TURKEY 2004 END USE MONITORING REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000680 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AFIN SNAR TU SUBJECT: TURKEY 2004 END USE MONITORING REPORT REF: A. ANKARA 611 ¶B. 2004 STATE 238640 -------------- Overview -------------- ¶1. Since 1986, the International Narcotics Crime and Control (INCC) program has provided approximately 5,500 units of equipment and training, valued at over USD 5.7 million, to five Turkish agencies with responsibility for Turkey,s anti-narcotics programs: The Turkish Grain Board (TMO), Turkish National Police (TNP),Jandarma, Customs, and the Amatem drug addiction treatment facility. During calendar year 2004, training and equipment valued at USD 43,870 was provided. Generally, the equipment provided since 1986 can be assigned to the following categories: Training; communication; surveillance; and poppy processing. However, because of the number and types of equipment provided, to report by type of resource rather than by project, as requested in ref b, is not practicable. (For example, while computers have been provided to all five agencies, they serve completely different functions in each agency.) ¶2. Similarly, because equipment has been assigned to scores of locations throughout the country, physical inspection of any but a very small portion is a practical impossibility. Thus, Post relies upon periodic meetings with supervisory personnel in each recipient agency to monitor use. (It appears that all agencies maintain up-to-date physical inventories. The TNP provided us with a 12-page inventory ledger.) Where feasible, Post does, in connection with such meetings, also physically inspect some equipment. No physical inspections were carried out this past calendar year although Post hopes to inspect some equipment provided to the TNP in Istanbul and to visit the Amatem drug rehabilitation facility in Istanbul this year. A report will follow septel. ¶3. Because of Turkey,s refusal to accept Leahy Amendment language contained in the year 2000 Letter of Agreement, the INCC program has been winding down. After purchasing a humidity device for the TMO, sending Turkish law enforcement officials to an Executive Observer Program (EOP) in the US, purchasing surveillance equipment for the Jandarma, and providing English language training to customs officials, in 2004, Post is left with a total of USD 110,650 remaining INL funds. These will be used for a DEA-led Jetway Drug Interdiction School in Istanbul and to purchase a truck for the TNP. Our local partners have made many requests for additional training and equipment and believe resumption of the program will assuredly be of great value to Turkey,s anti-narcotics efforts. In recent meetings, local partners expressed their belief that the GOT has been signing agreements with the EU which contain similar language to the Leahy Amendment as part of the EU accession process and expressed frustration that the MFA and the US have not resolved the Leahy Amendment problem so that INCC cooperation could be resumed. -------------- Turkish Grain Board -------------- ¶4. Starting in 1992 and continuing through 2001, the INCC program provided TMO with equipment and training valued at over USD 900,000. All of this equipment is still being used. In December 2004, the INCC program delivered to TMO a Humidity Meter Device at a cost of USD 6,500 for poppy processing operations. Post is in the process of ordering additional equipment needed to complete the device so TMO can begin using it. -------------- Turkish National Police -------------- ¶5. Starting in 1986 and continuing through 2004, the INCC program provided TNP with equipment and training valued at over USD 1.2 million. In September 2004, 4 senior level members of the TNP participated in a DEA-led Executive Observer Program in the United States. The participants visited the DEA Los Angeles and San Diego offices, the San Ysidro Border Crossing, DEA Headquarters in Washington DC and the DEA Quantico Training Academy in Quantico, VA, where they observed various DEA capabilities and cross border operations. This program, costing approximately USD 15,080, strengthened DEA Turkey's already outstanding working relationship with the TNP. ¶6. Econoff met with Alattin Petek, Chief of TNP Logistic Section, Department of Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime and his deputy, Erol Keskinkilic. According to Keskinkilic, the set of videoscopes (four scopes in total) and a GPS tracking system provided under the INCC program in 2003 and 2000, respectively, have been the most useful. Though some of the equipment provided to the TNP is nearing the end of their useful lives--such as analog voice recording systems--Keskinkilic reported that much of the equipment is still in use. (Note: Approximately 200 voice recording systems will be retired by year's end since the TNP has upgraded to digital systems.) TNP uses night vision goggles, radios, and voice recording systems provided to them over the course of the program despite the fact that many of these pieces of technology are out of date. The TNP's in-house technical maintenance department apparently does a decent job of repairing and upgrading the equipment. Though last year's report indicated that the TNP needed no additional equipment at the time, Petek and Keskinkilic told econoff that night-vision goggles, cameras, radios, videoscopes, and voice and vision transmission systems with more advanced technology would be very useful for their search and surveillance operations. -------------- Jandarma -------------- ¶7. Starting in 1998 (when the INCC program was revived for the Jandarma) and continuing through 2004, the INCC program delivered to Jandarma training and equipment valued at over USD 81,390. In 2004, the INCC program delivered 2 video receiving/recording systems and 1 nite-mate 3G night vision camera, valued at USD 20,990. Econoff met with Tayfun Albayrak, Director of Investigation and Coordination and Cengiz Yildirim, Head of Department, Smuggling and Organized Crimes. As reported in ref a, Jandarma officials believe that distributing equipment to the law enforcement agencies in "bits and pieces" is not the most effective use of INCC program money. Yildirim suggested that, if in the future the program was revived, funds and equipment should be allocated more strategically toward specific projects which can produce more concrete results. Furthermore, Yildirim reiterated the problem with purchasing equipment from American companies that do not have distributors in Turkey. Maintenance of the equipment the Jandarma has received under the INCC program is often costly and time-consuming since the products have to be shipped back to the US for repair. Nevertheless, the Jandarma officials say they are using the equipment they have received over the years and the night vision cameras have served the greatest use. Though they did not specify the need for more equipment, Yildirim noted that their growing and more sophisticated anti-narcotics unit is in need of high-level technical training. The unit has had a 20% increase in cases compared to last year and a 24% increase in individuals captured compared to 2003. -------------- Customs -------------- ¶8. Starting in 1994 and continuing through 2002, the INCC program delivered to Customs equipment valued at some USD 562,000. No items were delivered in 2003 or in 2004. Econoff met with Ender Gurleyik, Head of Department, Undersecretariat of Customs. From 1999 through 2004, the INCC program provided English language instruction to customs officials to enable law enforcement officers to follow international developments more closely and cooperate better with Western counterparts if they spoke English. The INCC program provided USD 4,000 worth of course instruction in ¶2004. The provision of language instruction was terminated starting January 2005 due to lack of INL funding. Gurleyik was highly disappointed at the termination of the program citing the importance of customs personnel being able to speak a second language, particularly English. ¶9. Of the equipment previously provided to Customs, ion scanners detecting narcotics and explosives are the most useful. In fact, the GOT bought additional ion scanners to be used in their most highly trafficked areas. Gurleyik says the fiberscopes which are also very actively used needed to be updated. Customs upgraded these to videoscopes and sent the fiberscopes to less active border crossings. Gurleyik told econoff that Customs officers still use the digital cameras and night vision pocketscopes which were provided to them in 2000-2002. ¶10. Customs also told econoff that 3 x-ray machines located at 3 main border gates installed as part of an EU harmonization project have helped Customs detect and seize greater amounts of narcotics than in previous years. In 2004, customs seized: 2.6 tons of heroin; 484 kg of hashish; 28 units of morphine; 80 kg of cocaine; 2 kg of opium; 1,692,500 units of captagon; and 48,852 units of ecstasy. EDELMAN