NAS MONTHLY REPORT, DECEMBER 2006

UNCLAS LIMA 000034 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR INL/LP STATE FOR WHA/PPC ONDCP FOR LT COL RONALD GARNER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR KCRM ASEC PREL PE SUBJECT: NAS MONTHLY REPORT, DECEMBER 2006 REF: LIMA 4766 -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (U) The key developments in November 2006: ** CORAH ended the year with a total of 10,137 hectares of coca leaf eradicated. ** The GOP's 2007 Eradication Plan is still awaiting a final signature. ** CORAH completes many financial and management improvements this year. ** Regional eradication-alternative development seminar in Lima hailed as success. ** ICT is developing a marketing plan to achieve sustainability. ** Third police "pre-academy" opens with 179 students. ** Narco-terrorist ambush kills 8, including 5 police. ** Nine UH-2 pilots graduated at Pucallpa--one more step toward nationalization of CN efforts. ** NAS-funded ports programs seized 2.1 metric tons of cocaine HCL in 2006, which is more than double the amount seized last year. END SUMMARY -------------- CORAH EXCEEDS ANNUAL GOAL OF 10,000 HECTARES -------------- ¶2. (U) CORAH ended the year with a total of 10,136.58 hectares of coca eradicated, mainly in the San Martin Department. Using the Cocaine Production Averted (CPA) formula, CORAH operations avoided the production of 34 metric tons of cocaine HCl. CORAH also eliminated 36,195 square meters of seedbeds that would have become an additional 2,413 hectares of new coca plots. The 2007 Eradication Plan has been submitted to the Minister of Interior and is awaiting her signature. ¶3. (U) From November 28 through December 15, CORAH worked with a limited workforce since only 60 police personnel returned to the field after their election-security assignments. This meant that CORAH did not stay in the field overnight, making operations less efficient and thereby more costly. CORAH is standing down for the holidays and is planning to restart operations on January 8 depending on the weather (it is the rainy season). -------------- -------------- CORAH ADMINISTRATION REVIEWED AND IMPROVED IN 2006 -------------- -------------- ¶4. (U) During the year, NAS did financial and management audits of CORAH with the goal of identifying areas for improvement and cost savings. Below are some of the results of this administrative review: -- The Administrative Procedure Manuals were completely revised. -- A computerized, integrated, administration system has been installed and tested. -- The 2007 Eradication Plan will include much needed training for all personnel. -- NAS is providing management training material and guidance to managers. -- CORAH's 2007 audit plan has been approved. -------------- REGIONAL CN SEMINAR HAILED AS A SUCCESS -------------- ¶5. (U) An eradication-alternative development seminar was held in Lima on December 5-6. Joint NAS-USAID delegations came from Colombia, Bolivia, and Ecuador (a delegation from Afghanistan had to cancel at the last minute) as well as representatives of INL/LP, USAID-Washington, and ONDCP. The discussions focused on the positive results that come about when alternative development programs and eradication operations are coordinated. Results included each country team identifying some next steps to implement, a commitment to pursue an integrated communications campaign, and a determination to share expertise through visits from country to country. Many participants commented on the usefulness of the seminar. -------------- -------------- ICT STILL IMPROVING CPA; NOW DEVELOPING MARKETING PLAN -------------- -------------- ¶6. (U) The Institute for Tropical Crops (ICT) was in the field in mid-December collecting final coca-plant data for the year to include in the CPA Formula in order to make the 2006 estimate as precise as possible. ICT, CADA, and CORAH also tested their different methodologies for measuring plant density per hectare. The results will be ready soon. In addition, ICT is analyzing whether their budget for 2007 should be modified to allocate more funding for developing and implementing a marketing plan. It is important to start implementation in 2007 if ICT is to become sustainable within five years. -------------- -------------- WEATHER SLOWS INTERDICTION; 3RD PRE-ACADEMY STARTS -------------- -------------- ¶7. (U) Heavy rain and serious flooding in the Huallaga and the VRAE slowed interdiction operations in December. The third of three police pre-academies opened in Ayacucho this month with 179 students. ¶8. (U) According to data from DIRANDRO, the totals for interdiction operations in 2006 are: -- 713 cocaine-base laboratories destroyed; -- 11 cocaine HCl laboratories destroyed; -- 5.1 tons of cocaine base seized; -- 14.6 tons of cocaine HCl seized; -- 203.5 tons of precursor chemicals destroyed; -- 490 tons of coca leaf destroyed. -------------- NARCO-TERRORIST AMBUSH IN VRAE KILLS EIGHT -------------- ¶9. (SBU) On December 16, eight people were ambushed and killed by a group of about 20 suspected narco-terrorists using automatic weapons. Five police officers and two inspectors from the national parastatal that regulates the legal coca market (ENACO) were killed when their vehicle was ambushed; a civilian bystander was also killed. The attack took place in the jungle region in the Ene and Apurimac River Valley (VRAE). Two days later after a jungle pursuit, a military patrol captured eight suspects with weapons allegedly used in the attack; other fugitives remain at large. The ambush was similar to the December 2005 Sendero Luminoso (SL) attack killing five police in the VRAE. Police speculate that the perpetrators of the recent attack were SL remnants acting on behalf of narcotraffickers (see reftel). Four UH-2s were used to transport reinforcements to the scene and medevac the victims. -------------- NINE NEW PERUVIAN PILOTS TRAINED ON UH-2S -------------- ¶10. (U) On December 7, nine Peruvian pilots graduated from the first UH-2 helicopter qualification course taught, in part, by Peruvian Air Police instructor pilots (IPs). The training was done at the NAS base at Pucallpa. The commander of the PNP Air Police, General Daniel De La Flor and NAS Deputy Director Garace Reynard presided over the ceremony. In CY 2007, additional Peruvian IPs will soon be trained at Pucallpa so that the PNP will be able to train its own pilots. New pilots will continue to receive initial rotary-wing training in the U.S., but they will be trained on the new UH-2s in Pucallpa. NAS is moving toward nationalization without lowering the standards in pilot qualification and safety. ¶11. (U) When eradication operations halted on December 15, the UH-2s were moved to Pucallpa for intensive maintenance. The contractor used the holiday hiatus to prepare the helicopters for operations in 2007. Also, night-vision goggle (NVG) training was completed by flight crews during this period. -------------- -------------- PORTS PROGRAM: COCAINE SEIZURES UP 100 PERCENT OVER 2005 -------------- -------------- ¶12. (SBU) The NAS-funded ports programs seized 2.1 metric tons of cocaine HCL in 2006, which is more than double the amount seized last year. This month seizures netted 399 kg of cocaine HCL. The Customs and Airport Police at Jorge Chavez International Airport (Lima) seized 122 kg from travelers and cargo shipments. ¶13. (SBU) On December 7 with information from the NAS/DEA-sponsored Manifest Review Unit (MRU),the Peruvian Customs seized of 52.54 kg in a maritime container scheduled to leave the Port of Callao in the ship "Parana". In addition, the MRU sent an international alert that led to the seizure of 190 kg of cocaine in a maritime container on Dec 20 in Freeport, Bahamas. ¶14. (SBU) On December 23, NAS Ports personnel were told about 34.7 kg of cocaine HCl that had spilled from a garbage dumpster when it was accidentally struck by a truck moving cargo at Pier 2, Port of Callao. Apparently, the cocaine was pre-staged for loading on one of the two ships docked at the pier. NAS Ports Program is urging Peruvian Customs to restart the spot checks of cargo and containers at pier side prior to loading on ships in addition to the on-going container scanner operations. The spot checks are designed to prevent the last-minute insertion of drugs into cargo/containers and to prevent traffickers from passing cocaine to crew members just prior to a ship's departure. STRUBLE