PERU: NARCOTICS AFFAIRS SECTION, JULY 2005

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 LIMA 003810

SIPDIS

STATE FOR INL/P
STATE FOR WHA/PPC
ONDCP FOR D. GEDDINGS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/01/2015
TAGS: SNAR KCRM ASEC PREL PE
SUBJECT: PERU: NARCOTICS AFFAIRS SECTION, JULY 2005

Classified By: NAS Director Susan Keogh. Reason: 1.4 (b,d)

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SUMMARY
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1. (SBU) The Peruvian police (PNP),strengthened by the
influx of graduates from NAS police academies in May, have
been giving CORAH unprecedented support in eradication
operations, allowing eradicators to continue despite stiff
local resistance. Police support has also allowed CORAH to
run simultaneous operations that may make it possible to
reach our 8,000-hectare goal for this year. The PNP
continues to improve coordination within its organization,
which is exemplified by the first ever briefed and planned
interdiction operation by two PNP divisions. The first of
two Peruvian Air Force C-26 aircraft to be used in
counter-narcotics operations, has arrived in Peru; the second
one is due in mid-August. Pilots and aircrews have been
trained and missions identified. NAS is investing more
heavily in maritime cargo security and contraband control via
training for K-9 units, port visits, and training for airport
personnel. The U.S. Coast Guard certified Peru's compliance
with the International Ship and Por
t Facility Security code. The community anti-drug coalition
initiative is preparing for the second stage of training for
NGOs in August. (END SUMMARY)

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EXTRA POLICE SUPPORT BOOSTS ERADICATION EFFORTS
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2. (SBU) Unprecedented support from the PNP for CORAH
eradicators in the field, with the introduction of 200 new
police graduates from NAS academies in May, is allowing CORAH
to operate in three areas simultaneously, raising our
expectations that CORAH may get close to its goal of 8,000
hectares by the end of the year. As of July 31, the total
number of hectares eradicated for this calendar year reached
3,991.


3. (SBU) This month, two CORAH teams have been working the
Polvora-Pizana area with a one-day high of 102 hectares
eradicated. Preparations started for the eradicators to move
against the Santa Rosa de Mishollo area, home territory of
cocalero leader Nancy Obregon. Significant resistance is
expected initially, but the DIRANDRO force protecting the
eradicators has been ordered to control cocalero resistance
control. This effort will start August 1.


4. (SBU) Preparations are now underway to start a new
eradication operation in Mazamari in early August. Lastly,
preparations have started on a land operation in northern San
Martin in mid August.


5. (SBU) CADA continues to improve its imagery analysis; a
new procedure has proven to be 90 percent accurate when
checked with ground-truth procedures.

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DEVIDA PROPOSES INCREASING ERADICATION EFFORTS
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6. (C) Peru's drug czar, Nils Ericsson, has proposed various
projects to substantially increase eradication efforts,
including in the Monzon Valley, where an estimated 11,000
hectares of coca is under cultivation. However, given the
present condition of already stretched police and NAS
resources, and recent turnovers in key Peruvian ministries,
it appears likely that such an effort will have to be
postponed until 2006.

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C-26 AIRCRAFT ARRIVES IN PERU
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7. (U) The first of two C-26B aircraft refurbished by NAS
was delivered on July 14 to the Peruvian Air Force (FAP).
This first aircraft has FLIR installed. The second aircraft
is to be delivered mid September. The maintenance and
support contractor for the C-26 is ARINC, which will have two
maintenance personnel in place ready to support operations.
ARINC instructors are scheduled to arrive July 31 to begin
FLIR training during August.


8. (U) Four FAP pilots graduated from Flight Safety
International and completed two weeks of initial
qualification training on the C-26 in the U.S. FLIR training
will begin on the third of August for FAP personnel.
(COMMENT: One FAP pilot is a graduate of the USAF Academy and
another was an exchange student for a year. They are, no
doubt, the best and the brightest of the FAP. END COMMENT)
Both aircraft should be operational by mid September.

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COCAINE-BASE LABORATORY SEIZED
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9. (U) On July 20, the PNP destroyed a large cocaine-base
laboratory near Pichari in the Apurimac River Valley. The
raid netted 55 kg of cocaine base, 12 kg of liquid cocaine, 2
submachine guns, and chemicals that were destroyed on site.
The operation was sophisticated, with a large electricity
generator and running water. The traffickers fled at the
sound of helicopters arriving.

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PERUVIAN PORTS INSPECTED BY U.S. COAST GUARD
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10. (U) In July, a United States Coast Guard (USCG) team
inspected and certified that the four main ports in Peru are
in compliance with the International Ship and Port Facility
Security (ISPS) code. GOP and private sector port and
security officials accompanied the team.


11. (SBU) Peruvian National Port Authority (APN),the
Peruvian Coast Guard, and pertinent maritime law enforcement
officials will participate in a reciprocal port visit to San
Diego and Savannah as well as the Federal Law Enforcement
Training Center (FLETC) in October 2005. The U.S. ports were
selected due to their similarity to Peru's main port of
Callao in size and breadth of operations. This exchange will
provide Peruvian officials with needed exposure to U.S. port
security and operations and will enhance U.S.-Peruvian
liaison efforts.

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PORT SECURITY OPERATIONS INCREASE
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12. (U) A Manifest Review Unit (MRU),whose mission is to
identify cargo containers suspected of containing narcotics,
will be established in the northern port of Paita, near
Piura. Substantial volumes of agricultural products and
seafood are shipped out of Paita. It is highly likely the
port is being used by narco-traffickers. On August 29-30,
additional in-depth and refresher training will be conducted
for MRU Callao and the Peruvian counternarcotics police and
customs personnel in Paita/Piura. DEA will also participate
along with select DIRANDRO and Customs (SUNAT-A) officials
who work for the MRU in Callao and who may also be supporting
the MRU expansion to Paita.


13. (U) The primary course instructor will be the NAS U.S.
Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) Advisor who now
provides an in-country training capability. The USCBP
Advisor is also completing lesson plans and the program of
instruction to train airport police and customs officials who
will be assigned to the international airport in Lima. The
USCBP Advisor is attending a series of meetings with the
Business Anti-Smuggling Coalition (BASC) in both Paita/Piura
and Lima in an effort to improve the safeguarding of
international cargo.

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PROGRESS CONTINUES ON ANTI-DRUG COMMUNITY COALITIONS
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14. (U) After the June 6-10 training by the U.S.-based
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA),the
participating NGOs submitted detailed project proposals on
July 22. In the proposals, the NGOs needed to identify a
community in Lima for a coalition, give the reasons for the
choice based on an analysis of the community, obtain
commitment from leaders of 12 or more sectors, and create a
logic model for accomplishing specific objectives. NAS
Program personnel and experts from CADCA reviewed the NGO
proposals and selected six out the eight submitted. These
six NGOs will participate in the next phase of CADCA training
on August 15-19.

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INL MANAGEMENT ASSISTANCE VISIT
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15. (U) NAS benefited from a week-long visit by a 3-person
led by Jim Walsh team that conducted a Management Assistance
Visit in Lima in July. The team looked at our financial,
logistics, property management, and procurement operations
and made a number of helpful suggestions to improve
efficiency and to tighten internal controls. They identified
opportunities to recoup and use prior fiscal year PD and S
monies that had been returned to INL and recommended NAS
request the re-allotment of the funds. INL concurred. One
area for improvement is the need to update vetting of
security force units to ensure compliance with the Leahy
Amendment. The MAV team wrote a positive report on
NAS-Lima's management operations.

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DRUG PROSECUTOR PROGRAM STRENGTHENED
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16. (U) Public Ministry prosecutors (fiscales) must witness
all counter-narcotics operations conducted in Peru. The
Public Ministry had been attempting to meet this legal
requirement with 20 anti-drug prosecutors. However, these
prosecutors were too few to keep up with the pace of CN
operations. With NAS encouragement and support, the Public
Ministry, led by Peru's Attorney General Nelly Calderon, has
revamped the program to empower all 1600 Public Ministry
prosecutors to handle CN cases. This change will remedy what
was developing into a serious bottleneck in conducting
eradication and interdiction operations throughout the
country.

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CNC CONSULTATIONS
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17. (SBU) NAS welcomed a visit by two experts from the Crime
and Narcotics Center (CNC),to brief the Country Team on
plans to include new areas of expansion in CNC's coca crop
report for the coming year. The team also consulted with GOP
and local UN officials who also conduct annual coca surveys
and discussed efforts underway to survey opium poppy growing
areas.
STRUBLE