HONDURAS 2005 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TEGUCIGALPA 002795

SIPDIS

STATE FOR INL AND INL/LP
STATE FOR WHA/CEN AND WHA/PPC
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CEN
JUSTICE FOR OIA, AFMLS, AND NDDS
TREASURY FOR FINCEN
DEA FOR OILS AND OFFICE OF DIVERSION CONTROL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR HO
SUBJECT: HONDURAS 2005 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL
STRATEGY REPORT PART I

REF: SECSTATE 249035

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Summary
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1. The transshipment of cocaine through Honduras by air,
land, and maritime routes continued in 2004. While seizures
were slightly down in 2004 compared to last year's record
levels, Honduran authorities did successfully disrupt one of
the most active trafficking organizations in the country,
dealing a significant setback to organized crime in the
region. Corruption within the police, Public Ministry (PM),
and the judiciary, however, continues to hamper law
enforcement efforts.

2. Limited resources remain the largest obstacle to
Honduras' ability to implement its national counternarcotics
policy, yet the Government of Honduras (GOH) remains
committed to stemming the flow of illegal narcotics
transiting its territory. Both the police and military take
an active part in Honduras' counternarcotics strategy, with
the Honduran Navy responding particularly well given its
limited resources. While many arrests are made, the PM has
had little success in prosecuting these individuals. Drug
abuse in Honduras appears to be on the rise, with
availability and usage up in 2004. Honduras is a party to
the 1988 UN Drug Convention.
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STATUS OF COUNTRY
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3. Due to Honduras' geographic location and the GOH's
limited interdiction resources, the transshipment of drugs,
primarily cocaine, through Honduras continues at a
persistent rate. Transshipment is facilitated by direct air
and maritime links to U.S. cities and the Pan-American
Highway, which crosses southern Honduras. While the police
and military lack sufficient assets to comprehensively
attack drug trafficking in Honduras, there were nonetheless
significant drug seizures this year. Honduras is not a
significant producer of drugs or precursor chemicals.

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COUNTRY ACTIONS AGAINST DRUGS IN 2004
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4. Policy Initiatives: The GOH continued a joint police and
military counternarcotics initiative launched in April 2003
to discourage traffickers from using Honduras as a transit
point. This initiative includes the use of the Honduran Air
Force to interdict illicit flights entering Honduran
airspace. A Honduran Frontier Police presence at Honduras'
Pan-American Highway checkpoint also provides a deterrent to
the flow of narcotics into Honduras from its southern border
with Nicaragua.

5. A new draft counternarcotics law under review in the
National Congress would significantly expand the authority
of law enforcement agencies to initiate undercover
operations. Current law prohibits law enforcement agencies
from using these types of operations to conduct
investigations, mandating in fact, that anyone participating
in the purchase and/or sale of narcotics, including police
participating in sting operations, be arrested.

6. Honduras is also in the process of considering revisions
to its Criminal Procedures Code that took effect on February
20, 2002. Proposed revisions include increased penalties
for crimes related to drug trafficking and/or possession.

7. Accomplishments: As of December 1, 2004, Honduran
authorities have seized 3,866 kilograms of cocaine, 1,611
pounds of marijuana, one kilogram of heroin, and destroyed
approximately 71,152 marijuana plants during the year. The
GOH seized USD 2,058,803 in cash (setting a new national
record) plus numerous other assets, including property,
aircraft, go-fast boats, and vehicles worth well over USD
2,000,000. Honduran authorities also made 751 narcotics-
related arrests.

8. The Honduran Frontier Police have been largely
responsible for these successes, drawing on intensive
counternarcotics training, and U.S. technical assistance and
equipment. In 2004, cooperation among all elements of the
police, military, and other special investigative units
increased. The Honduran Navy participated in a number of
regional counternarcotics efforts that led to large seizures
in international waters.

9. On July 14, Pedro Garcia Montes was killed in Cartagena,
Colombia. Montes, a Honduran citizen, was considered to be
the head of a major trafficking organization in Honduras.
Upon Montes' death, police raided numerous properties
belonging to him, resulting in seizures of weapons, cash,
and other contraband. They also arrested Ethalson Mejia
Hoy, a key Montes associate. Montes' death effectively
decapitated his organization and was a significant blow to
organized crime in the region.

10. Law Enforcement Efforts: Counternarcotics law
enforcement is a priority for the Maduro Government,
although limited resources, corruption, and inexperienced
personnel hinder GOH efforts to stop traffickers using
Honduras as a transit country. Police, constrained by lack
of adequate transportation, rarely patrol some areas of the
country, particularly in the isolated northeast. Despite
these constraints, Honduran law enforcement agencies made
many drug-related arrests. The Honduran judicial system,
however, has a poor track record of turning these arrests
into convictions.

11. Corruption: Endemic corruption continues to impede
effective counternarcotics law enforcement in Honduras.
Corruption within the judicial system particularly has been
problematic (a judge released Mejia on bail after police had
arrested him on a valid INTERPOL notice). In 2004, Honduras
amended its constitution to strip immunity from prosecution
from high-level government officials. To date, the National
Congress has not passed implementing legislation that many
GOH officials believe is necessary, and there have been no
prosecutions of formerly immune individuals. Honduras is a
signatory to the Inter-American Convention Against
Corruption, but has fallen short of fully implementing the
Convention's recommendations.

12. Agreements and Treaties: Honduras has counternarcotics
agreements with the United States, Belize, Colombia,
Jamaica, Mexico, Venezuela, and Spain and is a party to the
1988 UN Drug Convention. Honduras recently certified its
major public maritime ports in compliance with International
Ship and Port Facility Security codes and is an active
member of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission
(CICAD). In 2004, Honduras signed the UN Convention Against
Corruption, but it has yet to be approved by the National
Congress. A U.S.-Honduras maritime counternarcotics
agreement entered into force in 2001 and a bilateral
extradition exists between the U.S. and Honduras. Honduras
is one of ten nations to sign the Caribbean Maritime
Counterdrug Agreement, but has not yet ratified it.

13. Cultivation/Production: Cannabis is the only illegal
drug known to be cultivated in Honduras. The GOH does not
permit the use of aerial eradication; however upon
detection, marijuana plants are cut down and destroyed.

14. Drug Flow/Transit: In 2004, there was a noticeable
increase in the number of detected suspect maritime vessels
transiting through Honduran territorial waters en route to
southern Mexico and the United States. Suspect air-tracks,
however, decreased. Cocaine and heroin are smuggled
overland by commercial and private vehicles. Approximately
90 percent of all drugs transiting Honduras are destined for
the United States. There is evidence of the existence of an
illicit trade in "arms for drugs," with arms from these
deals presumably destined for use by terrorist groups in
Colombia.

15. Domestic Programs/Demand Reduction: Drug abuse in
Honduras appears to be on the rise and illegal drugs are
becoming increasingly available, particularly along the
Caribbean coast. The Maduro Administration launched a pilot
program directed at Honduran youth to fight drug abuse and
the National Anti-Narcotics Council is making demand
reduction a major part of Honduran counternarcotics efforts.
This effort reflects the government's appreciation that drug
trafficking through Honduras is not only a national security
threat, but a major public policy problem as well.
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U.S. POLICY INITIATIVES AND PROGRAMS
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16. U.S. counternarcotics assistance to Honduras is intended
to augment GOH efforts to strengthen the rule of law,
increase police, judicial, and investigative efficiency,
reduce corruption, and build strong counternarcotics
institutions. In 2004, assistance was primarily directed to
the Frontier Police, Ministry of Public Security, and the
Public Ministry, although the U.S. also provided limited
funds to assist Honduras in demand reduction efforts. The
GOH has made a firm commitment to combat drug trafficking
and the U.S. will continue to assist Honduras in its fight
to reduce narcotics trafficking in the region and associated
corruption.
#Palmer