PANAMA: MAJORS LIST/CERTIFICATION FOR FY 2008

UNCLAS PANAMA 000946 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR KCRM PM SUBJECT: PANAMA: MAJORS LIST/CERTIFICATION FOR FY 2008 REF: STATE 72494 ¶1. (U) A major drug-transit country, Panama continues to be a strong ally of the U.S. in the fight against trafficking and related crimes. This cable provides key examples of our excellent bilateral law enforcement cooperation. ¶2. (U) In our FY 06 Letter of Agreement (LOA),the USG asked the Government of Panama (GOP) to increase narcotics seizures by 10 percent. Panama's cocaine seizures and arrests for FY 07 are on track to break existing records. Our excellent bilateral counternarcotics cooperation led to the largest ever maritime cocaine seizure (M/V Gatun) in March 2006. DEA provides the following FY 07 figures, through the end of May: Cocaine: 48,898 KG; Heroin: 27 KG; MDMA: 21 KG; Amphetamines: 110 tablets; Marijuana: 3,288 KG; Arrests: 297 persons; Currency/Gold: $3,708,533. This compares to the following for FY 06 (all save heroin and marijuana were well above FY 05 levels): Cocaine: 33,638 KG; Heroin: 62.65 KG; MDMA: 2,432 KG; Amphetamines: 926 tablets; Marijuana: 7,891.1 KG; Arrests: 316 persons; Currency/Gold: 12,057,528. ¶3. (SBU) The Attorney General's Office (AG) continued to provide unwavering support to USG efforts to begin our Title III (Matador) eavesdropping operation in Panama. The program, to be managed under the direct supervision of the AG and the lead drug prosecutors, promises to offer a large amount of judicialized information that can be used in drug-related prosecutions in the U.S. ¶4. (SBU) In March, the GOP replaced the largely ineffective head of the National Maritime Service (SMN, Panama's navy equivalent) with a hard-charging and dedicated director who is exploring additional avenues for bilateral maritime cooperation. The new SMN director is also undertaking a complete review of the readiness status of the existing fleet in order to make the best possible use of USG-provided resources. We expect the SMN under new leadership to play a far more effective role in maritime narcotics interdiction. ¶5. (U) In May, the AG arrested the former head of the SMN (along with several current and former top SMN officials) on charges related to illegal enrichment and drug trafficking. The arrest and commitment to prosecute is a major step in fighting official corruption in Panama. ¶6. (U) Panama continues to cooperate fully and enable the USG (in particular DEA and DHS/USCG) to transport to the U.S. third country nationals apprehended in international waters on suspicion of drug trafficking. ¶7. (U) The USG-funded Guabala checkpoint on the Pan-American Highway near the border with Costa Rica continues to seize narcotics as well as stop illegals attempting to transit Panama enroute to the U.S. DHS/CBP officers will conduct additional training for checkpoint officers later this month. In addition, officials from several Panamanian law enforcement entities participated in the annual joint training exercise called Operation Firewall with Special Agents from DHS/ICE and Officers from DHS/CBP at Tocumen International Airport for 45 days in March and August of 2006. The operation utilized specific targeting techniques to identify, seize, and investigate bulk cash smuggling (BCS) methods. ¶8. (U) DHS/ICE coordinated three-week basic investigators courses for Panamanian investigator and prosecutors at the Federal Law Enforcement Academy (FLETC). Over 40 mid-level investigators and prosecutors attended two sessions of the course, designed to develop the requisite skills of personnel assigned to key border and airport security positions. ¶9. (U) Panama's National Police (PNP) has committed more than 50 of its most senior officers to regular and continuing training under the NAS-led police modernization program, aimed at making the PNP a more efficient, transparent, and community-oriented force. The program has received excellent press attention and senior GOP officials regularly point to it as evidence of U.S. commitment to improving local public security. EATON