PRESS BREAKS STORY OF PERU ARMS TO FARC

UNCLAS LIMA 001264 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER PGOV SNAR PE SUBJECT: PRESS BREAKS STORY OF PERU ARMS TO FARC -------------- Summary: -------------- ¶1. Peru daily La Republica ran a front-page story on 4/1 that detailed how a "Mafia" within Peru's Armed Forces (FAP) and the Police (PNP) had robbed Peru's arms stocks to sell weapons to the FARC. The account summarized news reports since 2005 in an analytical piece detailing a weapons smuggling network that included contacts in neighboring Ecuador. It concludes that the arrests undertaken so far have struck a blow against the arms smuggling mafia, but have by no means killed it. The piece contained no new information but should lend urgency to MOD Wagner's reform efforts. End Summary. ¶2. Peru daily La Republica (center-left Lima daily, circulation 22,000) ran a front-page story on 4/1 that detailed how a "mafia" within Peru's Armed Forces had robbed Peru's arms stocks to sell weapons to the FARC. Among the episodes, previously reported separately, that it catalogues are: -the June 2006 arrest of Ecuadorian Jose Renteria in his own country. Renteria was found with 4,600 cartridges of ammunition that he had acquired from Peru; -the September 2006 arrest in Lima of PNP Sub Official David Luz Aquino, who was caught with 3,550 rounds of 7.62 ammunition; - the September 2006 arrests in Pisco and Callao where the Police seized a total of over 30,000 rounds of 7.62 ammunition from two different sites. ¶3. The article states that since 2004, retired Peruvian Police and Military Officers have been using their contacts to systematically smuggle weapons to the FARC. The investigations and arrests that have taken place so far, La Republica states, have struck a blow against medium and lower-level operatives, but the "Mafia" responsible for systematic arms smuggling to the FARC remains in place. ¶4. Comment: The article provides no new information, but does pull together in a comprehensive and high-profile way the problems Peru faces regarding weapons security. Embassy will use this piece to re-engage the MOD on the need to follow up on the March DOS/DTRA survey of Peru's arms storage practices. This high visibility piece should give MOD Wagner further ammunition for his much-needed proposed reforms. STRUBLE