EL SALVADOR: INL MONTHLY ACTIVITIES REPORT FOR

UNCLAS SAN SALVADOR 001618 SIPDIS SIPDIS WHA/CEN FOR DEGLER INL FOR MARTIN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: APER SNAR KCRM KIPR KJUS ES SUBJECT: EL SALVADOR: INL MONTHLY ACTIVITIES REPORT FOR MAY 2006 ¶1. (U) The following summarizes Embassy INL activities in May ¶2006. -------------- ILEA -------------- ¶2. (U) On May 22, ILEA began the presentation of its six week core program (LEMDP) to police officers from Panama, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and El Salvador. Post has received and processed the NSDD-38 forms for Director Henson (DHS) and Deputy Director Jaquez (DEA). -------------- NARCOTICS INTERDICTION -------------- ¶3. (U) Operations: Officers of the Anti-Narcotics Police (DAN) at the INL-constructed vehicle inspection facility in El Amatillo inspected 333 cars, 416 passenger buses, and 159 commercial freight trucks, resulting in the arrest of three individuals for narcotics trafficking and the seizure of six kilograms of heroin and US$34,890 in undeclared currency. In all operations throughout the country, the INL-supported DAN seized 108 kg of marijuana, six kg of heroin, and one kg of cocaine, and arrested 93 individuals for trafficking offenses. ¶4. (U) Currency: INL previously acquired four dogs from Colombia to be trained in currency detection. The dogs are now trained, and on April 24, one of the dogs alerted on a food container at the airport that concealed US$101,760. The individual that retrieved the cooler from the luggage conveyor belt was detained for failing to declare the funds. Under Salvadoran law, ten percent of the undeclared funds are automatically forfeited. The remaining funds are subject to an administrative hearing at which the defendant must demonstrate that the funds were derived from legitimate sources. If not, the remaining funds are also forfeited and the defendant is fined. This process can take as long as a year. -------------- MONEY LAUNDERING -------------- ¶5. (U) Operations: The INL-supported Financial Investigations Unit (FIU) received 25 Suspicious Activities Reports, opened five new investigations, and identified and removed 366 false dollar-denominated bills from circulation. No arrests or convictions for money laundering were realized. -------------- -------------- HUMAN SMUGGLING/TRAFFICKING AND TRANSIT SECURITY -------------- -------------- ¶6. (U) Operations: The INL-supported Border Police (Fronteras) arrested 20 individuals for human smuggling; no arrests were made for trafficking in persons. Police operations rescued 14 minors in the process of being smuggled. No convictions for either offense were realized. -------------- -------------- ORGANIZED CRIME, RULE OF LAW, AND DEMAND REDUCTION -------------- -------------- ¶7. (U) Organized Crime: In May, the PNC arrested 2,120 individuals for gang-related criminal activity (double that of last month). Of these arrests, 56 percent of the cases were dismissed for lack of evidence, three percent are incarcerated awaiting trial, and 41 percent were assigned alternative sentencing (community service). 48 gang members were killed due to gang-related violence (almost double that of last month). -------------- INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS -------------- ¶8. (U) INL assisted DHS to train 117 Salvadoran prosecutors and judges on enforcing laws to protect intellectual property rights. Barclay