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