EL SALVADOR: INL MONTHLY ACTIVITIES REPORT FOR

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SAN SALVADOR 002635

SIPDIS

STATE FOR INL
STATE FOR PRM RAMGOOLIE
DOJ FOR OPDAT

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EFIN ELAB PHUM SNAR KCRM KJUS ES INL
SUBJECT: EL SALVADOR: INL MONTHLY ACTIVITIES REPORT FOR
AUGUST 2005

REF: A. SAN SALVADOR 02475

B. SAN SALVADOR 02357


1. (U) The following summarizes Embassy INL activities in
August 2005. Unless otherwise indicated, all statistics
refer to the month of August 2005.

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ILEA
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2. (U) On September 2, the International Law Enforcement
Academy (ILEA) concluded the presentation of its six-week
core program that began on July 25. Later that afternoon,
DHS U/S Randy Beardsworth presented diplomas to the 36 ILEA
participants. (See Refel A). The graduation ceremony was
attended by Salvadoran, Embassy, and U.S.-based officials, as
well as the Ambassadors from Colombia and the Dominican
Republic. Subsequent press coverage was accurate and
positive. ILEA desires to present one or two specialized
courses in El Salvador by the end of the calendar year.


3. (U) On August 19, INLOff escorted members of the human
rights community (NGOs) on a tour of ILEA and the National
Police Academy. They were permitted to question the
students, and one even took the opportunity to give a brief
class on the history of human rights in El Salvador. They
later told INLOff that they saw nothing to indicate that ILEA
offered instruction in counter-insurgency. They indicated
their interest in continued monitoring to ensure that ILEA
remains true to its civilian character. INLOff assured that
continued monitoring would be welcomed.

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NARCOTICS INTERDICTION
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4. (U) Operations: Officers of the Anti-Narcotics Police
(DAN) at the INL-constructed vehicle inspection facility in
El Amatillo inspected 585 cars, 700 passenger buses, and 290
commercial freight trucks; no narcotics were found. In all
operations throughout the country, the INL-supported DAN
seized 8.3 kilograms of marijuana and one kilogram of
cocaine, and arrested 73 individuals for trafficking
offenses.


5. (U) Training/Donations: INL purchased and donated 20
computers and eight printers to the Joint Intelligence
Counter-Narcotics Center for use in drug trafficking
operations and analysis.

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MONEY LAUNDERING
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6. (U) Operations: The INL-supported Financial
Investigations Unit (FIU) received 34 Suspicious Activities
Reports, opened eight new investigations, and identified and
removed 211 false dollar-denominated bills from circulation.
See Reftel B for the sole money laundering arrest made during
the month.


7. (U) Training: INL sponsored the travel of the Director of
the Office of Banking Regulation (SSF) and the lead
prosecutor for the FIU to Buenos Aires to attend a
Hemispheric Conference on Financial Crimes Investigations.

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HUMAN SMUGGLING/TRAFFICKING AND TRANSIT SECURITY
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8. (U) Operations: The INL-supported Border Police
(Fronteras) arrested 33 individuals for human smuggling and 3
persons trafficking in August. Police operations rescued 15
minors in the process of being smuggled or trafficked. No
convictions for trafficking or smuggling were realized in
August.


9. (U) Training: From August 16 to 18, INL hosted OPDAT
regional Trafficking in Persons (TIP) training. In
attendance were prosecutors, police, and foreign ministry
officers from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua,
and Costa Rica. The training focused on best practices,
international cooperation, and investigative techniques.
(See Septel from OPDAT).


10. (U) On August 25, INLOff met with Norberto Giron of the
International Migration Organization (IMO) to discuss
establishing a TIP shelter in El Salvador. In 2002, IMO
received a grant from State PRM to establish a yet unrealized
TIP shelter. Giron agreed to pool resources with Post INL to
make the TIP shelter a reality. We are currently working
with the GOES to find a suitable location. (Septel).


11. (U) Travel: INL sponsored the travel of three police
officers, one immigration official, and one prosecutor to
participate in trafficking in persons training in Costa Rica.

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ORGANIZED CRIME, RULE OF LAW, AND DEMAND REDUCTION
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12. (U) Organized Crime: In August, the PNC arrested 1,201
individuals for gang-related criminal activity. Of these
arrests, 20 percent of the cases were dismissed for lack of
evidence, 65 percent are incarcerated awaiting trial, and 15
percent were assigned alternative sentencing (community
service). 60 gang members were killed due to gang-related
violence.


13. (U) The NGO FundaSalva administered 67 tattoo removal
sessions in August with the INL-donated laser tattoo removal
machine. Presently, there are 342 ex-gang members receiving
free tattoo removal treatments with this machine.
Butler