UNITED STATES, COLOMBIA AND MEXICO MEETING

C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 007470 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC ECIN PTER SNAR MX CO SUBJECT: UNITED STATES, COLOMBIA AND MEXICO MEETING REINFORCES COUNTER-NARCOTICS COOPERATION REF: A. BOGOTA 418 ¶B. 06 BOGOTA 9382 Classified By: Political Counselor John S. Creamer Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Karen Tandy met with Colombian Minister of Defense Juan Manuel Santos Calderon and Mexican Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora Icaza on October 9 to promote increased counternarcotics cooperation. The meeting was part of a series and led to agreement to incorporate Colombian and Mexican staff into DEA's El Paso Intelligence Center, share law enforcement information, and create a joint "intelligence gap" document. President Calderon's aggressive domestic counter-narcotics efforts have facilitated stronger international cooperation, including efforts to learn from Colombia's experience with extradition. Calderon will visit Bogota on November 7, and counternarcotics issues will be a key agenda item. END SUMMARY. -------------- CARTAGENA ROUND - COMMON GROUND -------------- ¶2. (C) Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Tandy has supported efforts to boost Colombian-Mexican counternarcotics cooperation, emphasizing that long-term success in reducing the flow of drugs into the United States depends on these countries' collaboration. After initial meetings in Madrid and Washington in May and July 2007, Tandy attended a third meeting with Colombian Minister of Defense (MOD) Santos and Mexican Attorney General (AG) Medina Mora in Cartagena on October 9. The meetings build on then President-elect Calderon's visit to Bogota in October 2006. At that time, Calderon said he wanted to benefit from Colombia's "lessons learned" in fighting narcotrafficking, as well to as improve the exchange of intelligence and law enforcement information. Since his inauguration, Calderon has made the fight against illegal drugs a top priority. Calderon will meet with President Uribe in Bogota on November 7, and counternarcotics cooperation will feature prominently on the agenda. ¶3. (C) Tandy, Santos and Medina Mora agreed on the need to deepen information-sharing on narcotrafficking. The meeting reinforced existing areas of cooperation including: coordinating extradition efforts, sharing intelligence information, targeting aviation trafficking, and combating money laundering. The parties also agreed to consider adding other partners in Latin America, such as Venezuela, to develop long-term counter-narcotics strategies. Medina Mora recognized the difficulties in dealing with Venezuela, but said it would be important to do so. ¶4. (C) The tripartite partners agreed on implementing four deliverables between now and mid-2008 including: 1) "embedding" Colombian and Mexican police representatives in the DEA-lead El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC),a multi-agency intelligence and monitoring clearinghouse; 2) sharing highly sensitive information with a designated representative of each partner country to maintain a flow of strategic information; 3) developing jointly an "Intelligence Gap" document during the first quarter of 2008; and 4) continuing close collaboration through the Drug Flow Attack Strategy (DFAS),an international intelligence operation spanning multiple countries. ¶5. (C) The three also agreed on the need to target law enforcement efforts against trafficking facilitators, including maritime/aviation transport coordinators and money handlers. Disrupting the network of facilitators, considered the "weak links" in narco-organizations, would reduce trafficking. All agreed it is critical to target financial sectors, noting the FARC sustains its activities through drug trade revenue. -------------- MEXICAN-COLOMBIAN COLLABORATION -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Colombian and Mexican counterparts recognized their "symbiotic relationship" in developing and sharing best practices. Mexican officials expressed interest in learning about Colombia's use of extradition and judicial wire intercepts, while Colombia noted its desire to adapt Mexican legislation on methamphetamines. The GOM will assign three Mexican federal police officers to its Embassy in Bogota to increase coordination with Colombian law enforcement. ¶7. (C) Mexican Embassy intelligence specialist Rafael Ortiz told us Mexican-Colombian cooperation is good, but is not without friction. He said a long-term GOM investigation of a Mexican-based political group, Nucleo Mexicano de Apoyo a las FARC, came to a halt when sensitive information involving the group's receipt of funds from the Venezuelan Government and its meetings with Senator Piedad Cordoba was leaked to the Colombian press. Ortiz blamed the GOC for the leak and said the GOM had to withdraw undercover agents that had penetrated Nucleo Mexicano. Ortiz believed the GOC leaked the information to discredit Senator Cordoba. In addition, Mexican Charge Sandoval reiterated the GOM's commitment to cooperate with Colombia, but complained that Colombian Prosecutor General Mario Iguaran's public reference to Colombian "undercover agents" working in Mexico had created problems for the GOM. -------------- FUTURE MEETINGS AND PARTICIPANT LIST -------------- ¶8. (SBU) The fourth and fifth tripartite meetings are scheduled in Mexico in early 2008 and in Istanbul at the International Drug Enforcement Conference (IDEC) in May 2008. ¶9. (SBU) PARTICIPANT LIST DEA Delegation: Chief of Staff Assistant Administrator, Chief of Operations Assistant Administrator, Chief of Intelligence Chief of Financial Operations Regional Director, Colombia Regional Director, Mexico Assistant Regional Director, Colombia Colombian Delegation: Minister of Defense Juan Manuel Santos Calderon Prosecutor General Mario Iguaran Commander of the Armed Forces, General Freddy Padilla Navy Commander, Admiral Guillermo Barrera Vice Minister of Political Affairs and International Thematics Sergio Jaramillo Caro Director of the Colombian National Police, General Oscar Adolfo Naranjo Trujillo Vice Admiral Alvaro Echandia Sub-Director Colombian National Police Antinarcotics Colonel Jorge Miguel Gutierrez Penaranda Mexican Delegation: Attorney General Eduardo Medina-Mora Director for the CENAPI Ardelio Vargas Brownfield