2006-2007 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 GEORGETOWN 001215 SIPDIS JUSTICE FOR AFMLS, OIA, AND OPDAT TREASURY FOR FINCEN INL WHA/CAR SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EFIN KCRM KTFN GY SUBJECT: 2006-2007 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY REPORT (INCSR) PART I: GUYANA REF: A.STATE 147534 B.STATE 146694 C.STATE 146620 GEORGETOWN 00001215 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. The following text is post's narrative for Part I of the 2006-2007 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, Drugs and Chemical Controls for Guyana. BEGIN TEXT: ¶2. Guyana is a transshipment point for cocaine destined for North America, Europe, and the Caribbean. Interdictions and seizures of drugs in Guyana totaled approximately 47 kgs of cocaine and 6,560 kgs of marijuana in 2006. The Government of Guyana's (GOG) inability to control its borders, a lack of law enforcement presence, and a lack of aircraft or patrol boats allow traffickers to move drug shipments via sea, river, and air with little resistance. The GOG launched its National Drug Strategy Master Plan (NDSMP) for 2005-2009 in June 2005. However, the GOG has yet to implement the NDSMP's substantive initiatives. Guyana is a party to the 1988 UN Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (the 1988 UN Drug Convention) but still needs to pass and implement additional legislation to meet its obligations under the convention. II. Status of Country ¶3. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime last estimated the quantity of cocaine transiting Guyana in 2000-2001 at 20-25 metric tons annually. Updated figures are not available. Using those dated figures, narcotics traffickers may earn US$150 million annually, and possibly more, by trafficking cocaine through Guyana. Accurately determining the trend in drug transit is difficult given the gap between the amount of drugs seized and the estimates of total drugs trafficked. There have not been any large domestic seizures since a 1998 joint Guyanese/U.S. operation confiscated 3,154 kilograms of cocaine from a ship docked in Georgetown. ¶4. Guyana's vast expanse of unpopulated forest offers cover for drug traffickers. In 2005, Aurelius Inc., a company controlled by now indicted drug trafficker Shaheed 'Roger' Khan, applied for a State Forest Exploratory Permit for a large tract of land in Guyana's interior. Although Aurelius withdrew its application following Kahn's arrest, the potential for abuse still exists. Such concessions in the remote interior may allow drug traffickers to establish autonomous outposts beyond the reach of Guyanese law enforcement. In response to this threat, the GOG announced proposed legislation requiring stronger background checks on investors applying for timber concessions. The legislation has not yet been introduced. ¶5. There are allegations that high-ranking officials in the Guyana Police Force (GPF) have ties to drug traffickers. Government counternarcotics efforts are further undermined by the lack of adequate resources for law enforcement, poor coordination among law enforcement agencies, and a weak judicial system. The Guyanese media regularly report murders, kidnappings, and other violent crimes commonly believed to be linked with narcotics trafficking. Guyana produces cannabis, but not coca leaf or cocaine. Guyana is not known to produce, trade, or transit precursor chemicals on a large scale. III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 2006 ¶6. Policy Initiatives. Guyana launched its ambitious 2005-2009 NDSMP in June 2005. The NDSMP's programs are divided into Supply Reduction and Demand Reduction. The Supply Reduction agenda calls for improving the justice system's ability to handle drug cases, making the Joint Intelligence Coordination Center (JICC) operational, closer cooperation between and better technology for law enforcement agencies, and tighter control of border posts and airstrips. The Demand Reduction agenda includes developing rehabilitation capabilities as well as media and education programs. The government estimates that implementing the 2005-2009 NDSMP will cost approximately US$3.3 million. The Financial Investigations Unit (FIU),established in 2003 with material support from the U.S., is handicapped by the lack of effective legislation to deal with money laundering, such as the absence of regulations to allow for seizing assets. ¶7. Accomplishments. The launch of the 2005-2009 NDSMP after a five-year gap was significant. The GOG, however, has yet to establish a secretariat to oversee the plan and has made little progress in achieving or maintaining compliance with the goals and objectives of the 1988 UN Drug Convention. In 2006, Guyanese law enforcement agencies made no publicly reported cocaine seizures in excess of 10 kilograms. ¶8. In 2006, known Guyanese drug trafficker Roger Kahn was indicted by a federal court in New York for conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States. Kahn was apprehended in Trinidad by U.S. DEA GEORGETOWN 00001215 002.2 OF 003 agents and is currently incarcerated in New York awaiting trial. ¶9. Law Enforcement Efforts. The GoG's counternarcotics efforts suffer from a lack of adequate law enforcement resources, poor inter-agency coordination, and the perception of widespread corruption. Several agencies share responsibility for counternarcotics activities: the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) is tasked with conducting enforcement activities mainly at ports of entry; the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Narcotics Branch is the principal element in the police responsible for enforcement of drug laws domestically; and the Guyana Defense Force Coast Guard (GDFCG) has the lead for maritime counternarcotics operations. There is little productive interaction or intelligence sharing among these organizations. For example, according to the 2005-2009 NDSMP, the JICC is supposed "to bring together various counternarcotics agencies in a single work environment, encourage the sharing of information and intelligence." It is unclear whether the JICC is currently operational. ¶10. In 2006, the GPF Narcotics Branch and CANU arrested drug couriers at Guyana's international airport en route to the Caribbean, North America, and Europe. However, the arrests were limited to individuals with small amounts of marijuana, crack cocaine or powder cocaine, usually on charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking. Authorities have not successfully acted against major traffickers and their organizations. According to publicly reported arrests, authorities recovered only 47 kilograms of cocaine in 2006. This is similar to 2005, but represents a significant decrease from 2004 and 2003, when authorities recovered 269 kilograms and 277 kilograms of cocaine, respectively. Government and DEA officials believe that counternarcotics agencies interdict only a small percentage of the cocaine that transits Guyana. The U.S. donated a fast interceptor boat to the GDFCG in May 2005. The GDFCG conducts patrols with the interceptor boat, but has not yet interdicted any narcotics shipments. While CANU is responsible for patrolling Guyana's ports, they have only one team of six officers available to secure all five main transit points. CANU has no officers patrolling the numerous land entry points on the Venezuela, Brazil, and Surinam borders. ¶11. Corruption. There is no evidence that GOG facilitates the production, processing, or shipment of narcotic and psychotropic drugs or other controlled substances, nor is there evidence that it discourages the investigation or prosecution of such acts. Guyana is party to the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption (IACAC), but has yet to fully implement its provisions, such as seizure of property obtained through corruption. News media routinely report on instances of corruption reaching to high levels of government that go uninvestigated and unpunished. The former Minister of Home Affairs, who underwent a long, public investigation regarding his possible connection with an extra-judicial killing squad and who had improperly issued firearm licenses to known criminals, resigned under pressure from the international community in 2005. He was subsequently named by the GOG to serve as the country's Ambassador to India. Guyana is not a party to the UN Convention Against Corruption. ¶12. Agreements and Treaties. Guyana is party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention, the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, as amended by the 1972 Protocol, and the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Guyana also is a party to the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and its protocol on trafficking in persons. The 1931 Extradition Treaty between the United States and the United Kingdom is applicable to the U.S. and Guyana. Guyana signed a bilateral agreement with the U.S. on maritime counternarcotics cooperation in 2001. Guyana has bilateral agreements to cooperate on drug trafficking issues with its neighbors and with the United Kingdom. Guyana is also a member of the Organization of American States' Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (OAS/CICAD). ¶13. Cultivation and Production. Cannabis cultivation occurs in Guyana on a limited scale, primarily in the intermediate savannahs. Police regularly discover and eradicate cannabis cultivation sites when conducting area sweeps. The 2005-2009 NDSMP reported that authorities destroyed a total of 68.5 hectares and over 63,000 kilograms of cannabis plants during the 1999-2003 period. Guyana authorities discovered and destroyed more than 6,500 kgs of marijuana in 2006. ¶14. Drug Flow/Transit. While there is little concrete evidence of large cocaine shipments transiting through Guyana, strong anecdotal evidence suggests that cocaine flows through Guyana's remote, uncontrolled borders and coastline. Light aircraft land at numerous isolated airstrips or make airdrops into rivers where operatives on the ground retrieve the drugs. Smugglers use small boats and freighters to enter Guyana's many remote but navigable rivers. Smugglers also take direct routes, such as driving or boating across the uncontrolled borders with Brazil, Suriname, and Venezuela. GEORGETOWN 00001215 003.2 OF 003 Inside the country, narcotics are transported to Georgetown by road, water, or air and then sent on to the Caribbean, North America, or Europe via commercial air carriers or cargo ships. "Go-fast" speed boats may also carry cocaine from Guyana's rivers to mother-ships in the Atlantic. Authorities have arrested drug mules attempting to smuggle cocaine on virtually every northbound route out of the international airport. ¶15. Drug traffickers also use cargo ships to export narcotics from Guyana, either directly to North America and Europe, or through intermediate Caribbean ports. In July, Spanish police broke up a drug-smuggling ring that used yachts hired out for family holidays to import more than 800 kgs of cocaine into Britain and Spain. Authorities said the drugs were loaded off Venezuela, Guyana and Suriname and hidden below the decks while paying passengers took cruises. Drug traffickers have used export commodities as a cover for shipping cocaine out of the country. For example, in August 2006, a woman was arrested at Guyana's international airport attempting to ship approximately 10 kgs of cocaine concealed inside cabbages. ¶16. Demand Reduction (Domestic Programs). Marijuana is sold and consumed openly in Guyana, despite frequent arrests for possessing small amounts of cannabis. CANU and the 2005-2009 NDSMP both note that consumption of cocaine powder, crack cocaine, ecstasy, and heroin has been on the rise. According to local drug abuse counselors, the number of school-aged ecstasy users has grown alarmingly. A survey cited in the 2005-2009 NDSMP reported that 27 percent of the 11-19 year-old children interviewed nationwide had seen cocaine. The same survey reported that 60 percent of children in Region 1 (on the border with Venezuela) said they had seen cocaine. The 2005-2009 NDSMP includes several measures to reduce demand for narcotics. The strategy includes safe lifestyle programs, stronger health and family life education, targeted surveys and compilation of social statistics, and a media strategy to promote drug awareness. The Ministry of Health and the Office of the President will administer most of these plans. As with the 2005-2009 NDSMP's other components, the government has yet to fully implement a program to reduce demand for illegal drugs. Guyana's ability to deal with drug abusers is limited by a lack of financial resources to support rehabilitation programs. Guyana only has two facilities that treat substance abuse - the Salvation Army and the Phoenix Recovery Center. Both of these facilities are "men only" - there are no treatment facilities for women in Guyana. There are no adequate programs to deal with substance abuse in the prisons. IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs ¶17. U.S. Policy Initiatives. U.S. policy focuses on cooperating with Guyana's law enforcement agencies and promoting good governance. U.S. funded training and technical support are key components of this strategy. U.S. officials continued to encourage Guyanese participation in bilateral and multilateral counternarcotics initiatives. USAID is funding projects to improve governance in Guyana, which includes parliamentary and judicial reform. ¶18. Bilateral Cooperation. The DEA works with Guyana's government and law enforcement agencies to develop initiatives that will enhance their counternarcotics activities. The GOG recently granted diplomatic credentials to DEA officers covering Guyana out of Trinidad. High-ranking representatives from the GPF and the GDF attended the Regional Air Force Conference in San Antonio in 2006. U.S. officials continue to work closely with the FIU in its fledgling efforts to curb money laundering. ¶19. The Road Ahead. Guyana's lack of resources significantly hampers its ability to mount an effective counternarcotics campaign. As is the case in many drug transshipment countries, there is a growing problem with drug use in Guyana. The U.S. will channel future assistance to initiatives that demonstrate success in interdicting drug flows and prosecuting drug traffickers. Efforts in this area include strengthening Guyana's judicial system, law enforcement infrastructure, and counternarcotics legislation. Trafficking and corruption put added pressure on an already challenged economic, social and political infrastructure. The U.S. will continue to encourage participation in bilateral and multilateral initiatives, as well as implementation of current international conventions and agreements. END TEXT. ¶20. Requests for further information should be submitted to John Zak, Political Officer at zakje@state.gov. ROBINSON