PORTUGAL SEIZES NARCOTICS AT RECORD LEVELS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LISBON 001262 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR INL E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/22/2016 TAGS: SNAR PREL PGOV KCRM PT SUBJECT: PORTUGAL SEIZES NARCOTICS AT RECORD LEVELS LISBON 00001262 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Dana M Brown, Pol/Econ Officer, State Department Reason: 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Until 2006, Portugal maintained a modest drug interdiction program with relatively small operations compared to other consumer nations. This year, however, Portugal has already seized roughly 28 metric tons of cocaine, quickly surpassing its 2005 totals after only a few months and closing in on Spain as Europe's most significant entry points for narcotics. Portuguese police are monitoring the situation and attempting to work with international law enforcement when possible, but have reported that they have few contacts in producer nations with whom they can coordinate. Please see ACTION REQUEST in para 11. End Summary. Drugs on the Rise -------------- ¶2. (U) On June 20, Duarte Alves, an investigator with the Central Directorate for the Investigation of Narcotics Trafficking (DCITE) told Pol/Econ officer that Portugal's Judicial Police (PJ) had seized around 28 metric tons of cocaine this year, compared to 18 tons in all of 2005. In contrast, last year Spain reported cocaine seizures of 48.43 tons, roughly 4 tons per month. As of late June, Portugal's average monthly seizures in 2006 reached 4.7 tons per month and if the current pace continues for the rest of the year, Portugal will overtake Spain as the main point of entry for cocaine into Europe, based on interdiction figures. ¶3. (U) Jose Braz, the adjunct national director for the DCITE, announced Portugal's 2005 narcotics seizure figures at a February 2006 press conference. Portugal ranked second among EU members for drug seizures in 2005 and apprehended 20% of all cocaine seized in the European Union: -- Hashish: 28.25 tons seized -- Cocaine: 18 tons seized -- MDMA (ecstasy): 213,777 tablets seized ¶4. (U) By comparison, 2004 had similar hashish seizure numbers but roughly half the cocaine and "ecstasy" seizures: -- Hashish: 28.97 tons, valued at USD 22.8 million -- Cocaine: 7.42 tons, valued at USD 1.63 billion -- Ecstasy: 107,353 tablets, valued at USD 643,000 Police Reaction -------------- ¶5. (C) Pol/Econ officer paid a call on PJ Inspector Luis Baptista to discuss the increased seizures of cocaine and ecstasy. Baptista concluded that the increased drug seizures and arrests by authorities is not the result of more intensive or more effective policing, but rather an increase in the amount of drug traffic headed towards Europe as a whole. He said the PJ had seen an increase in maritime trafficking, and suggested that greater unemployment among legitimate fishermen might have drawn fishermen into transporting narcotics. Baptista claimed it was easier for police to locate the fishermen since the fishermen used known channels. However, in direct contrast to Baptista's comment, one PJ director announced to the BBC in February that successes were a result of the PJ honing their investigation techniques. ¶6. (U) One example of 2006's successful interdictions was the February 18 seizure of 8,000 kilograms of cocaine, the largest bust in Portuguese history and reportedly the largest single seizure in Europe to date. The PJ located the drugs in a warehouse in the Algarve and arrested seven Spanish nationals suspected to have been involved in the shipment. Other sting operations, including "Tutti-Frutti" with Uruguayan officials in May, have located concealed shipments and implicated well-established Portuguese businesses. International Cooperation Focused Elsewhere -------------- ¶7. (C) Despite the increase in Portuguese narcotics seizures, LISBON 00001262 002.2 OF 002 Baptista complained that few nations cooperated actively to combat increased trafficking. He claimed a noticeable decline in U.S. anti-drug training support for Portuguese missions over the last several years. He mentioned training programs that he had participated in with U.S. authorities in the past, and expressed his desire to renew cooperative bonds. ¶8. (C) Baptista also reported that the PJ lacked contacts from source countries and often had to work through Interpol -- a slow and complicated process. He asked whether it would be possible to locate some law enforcement officials in Latin America, particularly Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil, to improve sting operation intelligence and facilitate arrests. Baptista described Portuguese and Dutch efforts to jointly combat ecstasy trafficking. He reported that their cooperation was highly effective and said he hoped he could establish similar cooperation with others. Sources and Destinations -------------- ¶9. (U) According to a PJ 2004 report, 76% of cocaine seized in Portugal was in transit to other countries, 90% of which was destined for Spain. Nearly 54% of hashish seized in Portugal was intended for domestic consumption, while the remaining 46% headed again mostly to Spain. Shipments of cocaine to Portugal came mostly from South America -- Brazil was the source country for almost 80% of cocaine. Hashish originated equally from Morocco and domestic growers. Ecstasy came almost exclusively from Holland and was destined for Portuguese consumption. Comment and Action Request -------------- ¶10. (U) Portuguese police have seized almost double the weight in cocaine over the last several years, but reported they were unsure whether there was a significant increase headed for Europe, traffickers were trying different entry points, or the investigative work was paying off. It is likely a combination of the three. ¶11. (SBU) ACTION REQUEST for INL: In light of these numbers and the request for further engagement from the USG, we would welcome Department's guidance on how best to engage Portugal more energetically in counternarcotics collaboration, including in the area of training that could connect them with other law enforcement officials in the same field. Hoffman