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. -------------- header ends -------------- 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 =======================CABLE ENDS============================