Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
02TEGUCIGALPA2966
2002-10-28 15:26:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Cable title:  

AIRCRAFT DOWN IN HONDURAS AND THE SEIZURE OF 3.3

Tags:  NONE 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

281526Z Oct 02
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TEGUCIGALPA 002966 

SIPDIS

DEA WASHDC FOR SARI, OFC/MCMANUS AND HOBAN, NIBM FOR CASTO
AND SZULIM, NIBC FOR WOMBLE, NIAM
DEA MEXICO FOR ORTEGA AND VILLALOBOS
DEA BOGOTA FOR BASILE AND WILSON
DEA HQS PLS PASS TO PHOENIX FIELD DIV FOR DAWSON
DEA HQS PLS PASS TO MIAMI DIV GROUP 42 FOR SANES

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: NONE
SUBJECT: AIRCRAFT DOWN IN HONDURAS AND THE SEIZURE OF 3.3
KILOS OF COCAINE, GFTI-98-8001/WEC1F/OPERATION WAHOO

REF: TEGUCIGALPA TWX 01053 DATED 052018ZAPR02

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TEGUCIGALPA 002966

SIPDIS

DEA WASHDC FOR SARI, OFC/MCMANUS AND HOBAN, NIBM FOR CASTO
AND SZULIM, NIBC FOR WOMBLE, NIAM
DEA MEXICO FOR ORTEGA AND VILLALOBOS
DEA BOGOTA FOR BASILE AND WILSON
DEA HQS PLS PASS TO PHOENIX FIELD DIV FOR DAWSON
DEA HQS PLS PASS TO MIAMI DIV GROUP 42 FOR SANES

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: NONE
SUBJECT: AIRCRAFT DOWN IN HONDURAS AND THE SEIZURE OF 3.3
KILOS OF COCAINE, GFTI-98-8001/WEC1F/OPERATION WAHOO

REF: TEGUCIGALPA TWX 01053 DATED 052018ZAPR02


1. On October 16, 2002 at approximately 11:30AM, a white
Cessna aircraft traveling northbound was observed by
witnesses decending over Honduran territory in the vicinity
of San Jose de La Landa, Honduras. During the descent
witnesses observed a suitcase being thrown out of a side door
of the aircraft. The aircraft subsequently conducted an
emergency landing (131088N/0871466W) at a hacienda identified
as La Bodega. The ground was saturated in deep mud at the
time of the landing. Witnesses reported seeing a fire rise
from the area where the aircraft came to rest.


2. Hours later at approximately 4:00PM local, a Honduran Air
Force (HOAF) helicopter was observed landing at the site
remaining for at least 30 minutes. Witnesses believe that
only military personnel were initially present at the site.
Most witnesses were away from the wreckage at the time and
did not know if anything was removed. Police eventually
arrived at the scene later that day.


3. Police do not believe the fire was a result of the crash
as the wings were left intact adjacent to the charred remains
of the fuselage loaded with fuel. The rear portion of the
plane still connected to the aircraft had a heavy smell of
cocaine. Several used cans of butane and shreds of
string/rope were located in the wreckage suggesting the
traffickers were prepared to burn the aircraft in the event
of an emergency.


4. The police arrested two subjects at an unspecified time
after landing. Both subjects were taken into custody
approximately six kilometers from the aircraft site walking
through farm land. The pilot was identified as Luis Mauricio
PALACIO-Giraldo (NADDIS 3070303). NADDIS records indicate
that PALACIO is a registered Pilot from Colombia. The
passenger was a Guatemalan citizen identified as Jose Ramon
GAMBOA-Lara. Identifying data on the arrested subjects can be
found in the indexing section.


5. PALACIO appeared visibly nervous during questioning. The
pilot claimed they departed from San Jose, Costa Rica and
were destined for Guatemala to display the aircraft to a
potential buyer. PALACIO stated he did not know GAMBOA very
well as GAMBOA was only an agent for the sale of the

aircraft. PALACIO was visibly disturbed when police
questioned him on the submission of a flight plan. When
PALACIO was asked who contracted him to fly the plane,
PALACIO immediately asked for a lawyer. GAMBOA immediately
asked for a lawyer when questioned about his association with
PALACIO.


6. On October 17, a story appeared in the local newspapers
reporting the downed aircraft. Rather than receiving timely
notification from the Honduran authorities, the TCO found out
about the incident from the newspaper report.
The TCO/TAT then inquired with El Centro de la Informacion
Conjunto (CEINCO) on their knowledge of the issue. CEINCO is
the Honduran Joint Intelligence Center (JICC) that acts as a
central conduit for information sharing and dissemination.
CEINCO claimed to have no prior knowledge of the incident.
CEINCO informed the TCO that Police Commander
Maradiaga-Pancheme in Choluteca, HD most likely acted
unilaterally to initiate the investigation.


7. The TCO learned that on the morning of the 17th of October
a team composed of one fiscal and other law enforcement
personnel found 3.3 kilos of cocaine in the charred remains
of the aircraft. Information also indicated that the HOAF
once again arrived on the scene early that day.


8. On the afternoon of October 17, 2002, DEA I/A Domingue
and TAT I/A Scholl traveled to the site accompanied by
Comisario Jorge Carrias of CEINCO and Comisario
Maradiaga-Pancheme, Police Chief in Choluteca, HD. Upon
arrival at the site I/A Domingue retrieved numbers from the
aircraft motors. Number 110079 was located on the aircraft
motor housing. Number 43371100202 was found on a second
device attached to the motor. A third item was documented
under part# 420930 and associated with serial# FF1093.

9. The Honduran police report dated October 18, 2002
indicated at 13:00 hours on October 16, 2002, police from
Department Number 6 received a phone call informing officers
of the downed aircraft. The report infers from witness
accounts that PALACIO and GAMBOA burned the aircraft to
destroy evidence. Police officers seized $5,300.00 from
PALACIO and $1,940.00 from GAMBOA. In addition a Garmin GPS
and two Nokia cell phones were seized. The report indicated
that Honduran Air Force Helicopter 971 was deployed in
response to the ingress of the unauthorized aircraft after it
was detected on radar. Colonel Sarmiento Santos Moya, Major
Juan Ramon Bautista, Lieutenant Noel Matute Baquedano and
mechanic Walter Matute were documented as being aboard the
responding helicopter.


10. Dissemination of information by the Honduran Defense and
Security agencies is a continuing problem despite the
thousands of dollars that are invested to create an effective
operational network. Information accuracy and timeliness
rank as top deficiencies that obscure interdiction courses of
action and chain of command accountability. There have been
two prior air ingress events in which Honduran Defense and
Security agencies failed to intervene or follow up (see ref).
The TCO later discovered that the Police Director and the
Minister of Security were informed on Oct 16 of the event yet
failed to make agreed upon notification to the TCO. Several
meetings between U.S. and Honduran officials to formulate
response procedures and solidify a timely dissemination cycle
have produced no improvement. The TCO is left to conclude
there is an extreme level of apathy about informing the TCO
or the Honduran authorities purposely choose not to inform
the TCO.


11. The seized cocaine was tested as positive on October 22,
2002 by the Criminal Laboratory of the Ministerio Publico.
The cocaine evidence was assigned control number 6368-2002.
The TCO will obtain the telephone numbers stored in the
memory of the seized cellular phones and GPS information to
exploit for intelligence value.


12. Pursuant to the DEA Agents Manual, section 6242.11, this
twx is submitted in lieu of a DEA-6.


13. Any questions concerning this cable can be directed to
C/A Tom Berger, S/A Ivan Rios or I/A John Domingue at
(301)985-9321.

INDEXING


1. Palacio-Giraldo, Luis Mauricio - NADDIS 3070303
DOB: August, 25, 1961
Associate: Jose Ramon Gamboa Lara


2. Gamboa-Lara, Jose Ramon - NADDIS NEGATIVE
DOB: July 17, 1978
Nationality: Guatemala
Guatemalan Passport#: 009623701
Guatemalan ID Number: A-1962370
Associate: Luis Mauricio Palacio-Giraldo






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