PERU: NARCOTICS AFFAIRS SECTION, FEBRUARY 2005

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 LIMA 001094

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR INL/LP, WHA/PPC
ONDCP FOR D. GEDDINGS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR KCRM ASEC PREL PE
SUBJECT: PERU: NARCOTICS AFFAIRS SECTION, FEBRUARY 2005

REF: LIMA 887

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SUMMARY
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1. (SBU) On February 9, Bryan Tuttle, NAS's Deputy Port
Security and Maritime Advisor, was killed in an accident
while assisting a drug investigation in the Port of Callao in
Lima. As part of the port security program, a Peruvian
delegation visited Colombian facilities at the Bogota airport
and the port of Cartagena to learn ways to upgrade Peruvian
ports. The annual cocalero marches and strikes have started
in coca growing regions with cocalero leaders spreading
stories that the GOP is fumigating coca plants, which is
illegal in Peru. After a slow start, the GOP has strongly
refuted these spurious claims in the media, finally putting
the cocalero leaders on the defensive. Two public opinion
surveys show the Peruvian public still does not perceive the
links between coca and narcotrafficking and drug abuse. The
GOP has eradicated over 500 hectares of coca and seized over
3 tons of cocaine in the first two months of 2005. (END
SUMMARY)

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DEATH OF NAS USPSC BRYAN TUTTLE
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2. (U) On February 9, Bryan Tuttle, NAS's Deputy Port
Security and Maritime Advisor, was killed in an accident
while he was assisting at a drug investigation at the Port of
Callao in Lima (Reftel). NAS Director Keogh accompanied the
body back to the U.S. with a DEA colleague. Post held a
memorial service for Bryan on February 14 that was attended
by a large number of senior Peruvian Government officials.
On February 15, Bryan was buried at Bay Pines Veteran's
Cemetery in St. Petersburg, with a USCG Honor Guard, flag
ceremony, and 21-gun salute. Secretary of State Rice and INL
A/S Charles sent letters of condolence to Bryan's family.
Bryan will be honored with a posthumous award by the Peruvian
Police. Post has nominated him for the State Department's
Thomas Jefferson Star Award for heroism.

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COCALERO MARCHING SEASON BEGINS
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3. (SBU) Cocalero leaders Nancy Obregon and Elsa Malpartida
kicked off the annual cocalero marching season by organizing
road-blocking demonstrations in Tingo Maria and Tocache, key
towns in the Upper Huallaga Valley. They spread false
stories of local illnesses from spraying of coca fields with
chemicals to galvanize their followers. Police easily freed
road blockages and brought both areas under control.
Cocalero hopes that the strike would spread to other cocalero
hotbeds have fizzled for now. Cocaleros plan more strikes
and a March national cocalero congress in Lima. Local civic
leaders offered only tepid support or even opposed the
cocalero-led strikes because of their harm to the local
economy.


4. (SBU) The GOP was slow to react to the spurious cocalero
spraying claims but subsequently weighed in forcefully in the
media. PAS and NAS had warned GOP leaders to take the wind
out of cocalero sails early with adequate public information
and effective police response; spraying claims have been
around for years. Mission efforts encouraged the GOP, civic
leaders, and the media to respond aggressively to the
cocalero's disinformation campaign.


5. (SBU) The GOP is also considering law enforcement options
against cocaleros. Prime Minister Ferrero and DEVIDA chief
Ericsson denounced a video in which Nancy Obregon is heard
admitting that the vast majority of coca is destined for
narcotrafficking. The State Prosecutor for Drug Offenses,
Sona Medina, announced that she would evaluate the video for
evidence to bring drug offense charges against Obregon.

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COMMUNICATIONS PLAN FOR COCA ZONES
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6. (SBU) NAS, USAID, and PAS worked with GOP counterparts to
develop a communications plan for March's eradication in
southern San Martin Department, especially the Polvora-Pizana
area that is home base for cocalero leader Nancy Obregon.
CORAH communicators have met with both DEVIDA and CHS, a NAS
contractor, to coordinate the key messages to be delivered in
the provinces. The campaign will start before eradication
and continue for several weeks afterward. The GOP will meet
with local officials to demonstrate how coca is eradicated
manually and to show them that our helicopters and planes do
not have the capability to spray fields. CORAH will also
explain to local officials and residents dangerous nexus of
coca, narcotraffickers, drug use, and environmental damage.

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ERADICATION OPERATIONS: PRESENT AND PLANNED
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7. (SBU) As of February 28, CORAH eradicated 554 hectares
of coca, eliminated 2,096 square meters of seedbeds and
destroyed 5 maceration pits. Since February 16, CORAH has
been working in recalcitrant communities that had not honored
agreements to auto-eradicate their coca in exchange for
Alternative Development. Due to bad weather, aircrew
rotations, lack of police for security, and a cocalero
strike, we have only been able to actually work three days in
these areas.


8. (SBU) CORAH is now moving assets to the PNP base in Santa
Lucia in order start eradicating 1,500 hectares of coca
south of Santa Lucia in Alto Yanjanca on March 5 . Little or
no opposition is expected. The plan is to move northward
into the Polvora-Pizana area in April where we expect major
opposition to eradication. As CORAH did in San Gaban last
year, it will start eradication is the outlying areas of
Polvora-Pizana and work its way to the center "hotspot" --
home territory for Nancy Obregon, an outspoken cocalero
leader. The entire operation is projected to last for 4
months. The total estimated hectares in both areas is 3,000.

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TRAINING FOR CADA AND CORAH
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9. (SBU) From February 27-March 4, a group from CORAH and
CADA traveled to Bolivia to learn about the eradication
experience there and, more specifically, to learn about the
"Red Hen" technology that merges GPS coordinates with videos
and photographs of coca taken from an aircraft.

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USG SUPPORT FOR DEVIDA MUST CHANGE
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10. (SBU) NAS and AID representatives met to discuss the
best way to support DEVIDA. In CY 2004, USAID provided more
about $1.1 million to DEVIDA. More than 40 percent of that
amount went to administrative support functions, e.g.,
security, lights, telephone, water, and office equipment.
For CY 2005, USAID will be giving more than $1.4 million to
DEVIDA. USAID wants to reduce support for administrative
support functions from 42% to 20 percent of the budget 2006.

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DRUG SEIZURES AND SECURITY FOR CORAH
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11. (SBU) The DIRANDRO Special Operations Group (GOES) have
been conducting interdiction operations in the Puerto Pizana,
Polvora, Tocache, and Nuevo Progreso areas of the Huallaga
Valley from the Santa Lucia Base (SLB). One operation
started on February 9 and is ongoing. The results to date
are: 34 cocaine-base labs and 1 HCl lab destroyed, 2 arrests,
and large quantities of precursors chemicals destroyed. In
addition, DIRANDRO troops in Tingo Maria conducted an
interdiction mission from February 13-17, which destroyed 34
cocaine-base labs along with precursors chemicals.


12. (SBU) A poppy eradication operation was thwarted by bad
weather in the area around Celendin in Cajamarca. Two UH-2s
and a C-208 aircraft departed Pucallpa on February 19, but
diverted to Tarapoto because of rapidly deteriorating
weather. After 3 days of waiting in Tarapoto, the aircraft
returned to Pucallpa.

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AVIATION OPERATIONS
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13. (SBU) NAS and INL have purchased a Beechcraft 1900 D
aircraft. We expect delivery in July 2005. Two C-26
aircraft donated by the USG to the Peruvian Air Force are
being rehabilitated in St. John's, Newfoundland. They will
be outfitted with modern avionics. Both aircraft are to be
delivered to the Peruvian Air Force in June 2005.


14. (SBU) DynCorp, the contractor tasked for overseeing the
NAS aviation program, continues to be understaffed (four of
six positions are vacant). NAS and the Office of Aviation in
INL/A at Patrick AFB are evaluating the situation. Two of
three vacant positions in the NAS aviation program will be
filled within 60 days.


15. (SBU) Delivery of three UH-2s previously scheduled to
arrive by ship in December 2004, has been rescheduled for
March. When the three new UH-2s arrive we plan to back-haul
six of the older UH-1s, keeping the fleet strength at 18
helicopters in Peru. The plan is to have 24 UH-2s on line by
end of 2005 or early 2006.

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SEAPORT SECURITY: PERUVIAN DELEGATION VISIT TO COLOMBIA
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16. (SBU) The NAS Port Security Program Officer escorted two
representatives from Peruvian Customs and one from the PNP to
study the NAS Bogota-sponsored port security program. The
delegation visited the Bogota international airport and the
major seaport facilities in Cartagena. Of special interest
to the Peruvians were the Colombian police methods of
conducting targeted cargo searches in conjunction with K-9
units. Peruvian Customs estimates that it now inspects about
one-half of one percent of cargo exports -- significantly
less than their Colombian counterparts who inspect up to 10
percent. The information exchange and study of Colombia's
port security processes generated intense interest among
delegation members on how best to improve current manifest
review and cargo inspection processes in Peru's ports.

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CALLAO (LIMA) K-9 UNIT HANDLER REFRESHER COURSE
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17. (SBU) In March, the NAS-sponsored K-9 expert from the
UK's Customs and Excise Service will conclude a one-month K-9
handler refresher course for the Peruvian Customs K-9 unit,
based out of the Port of Callao. The presence of the UK K-9
expert is especially timely, as the newly assigned K-9 unit
leader has been receiving one-on-one K-9 unit leadership
training. NAS hopes to have a full-time U.S. Customs and
Border Protection Advisor by July 2005 to expand this
important facet of the port security program.

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NEW DATA: PERUVIAN ATTITUDES TOWARD COCA AND COCAINE
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18. (U) Two surveys of Peruvian attitudes toward coca leaf,
drug abuse, and narcotraffickers were announced this month.
The Peruvian social-marketing firm Arellano conducted a
series of focus groups as well as interviews with community
leaders and journalists in Lima.


19. (SBU) The Arellano survey found that poverty (48 percent)
and unemployment (24 percent) are the most important issues
for the Lima populace. Drug abuse is in fourth place at 7
percent, behind crime at 13 percent; 2) For all income and
education levels, drug abuse is perceived as a social problem
with only a weak correlation to coca cultivation or
narcotrafficking; 3) High-income groups and most older people
have a positive view of coca even though they know it is used
to make drugs. 4) Low-income people and those between 18 and
25 are more aware of the dangers of consumption and are more
likely to support eradication and other drastic actions.
(NOTE: The GOP divides the population into 5 socioeconomic
levels. Level "A" is high income with 3 percent of the
population; B is 14 percent, C is 29 percent, and the poorest
are D and E at 35 and 19 percent, respectively. End Note.)


20. (SBU) The second survey, which was funded by USAID, was
done by the Peruvian firm of Tironi Associates. Tironi
focused on Lima and five urban areas in the coca-growing
regions. USAID has gleaned three recommendations from the
Tironi survey. First, convince Peruvians that coca
cultivation, narcotraffickers, and cocaine consumption are
all closely linked, i.e., the coca leaf has one buyer, the
narcotrafficker. Second, convince Peruvians that safe and
secure communities are not possible when drug abuse and
narcotraffickers abound. Lastly, convince Peruvians that
much of the corruption in the government and society stems
from narcotrafficking.
STRUBLE