REVAMPING NAS SUPPORTED ERADICATION IN THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L LIMA 002055

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/29/2015
TAGS: SNAR PE
SUBJECT: REVAMPING NAS SUPPORTED ERADICATION IN THE
HUALLAGA VALLEY

REF: A. LIMA 1929 B. LIMA 1794 C. LIMA 0906

Classified By: SUSAN KEOGH, NAS DIR...

id: 32020
date: 5/4/2005 22:37
refid: 05LIMA2055
origin: Embassy Lima
classification: CONFIDENTIAL
destination: 05LIMA1794|05LIMA1929|05LIMA906
header:
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.



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C O N F I D E N T I A L LIMA 002055

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/29/2015
TAGS: SNAR PE
SUBJECT: REVAMPING NAS SUPPORTED ERADICATION IN THE
HUALLAGA VALLEY

REF: A. LIMA 1929 B. LIMA 1794 C. LIMA 0906

Classified By: SUSAN KEOGH, NAS DIRECTOR FOR REASON 1.4(c)


1. (C) Peruvian National Police (PNP),with support from the
Narcotics Affairs Section (NAS) support and encouragement,
decided to go after illicit coca in conflictive zones of the
Huallaga Valley in CY 2005. We planned coordinated
interdiction and eradication ops for March and April in the
Yanajanca area south of Santa Lucia and in the Pizana area to
the north. These were areas where GOP attempts to eradicate
coca had been violently repelled by cocaleros involved in
narco-trafficking and protected by elements of the Sendero
Luminoso.


2. (U) The PNP mounted interdiction operations to find and
destroy cocaine base laboratories in the Pizana area in
February. Eradication proceeded in Yanajanca in March.
These police interventions were begun without incident.


3. (SBU) Then the cocaleros and narco-traffickers began to
push back. In both late February and late March, cocaleros
protested U.S. and GOP coca eradication efforts by blocking
major streets and highways with large rocks, wood and other
debris. These protests halted most overland vehicular
traffic in the central jungle regions of the country. The
police responded by sending reinforcements to the area to
clear the road, disperse the protesters and restore order.


4. (C) Coca growers continue to protest against USAID-funded
alternative development projects in both the Tingo Maria
(Department of Huanuco) and San Francisco (Department of
Ayacucho) areas. Coca growers have written letters demanding
that USAID and NGOs leave the area or &face the
consequences.8 Post continues to monitor this activity and
encourage host country police officials to assist and provide
security support to the eradication and alternative
development operations.


5. (c) Attacks in the coca growing areas have become
increasingly violent. Among the most noteworthy: Three PNP
officers were killed in a road attack on February 20, their
weapons and supplies stolen and their vehicles burned.
Evidence left at the scene led the police to believe this was
a Sendero Luminoso operation in retaliation to recent police
interdiction operations against illegal wood, gasoline and
narcotics trafficking. Another PNP officer was wounded by
automatic weapons fire in a March 29 attack near Juanjui, San
Martin. SL also raided a number of local towns in the same
region to obtain weapons, ammunition and supplies.


6. (C) On April 12, 3 NAS helicopters were ambushed by an SL
patrol on a sandbar in the Huamuco River after they had
dropped off workers for an eradication mission. On April 24,
PNP troops raided a suspected house of an SL leader about 1
kilometer from the site of the helicopter ambush. The PNP
found 3 automatic weapons, munitions and SL propaganda at the
house and 4 cocaine laboratories nearby. They detained 9
people, 4 of whom have subsequently been linked by the Police
to the helicopter attack. To the north, the GOP had already
begun eradicating coca fields in and around Pizana, the
stronghold of cocalero leader Nancy Obregon. On April 25,
cocaleros massed and used slingshots to hurl large stones at
the remaining helicopters that were extricating the last
group of PNP security troops. The tirade of rocks smashed a
helicopter windshield and damaged a rotor blade (REF A).


7. (C) Despite the cocalero attacks and protests, the PNP
continues to support coca eradication efforts. NAS is
currently reviewing with the PNP our next steps in the
Huallaga Valley in view of the threat to life and equipment
posed by violent attacks by the SL and cocaleros. The
cocalero attacks on eradication helicopters with heavy stones
that can be slung from 80 meters indicate a new level of
organization and discipline in their ranks that will require
new tactics in response. We will encourage media and
political leadership to focus on the Sendero/narco link more
clearly that ever.


8. (SBU) Eradication will continue but at a slower pace.
These operations will require additional security and incur
additional costs. For the months of March and April in the
Santa Lucia/Pizana area, costs for NAS aviation/police
program support for eradication increased sharply because of
additional security precautions. The 536.07 hectares
eradicated by CORAH in March cost a total of $796,454 in
police and aviation support. In April, as hostilities
increased, the total of aviation and police support was
$655,281 for 214 hectares of coca eradicated ) close to
twice the cost per hectare eradicated in March.
STRUBLE

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