NAS MONTHLY REPORT MAY 2006

UNCLAS LIMA 002205 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR INL/LP STATE FOR WHA/PPC ONDCP FOR D. GEDDINGS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR KCRM ASEC PREL PE SUBJECT: NAS MONTHLY REPORT MAY 2006 ¶1. (U) Key developments in May -- The GOP has CORAH had eradicated 4,416 hectares of coca in 2006. If the new GOP administration continues to support this effort, we believe eradication should top the CY 2006 goal of 10,000 hectares by December. -- The GOP remains enthused about establishing an ILEA-Regional Training Center in Lima. -- PNP interdiction operations in the VRAE and Huallaga have driven down the price of coca leaf and caused precursor chemical prices to rise in these regions. ¶2. (U) Police Program - The supported DIRANDRO Special Operations-Special Group Interdiction in the Apurimac/Ene Valley (VRAE) destroyed 68 cocaine base laboratories and ton quantities of essential chemicals and coca leaf. DIRANDRO special teams seized 18,641 kilograms of cocaine. PNP personnel working out of the police base in Santa Lucia provided security for eradicators and destroyed 9 cocaine base laboratories. Totals for the year include 307 destroyed cocaine laboratories of which 173 were found in the VRAE area. The PNP claims to have seized 6 metric tons of cocaine base, ten times last year's effort over the same time frame. PNP interdiction efforts have driven coca leaf prices from 70 soles to 50 soles per 25 pound bag (a measure known as an arroba) and have caused precursor chemical prices to rise in the coca growing valleys. ¶3. (U) Coca Control - On May 19, CORAH opened a second eradication front in Sion/Campanilla. When finished, they will move south to the Tocache area to support the first front and continue working southward with the goal of making San Martin coca-free by mid-July of this year. As of May 24, CORAH had eradicated 4,416 hectares of coca and 11,187 square meters of seedbeds. CORAH has been averaging 90 hectares a day since the beginning of operations in the Campanilla Area. ¶4. (U) CADA is supporting two AID pilot programs: one involves measuring illicit coca crops in two national parks in the Pasco Department with the purpose of replacing it with eco-tourism; the other pilot involves measuring the plots and productivity of 100 farmers registered with ENACO in La Libertad Department to provide insight into how ENACO might better control the marketing of legal coca. ¶5. (U) ICT went into the field for a third time in order to take sample measurements of coca located in the Sion/Campanilla area. This information will be used to come up with a realistic measure for Cocaine Production Averted(CPA). ¶6. (U) Eradication On Hold For Presidential Elections: Big Airlift - PNP General Vizcarra ordered police to suspend support for eradication operations for 7 days before the second-round election runoff June 4, and possibly for a few days afterwards. The eradication security police are replacing DINOES police, who are being transferred from communities and cities East of the Andes to Lima. The cost factor of keeping the 600 contract eradicators camped at Santa Lucia base was prohibitive: the eradicators will go home and return to work after the elections. ¶7. (U) The operation to move all the police and CORAH workers was, we believe, the largest single airlift NAS Lima has coordinated, done at a few days notice. It involved using airplanes and helicopters, including 9 Huey 2s, 2 PNP MI-17s, 2 PNP Antonov 32s, Cessna 206 and 208, PNP Yankee-12 and the FAP's C-26. Six hundred CORAH and 250 PNP were moved out of the field to Santa Lucia - then 600 eradicators and 130 police were moved to Tingo Maria (where most originate). Thirty police were moved to Aguaytia. ¶8. (SBU) Port security program - During the month of April 2006, the police at the Jorge Chavez International Airport Program in Lima seized 95 kgs of cocaine, 1.5 kgs of opium latex, and arrested 23 passengers. The total tally for May was 287 kgs of cocaine seized from 36 drug smugglers. During May 2006, drug police also seized approximately 100 kgs in 33 separate detection cases at the Peruvian post office. Peruvian Customs dog handlers and their canines that recently completed training at USCBP K9 Academy, Front Royal, Virginia, have dramatically increased drug seizures at Lima Airport. NAS USCBP Advisors are entering pertinent information regarding airport illicit narcotics arrests in US Law Enforcement and US State Consular databases, especially when arrestees are involved in the Visa Waiver program. ¶9. (SBU) Peru's Manifest Review Unit (MRU) is now analyzing/inspecting an average of 120 containers per month that transit the Port of Callao, a substantially greater number of shipping containers than a year ago when no more than four containers per month were searched. The MRU identifies containers that are suspicious. NAS has provided the Peruvian Customs with various non-intrusive detection technology such as ion scanners, busters, and now a mobile x-ray van. Peruvian law enforcement officers will use the mobile x-ray van to conduct no-notice blitzes at various airports and seaports. The NAS USCBP advisor has trained the Peruvian Customs Special Operation Brigade and the MRU to use this equipment in accord with FLETC standards. The NAS Ports Program is working with Peruvian customs officials to deploy two X-ray scanners to inspect maritime containers at Lima's Port of Callao. NAS is attempting to contract a second scanner for Peru's second leading seaport, Paita, near the Ecuadorian border. Eventu ally, over 50,000 containers leaving Peru's port will be scanned per year. ¶10. (SBU) In April, NAS advisors briefed DEA regarding a container suspected to be carrying drugs to the Bahamas. Bahamian police who seized 65 kgs of cocaine Hcl found inside the container. By working this case, the Peruvian police discovered a smuggling ring at the Port of Callao. Ring members were breaking and regluing maritime container seals in order to put drugs into containers that had already passed Customs inspection. The Peruvian drug police are managing the follow-on investigation. ¶11. (U) The GOP is working on its reply to the USG's offer to establish a Regional Training Center in Lima under the auspices of the International Law Enforcement Academy. In the meantime, the GOP has agreed to host three new courses under the ILEA-RTC banner in July and August. The courses will focus on combatting money laundering and trafficking in persons. STRUBLE