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

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Overview
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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.

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Turkish Grain Board
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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.

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Turkish National Police
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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.

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Jandarma
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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.

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Customs
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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