NAS MONTHLY REPORT, AUGUST 2007

C O N F I D E N T I A L LIMA 003016 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR INL/LP STATE FOR WHA/PPC ONDCP FOR LT COL RONALD GARNER E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/06/2017 TAGS: SNAR KCRM ASEC PREL PE SUBJECT: NAS MONTHLY REPORT, AUGUST 2007 REF: A. LIMA 2927 ¶B. LIMA 2917 ¶C. LIMA 2940 Classified By: Susan Keogh, NAS Director. Reason 1.5 (d) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (U) The key developments in August 2007: ** Joint operations by the Peruvian National Police and Army have captured a total of 28 Shining Path terrorists. ** To date, CORAH has eradicated 5,480 hectares of coca and eliminated 29,595 square meters of seedbeds. ** In support of USAID, eradication started in Alternative Development communities that are still growing coca. ** NAS Aviation reaches helicopter availability goal of 16, while demand for flying hours remained high in August. ** The NAS/DynCorp/PNP aviation operations passed the INL/A ARMS inspection with satisfactory and commendable ratings. ** An Advanced Officer Tactical Training School will begin in September to train officers for jungle operations. ** Peruvian Customs found 525 kg of cocaine HCL mixed in 18 MT of guano fertilizer. ** So far this year, Peruvian Customs at Lima Airport have seized more cocaine (3 metric tons) than in all of 2006. ** NAS-supported interdiction team seizes 51 liters of opium latex in Chiclayo. ** NAS is analyzing the pros and cons of supporting the operation of container scanners in Peruvian ports. ** NAS is combating a resurgence in pro-coca ideology via an activist media program. ** NAS Money Laundering Project joined forces with OAS/CICAD to present a series of anti-money laundering programs. ** NAS instituted a top-to-bottom analysis of the Strategic Plan for Community Anti-Drug Coalitions to improve results. END SUMMARY -------------- GOP SEIZES SENDERO SUSPECTS -------------- ¶2. (C) Two Huallaga Front (Peruvian National Police/Peruvian Army) operations have captured a total of 28 Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path or SL) suspects in the past two weeks (Ref A). The most recent operation on August 25 captured 2 suspects who are believed to be bodyguards of the Upper Huallaga SL Committee capo "Artemio," as well as participants in a June ambush near Tocache that resulted in the deaths of a prosecutor and 3 police. Meanwhile on August 25-27, Sendero-type attacks occurred in illegal coca plantations in Tocache where eradication operations are ongoing; IEDs injured 3 CORAH workers. The successful Huallaga Front collaboration is a positive change and indicates government seriousness in tackling the growing nexus between the SL and narco-trafficking. President Garcia is determined not to repeat the mistakes of his previous Administration, when terrorism became a national nightmare, by confronting active Sendero remnants east of the Andes. We anticipate violent reaction in the region to the most recent arrests. -------------- -------------- CORAH UPROOTS MILLIONS OF COCA PLANTS AMID TIGHT SECURITY -------------- -------------- ¶3. (U) As of August 29, CORAH has eradicated a total of 5,480 hectares and eliminated 29,595 square meters of seedbeds of illegal coca. CORAH finished working in the La Morada area on August 22. The previous day CORAH uprooted an estimated 4,691,240 plants from 65 different fields, totaling 123.10 hectares. This figure represents a one-day record for manual eradication in the Andes, and quite possibly in the world. The three-month total, from June 1 until August 22, is 3724 hectares, more than double the total for the first 5 months of the year (Ref B). Since August 20, PNP and CORAH rotations in the field are taking place every 6 days (5 nights) in the Santa Lucia Area in order to save flight hours. During this period, DIRANDRO fielded 400 police to provide security. ¶4. (U) On August 25, CORAH started eradicating in the San Miguel sector located northwest of Santa Lucia. Operations started in this area to support USAID in ensuring that communities that signed Alternative Development agreements remain coca-free. CORAH has a history of encountering IEDs in San Miguel. So far, 3 booby traps have been found and an additional 2 exploded injuring 6 eradicators. The injuries have not been severe since the eradicators are now using protective gear. Eradication numbers are relatively low because of safety measures being taken against IEDs. -------------- -------------- HELICOPTER CRISIS ABATED, BUT STILL EXCEEDING FLYING HOURS -------------- -------------- ¶5. (U) Helicopter availability for this month reached the forecast goal of 16 helicopters by the third week in August. The additional DynCorp phase maintenance teams are processing the helicopters more rapidly than anticipated, so as the UH-2s are returned to operational status, others are brought in for phase inspection. The training efforts conducted during July to reduce the over-torques and over-powers has resulted in not having any aircraft being grounded for unscheduled maintenance in August. ¶6. (U) It is still possible that NAS still could exceed its contractual flying-hours, so each NAS program has been allocated a percentage of the remaining flight hours through October 31. Nonetheless, August flight hours were exceeded by 15 percent. One reason was the U.S. response to the 8.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated the city of Pisco and the surrounding area on August 15. Two UH-2s were deployed from Palmapampa to Pisco to assist in the GOP's disaster relief operations. The two aircraft flew 46 hours in going to/from the area and providing relief support while in Pisco. The Beechcraft 1900D also flew additional missions in support of the Embassy's earthquake relief operations. The FAP C-26 aircraft--funded by NAS-- supported the earthquake relief effort by transporting the Peruvian president and government ministers. Flight hours should decrease with September's eradication efforts being moved to a location much closer to the Santa Lucia base. -------------- NAS AVIATION ARMS INSPECTION -------------- ¶7. (U) The biennial Aircraft Resource Management Survey (ARMS) was conducted by INL/A (Air Wing) on August 20-23. INL/A Director Sharon Nell and a team of 8 inspectors visited the NAS/PNP operating bases at Pucallpa, Santa Lucia, Mazamari, and Palmapampa to determine compliance with INL/A Directives and Procedures. The overall findings of the ARMS show that the NAS/DynCorp/PNP operations are satisfactory with some areas receiving commendable ratings. -------------- -- NEW PNP OFFICER TRAINING SCHOOL IN SANTA LUCIA -------------- -- ¶8. (U) In July, Lima-based PNP Officers (i.e., of officer rank rather than enlisted personnel) assigned to DIRANDRO for rotations of 1 to 2 months in the jungle went on strike because they felt they lacked the necessary training. This insubordination was picked up by the media, resulting in negative publicity for the PNP. The incident prompted the PNP to accept NAS's recommendation to start an Advanced Officer Tactical Training School in Santa Lucia to develop a cadre of officers specially trained and equipped to operate for prolonged periods in remote areas of Peru. This NAS-funded Officer Training School will accept recent graduates of the PNP Officers Academy in Lima who volunteer to serve 2 years with DIRANDRO East of the Andes. These officers will lead some of the approximately 3,500 new police being graduated from the PNP/NAS Academies in Santa Lucia, Mazamari, and Ayacucho. Officer graduates will be given the extra incentive of preferential consideration for courses in the U.S. to broaden their leadership and operational capabilities. The first class is scheduled to start on September 8. ¶9. (U) This month DIRANDRO interdiction operations destroyed 2 cocaine HCl labs, 26 cocaine base labs, and seized 25.8 metric tons of precursor chemicals capable of producing 2.3 metric tons of cocaine HCl. During this same period, DIRANDRO fielded 400 police security support for eradication operations. -------------- -------------- COCAINE FOUND IN FERTILIZER HIGHLIGHTS PERU'S CAPABILITIES -------------- -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Based on an alert from the Manifest Review Unit (MRU) on August 20, Peruvian Customs discovered cocaine HCl mixed with powdered guano/fertilizer in an outward-bound container in Callao carrying 18 MT (720 sacks weighing 25 kg each) of the stuff. The Customs inspectors used ion-scanners (NII) and canine units to find high levels of cocaine in several sacks. The NAS-trained Peruvian chemist confirmed a total of 525 kg of cocaine HCL mixed into 21 sacks of guano. This seizure demonstrated the significant advances in the Peruvian Customs interdiction capabilities. Earlier this year, a NAS Advisor had to be on hand at the port to ensure that all interdiction components (MRU intelligence, Customs inspections with NII and/canines, and chemist support) would be coordinated and used effectively. The seizure is a milestone on the road to nationalization of Peruvian Customs seaport interdiction operations. -------------- -------------- SEIZURES AT LIMA AIRPORT ALREADY SURPASS THE 2006 TOTAL -------------- -------------- ¶11. (U) By the end of August, 3 MT of cocaine HCl had been seized at JCIA in air cargo, passenger luggage, and internal carriers ("mules"),along with 487 arrests -- 247 internal carriers and 240 individuals attempting to smuggle cocaine in luggage (Ref C). This seizure rate triples the total for 2005 (approximately 980 kg) when NAS Ports program did not provide support to Peruvian Customs and National Police units at the airport. The trend toward technical self sufficiency and nationalization of JCIA interdiction means it will be the model for three other Peruvian airports that will start receiving international passengers and cargo within the next year. ¶12. (SBU) On August 10, a passenger body x-ray machine was installed at Jorge Chavez International Airport (JCIA) in Lima as a deterrent for the large number of internal carriers who have been arrested within the last two years. This month, 162 kg of cocaine HCl was interdicted at JCIA in air cargo, luggage, internal carriers, and the Peruvian Post Office. Since the deployment of the body x-ray scanner, Peruvian Customs has screened 174 suspect passengers, catching 25 "mules" in the first 19 days since it has been operational. Currently 14 percent of screened passengers are carrying up to 1 kg of cocaine. NAS provided the equipment and the training to operate it; the screenings and seizures are handled by GOP interdiction officials at JCIA. -------------- OPIUM LATEX SEIZED IN CHICLAYO -------------- ¶13. (SBU) On August 28, in the northern port city of Chiclayo, an intelligence/interdiction unit, led by DEA and supported by NAS, seized 51 liters of opium latex. Three traffickers were arrested in Chiclayo and there more arrests are pending in Cajamarca (a poppy growing area in northern Peru). The intelligence/interdiction unit was created to provide information to the MRU in Callao and to act on interdiction alerts provided by the MRU. The intelligence that led to this particular seizure was gathered by the unit itself. -------------- -------------- NAS ANALYZING COSTS AND BENEFITS OF CONTAINER SCANNERS -------------- -------------- ¶14. (SBU) NAS is leasing three maritime container scanners and one mobile x-ray scanner. The container scanners are located at 1) the Port of Callao (nearly one million containers move through this port annually); 2) the Port of Paita (up to 80,000 containers annually, many to the U.S.); and 3) JCIA to monitor air cargo. The mobile scanner is moved to sea/airports as needed. NAS is now analyzing the counterdrug efficacy vs. costs of continuing to lease these expensive-to-operate scanners. So far, no narcotics have been detected by the scanners, but it is quite likely that fear of detection has limited the number of traffickers who are exporting via containers. Only the more technically sophisticated traffickers who have chemists working for them seem inclined to risk being scanned. For example, all the drug seizures in Peruvian seaports that have been detected using canines and NII were chemically mixed into or masked by a legal product (e.g., fish meal, herbal/vitamin supplements, pineapple juice, and fertilizer). The traffickers who are still shipping bags or bricks of cocaine are using other routes. -------------- -------------- NAS SUPPORTS OAS/CICAD TERRORIST FINANCING CONFERENCE -------------- -------------- ¶15. (U) The NAS Money Laundering Project joined forces with OAS/CICAD to present a series of anti-money laundering programs in August 2007. The two seminal events were a terrorist financing conference followed by a money-laundering investigative techniques course and mock oral trial. The terrorist financing conference brought together senior officials from Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay. Legal authorities from Spain -- Baltasar Garzon, Senior Judge (Juez Instructor de Espana) and Javier Zaragoza, Senior Prosecutor (Fiscal Jefe de la Audiencia Nacional de Espana) -- led the team of expert instructors for these events. -------------- -------------- NEWS AGENCY FIGHTS PRO-COCA IDEAS ON AIR WAVES AND INTERNET -------------- -------------- ¶16. (U) NAS is combating a resurgence in pro-coca ideology by narco-traffickers and leftist intellectuals via an activist media program. One of NAS' key activities in 2007 is the creation of a news agency, INFOREGION, that feeds news on drug trafficking, the environment, human rights, and security matters to national and provincial radio and TV stations. View at their website at www.inforegion.com.pe to learn about what's happening in Peru's provinces and how NAS is supporting efforts to influence public opinion regarding drug trafficking and associated crimes in Peru. -------------- -------------- NAS REVIEWS PERFORMANCE OF COMMUNITY ANTI-DRUG COALITIONS -------------- -------------- ¶17. (U) NAS staff instituted a top-to-bottom analysis of the Community Anti-Drug Coalition (CAC) initiative through a series of meetings with NGO leaders and evaluators. FY 2008 will be the third year of development for 6 CACs and NAS is starting 6 new CACs as well. The analysis was done to improve the CAC Strategic Plan and Logic Model by incorporating the lessons learned from the past years. Some changes are: -- focus the NGO teams in each CAC more on providing just technical assistance to improve sustainability, -- redefine project objectives to achieve more measurable results, and -- integrate the new Social Marketing and Communications Strategic Plan more effectively into CAC activities in order to rapidly increase the visibility of the CACs. McKinley