EFFORTS TO COMBAT WEST AFRICAN DRUG TRAFFICKING

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABIDJAN 001265 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/W AND INL/AAE E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/31/2017 TAGS: EAID KCRM PREL SOCI SNAR IV SUBJECT: EFFORTS TO COMBAT WEST AFRICAN DRUG TRAFFICKING REF: STATE 166219 Classified By: Political/Economic Section Chief Silvia Eiriz for reason s 1.4 (b/d). ¶1. (SBU) The Government of Cote d'Ivoire has the will to combat drug trafficking, but lacks the capacity. Also, as it concentrates on steering the country out of its five-year political crisis, its attention is focused on other priorities. The Inter-ministerial Committee to Combat Drug Trafficking (Comite Interministeriel de Lutte Anti-Drogue - CILAD),established in 1994, coordinates the government's efforts. CILAD is under the Ministry of Interior and does not have its own budget. ¶2. (U) Cote d'Ivoire adopted a national plan on combating drug trafficking in 1999. CILAD Secretary General Gnoleba Lucien Solou told PolCouns December 20 that the plan will be revised and updated in 2008 to include an HIV/AIDS component. A domestic law, adopted in July 1998, prohibits the use and trafficking of illegal drugs and a law on money laundering, enacted in December 2005, allows for seizures of property obtained with the proceeds of drug trafficking. CILAD works with the Ministry of Education to carry out prevention programs in primary and secondary schools. The police, gendarmes, and customs all have units dedicated to fighting drug trafficking. The Regional Center for Training on Combating Drug Trafficking (Centre Regional de Formation de la Lutte Contre la Drogue) was established in 1994 in the city of Bassam with funding from the French government. Although no training of foreigners has occurred during the last 5 years due to Cote d'Ivoire's political crisis, the Center is used to conduct training courses for Ivorians. ¶3. (U) A failed coup d'etat in 2002 divided the country in two and representatives of government institutions have only recently begun to return to the north of the country, which is still largely under the control of the New Forces (Forces Nouvelles- FN). The government says it is therefore unable to assess the drug trafficking situation in the northern part of the country. ¶4. (SBU) The government has had some successes in the fight against drug trafficking. Both CILAD Secretary General Solou and the Director of Interpol's Regional Office in Abidjan, Felix Bamoun, told PolCouns that Ivorian law enforcement has destroyed drug sales sites ("fumoirs") in Abidjan. French Embassy Security Attache Colonel Jean Michel Broutin also praised the operation to PolCouns, but noted that it only targeted 19 sites, while he estimates there are approximately 100 in the city. In 2007, the police seized 1,458 kilograms of cannabis, 23 kilograms of heroin, 9 kilos of cocaine, and 33,411 illegal pharmaceutical tablets and the gendarmes arrested 151 persons for drug trafficking. ¶5. (C) French Security Attache Broutin told PolCouns December 28 that in late August/early September 2007, a fishing vessel suspected of carrying drugs was spotted in the Atlantic through the Maritime Analysis and Operation Center (MAOC),an inter-governmental working group comprised of 7 EU member states. The ship was tracked by the South Africans and intercepted at the port of Abidjan. According to Broutin, the vessel was in an extremely dilapidated state, but had on board a state of the art communications system. Its crew was composed of persons from a variety of countries. Broutin suggested bringing 2 experts from France to assist Ivorian authorities. The Government of Cote d'Ivoire initially agreed but 3 days later rejected the offer, citing judicial issues. Ivorian authorities allowed the ship to depart the port of Abidjan. ¶6. (SBU) Law enforcement is handicapped by a lack of funding and equipment. CILAD Secretary General Solou told PolCouns that there is only one scanner at the Abidjan airport and it cannot detect drugs. He said drug searches at the airport are based on observation of suspicious activity or tips. Solou told PolCouns that CILAD tried to establish a drug-sniffing canine unit, but was unable to secure the necessary funding. French Security Attache Broutin told PolCouns that Ivorian law enforcement has 5 dogs (3 at the port and 2 with the gendarmes) and that the French Embassy will provide assistance in 2008 to try to set up 5 anti-drug canine teams. According to CILAD SecGen Solou, the police have a very small lab that can conduct the most basic tests to identify drugs. French Security Attache Broutin told Poloff that Ivorian law enforcement has sufficient manpower, but lacks equipment and operational coordination. ABIDJAN 00001265 002 OF 002 ¶7. (SBU) The Government of Cote d'Ivoire seems to receive bilateral assistance in the fight against drug trafficking only from the French. Colonel Broutin told Poloff that the French government provides technical advice on a sporadic basis. He said that in 2008 the French Embassy plans to bring 2 French experts to Cote d'Ivoire to conduct a 2-week drug awareness course and will provide pedagogical equipment to the Regional Training Center in Bassam. CILAD Secretary General Solou told Poloff there has been no assistance from the UN since 2002. The Missions of the EU, Germany, Canada, and Japan all told Poloffs that they do not provide bilateral assistance to the Government of Cote d'Ivoire to combat drug trafficking. NESBITT