problem by making it relatively easy to obtain and use a diplomatic passport here. We believe if Panamanian authorities return subject's passport to him, he will likely attempt to travel on that same diplomatic passport to the U.S. PIERCE