THE FRONT LINE IN THE CAMBODIAN DRUG STRUGGLE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 PHNOM PENH 000767 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP, INL/AAE--CHARLES BOULDIN AND KISHA TOWN BANGKOK FOR NAS--TERRY DARU, DEA--SCOTT SEELEY-HACKER, PAT CHAGNON, AND JOHN SWAIN HANOI FOR DEA--JEFFREY WANNER AND POL--PETER ECKSTROM VIENTIANE FOR NAS--CLIFF HEINZER PACOM FOR JIATF-WEST--DAVID KILBOURN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR PGOV KCRM CB SUBJECT: THE FRONT LINE IN THE CAMBODIAN DRUG STRUGGLE ¶1. (SBU) Summary: A remote location, geography conducive to evasion, and a long and poorly patrolled border with Laos make Stung Treng province Cambodia's drug smuggling hot spot, with the value of drugs smuggled estimated in the "dozens of millions" of dollars. During a May 17-19 visit to this northern region, INL Program Analyst, Poleconoff, and Polecon Assistant learned that the recent renovation of a national highway has dramatically facilitated transportation of licit and illicit goods between Laos and Cambodia, although the highway's growing reputation as a drug trafficking route has caused some smugglers to evade police by using smaller roads in neighboring provinces. Law enforcement capacity is weak, with local officials lacking the will and the equipment to patrol effectively. Rumors of police and military involvement in drug trafficking are widespread in Stung Treng but officials are reluctant to confront the issue and civil society has little specific information to confirm these suspicions. End Summary. Stung Treng: A Drug Trafficker's Dream -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Stung Treng, a remote and sparsely populated province in northern Cambodia, has long been a transit point for illicit drugs coming from Laos, leading provincial Deputy Police Commissioner On Saron to describe it as the "front line" in Cambodia's struggle against drugs. Governor Loy Sopath described drug trafficking as the province's most serious problem, estimating the value of the drugs smuggled through the province to be in the "dozens of millions" of US dollars. Stung Treng province shares a 160-mile-long border with Laos, and much of that area is sparsely forested and mountainous, making it relatively easy for would-be traffickers to pass through on foot, bicycle, or motorbike and offering many opportunities for hiding from or evading law enforcement. The Mekong River, which travels north to south across the east-west border, is filled with small islands and parallel channels, making it equally easy for traffickers to hide their movements there. ¶3. (SBU) Government officials, NGO workers, and local business owners told the State Department team that local villagers bring drugs across the border in small quantities by foot, boat, motorcycle, or bicycle, often concealed in piles of fruit or vegetables, wrapped in waterproof packets and placed within containers of liquid resin, or hidden in car tires or car frames. Once across the border, these drugs are trafficked--either in small quantities or after being consolidated into larger loads--through Cambodia into Vietnam or Thailand. ¶4. (SBU) Drugs--first heroin and now predominantly ATS--have historically traveled through Cambodia down the Mekong River and Highway 7, often stopping in Phnom Penh before being routed to Thailand or Vietnam. The recent Chinese-funded renovation of Highway 7 has transformed the section of road between Kratie (a provincial capital five hours from Phnom Penh) from a one-lane pot-holed dirt track into a smoothly paved, lightly trafficked two-lane highway which one resident expat described as "the best road in the country." The new road cuts travel time from Kratie to Stung Treng from 12-14 hours to 3 hours, making it possible to travel from Phnom Penh to Stung Treng in one day. At present, the improved road stops at Stung Treng town and anyone wanting to travel further north to the Lao border must take a ferry across the Sekong River. However, construction of a Chinese-funded bridge will be completed in July 2008, and the Chinese also plan to improve and pave the dirt road leading from Stung Treng town to the Lao border within the next year. The province is currently undertaking its own project of constructing gravel feeder roads to connect to remote communities, an effort the governor said he hoped would be finished by 2008. ¶5. (SBU) While the improvement of Highway 7 has facilitated the flow of licit and illicit goods from Laos into Cambodia, sources also report that the widespread recognition that Highway 7 and the Mekong are used for drug trafficking has pushed some traffickers to use alternate routes. Sources speculated that smaller players in particular are using new routes, while large-scale traffickers have little fear of the police and can use the far more efficient Highway 7 with relative impunity. Stung Treng Governor Loy Sopath reported PHNOM PENH 00000767 002 OF 004 that Highway 78 in Ratanakiri is gaining popularity as a new route. Several sources reported that drugs are often trafficked from Laos into the remote northeast Siem Pang district of Stung Treng province on foot, and then taken either south into Phnom Penh or west into Vietnam via Ratanakiri province. Other reported routes include: --traveling south from Stung Treng and then cutting east through Kratie and Mondulkiri provinces to enter Vietnam --traveling west from Stung Treng into Preah Vihear province and then entering Thailand through Preah Vihear, Oddar Meanchey, or Banteay Meanchey provinces Narcotics Washing Up on the Mekong's Shores -------------- ¶6. (SBU) While most of the drug busts in the province have been fairly small, two related and rather spectacular incidents illustrate that larger-scale illegal activity likely takes place. Cambodian officials report that in August 2006, Lao law enforcement authorities seized USD $940,000 that Chea Eang, a Cambodian businessman, was carrying in cash from Cambodia to Laos. Chea Heung claimed that he earned this money importing gasoline, but Cambodian authorities suspect it really came from drug smuggling. Despite these suspicions on the Cambodian side, the Lao authorities eventually returned the money to Chea Heung. Two months later, a boat transporting Chea Heung and at least seven 30-liter jerry cans filled with ATS tablets and heroin sank in the Mekong River. Chea Heung was arrested but later released by the Lao authorities; boat owner Peng Kao is reportedly in hiding. The case was never reported in the newspapers, and local villagers were reportedly very confused to find containers full of tablets and powder washing up on shore. Not realizing that they were illicit drugs, some tried to sell the contents to local pharmacies, while others turned them in to police. Law Enforcement Capability Low -------------- ¶7. (SBU) There are few drug busts in the province relative to the area's importance as a trafficking route, and most busts are made by provincial police based on tips from police informants. According to provincial Deputy Police Commissioner On Saron, the provincial police were involved in 15 drug cases in 2006, but only one so far in 2007--a decline he attributes to smugglers becoming more circumspect. Gendarmerie, military, border police, and border liaison officers all play some role in drug interdiction, but are responsible for far fewer drug busts. The border police's only drug case was the September 2004 seizure of approximately 10,000 methamphetamine tablets, and the border liaison offices' only drug case was the October 2006 arrest of one individual with 17,000 methamphetamine tablets, On Saron stated. He was unclear about the role of the gendarmerie and military in patrolling the border, but noted that they had been involved in only one drug case since 2004. ¶8. (SBU) There are two official border crossings in Stung Treng province--a land crossing at Dong Krolor and a river crossing at Chhoeu Teal Thom Island (Koh Chhoeu Teal Thom)--plus eight unofficial but commonly used trails, and myriad places for a traveler to forge his/her own path. There are a total of four Border Liaison Offices (BLOs) in the area--one each on the Lao and Cambodian sides of each of the two official border crossings. The Cambodian BLOs are each staffed by five to seven officials, including customs, border police, and immigration police. BLO officials report that they can't carry out their main duty--patrolling the area--because each office has only one boat and one motorcycle and little or no money for gas. In response to questions from Poleconoff, the officials indicated that they could patrol on foot and did so occasionally, but were unenthusiastic about the idea. ¶9. (SBU) The Cambodian border police have observation posts (remote one room wooden shacks without electricity, water, or inspection/law enforcement equipment) at the eight unofficial passages, but these are only sporadically staffed and are tasked with merely observing border crossers without inspecting or challenging them. When the Deputy Police Commander led the State Department team on a boat trip from the provincial capital to the border, the island observation PHNOM PENH 00000767 003 OF 004 post we visited was unstaffed and there were no signs of any people--law enforcement officers or civilians--within sight. ¶10. (SBU) The governor and law enforcement officials readily admit that their law enforcement capability is low and are eager for international assistance. The Deputy Police Commander was grateful for the 4Qoining police, military, and other officials received from military and DEA trainers last year during the JIATF-West sponsored training course, and would like to participate in more training. He also outlined needs for additional equipment, specifically vehicles, boats, cameras, walkie-talkies, office stationary, and x-ray machines. The BLOs appear to be slightly better equipped as the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has provided them with some equipment--including a boat and a motorcycle, walkie-talkies, a camera, and a few computers for computer based training (although one of the BLOs has no electricity), all housed in a a small wooden office/dormitory. BLO officials at one BLO checkpoint presented the State Department team with their wish list: corrugated metal (presumably to build additional facilities),a generator, a solar panel, a car, two motorcycles, six walkie talkies, two toilets, two boats, and a well. Lars Pedersen, the newly arrived head of UNODC's Phnom Penh office, said that the BLOs had been successful in facilitating communication between the Lao and Cambodian authorities on the ground, but that there had not been the increase in drug seizures that the establishment of BLOs in other countries had spurred. Persistent Rumors of Local Corruption -------------- ¶11. (SBU) NGO and local business sources said they believed reports post has heard that military and police officers have a significant role in larger scale drug smuggling, but none had direct evidence nor detailed knowledge of these operations. These sources said there were persistent rumors to this effect, and pointed to the unexplained wealth of some military and police officials as supporting evidence. One local businessman said he had heard that the police were becoming more aggressive in catching small-scale drug traffickers, a move he suggested benefited the larger-scale operations with ties to police, military, or government officials. ¶12. (SBU) Government officials admitted that there may be some corruption, but downplayed its importance and avoided discussing the topic at length. The Deputy Police Commissioner described two recent cases involving local officials: an outstanding arrest warrant for a police officer believed to have been smuggling more than 1700 methamphetamine tablets, and one police officer and one military official who were jailed for two months for possessing 400 grams of crystal methamphetamine but were later released when the sample inexplicably tested negative for narcotics at the NACD drug laboratory. The Governor suggested rotating border liaison officials frequently to discourage the development of criminal collaboration with local smugglers, and evaded a question about what should be done to target the big players controlling drug trafficking in the province. Comment -------------- ¶13. (SBU) It's no wonder Stung Treng has long been a favored spot for drug trafficking: its remote location, sparsely distributed and poor population, and maze-like forests and waterways make it a narcotics smuggler's dream. While the governor and law enforcement officials rightly claimed that their operations are hampered by lack of equipment and funding, lack of political will and corruption are likely more fundamental problems. The enthusiasm Border Liaison Officers displayed in discussing the need for equipment to conduct motorcycle and boat patrols dissipated once the conversation turned to their infrequent foot patrols, which could be done with equipment they possess now. Similarly, government officials stuck strictly to talking about small time drug traffickers, ignoring the larger players that are likely carrying the majority of drugs and that some have suggested have connections to the local political and military elite. With a small Pol/Econ section (which will lose an officer for 2007-8) and no INL budget, post's efforts PHNOM PENH 00000767 004 OF 004 to encourage better law enforcement in the region are currently limited to annual JIATF-West training sessions. However, post is encouraged by INL's increasing engagement in Cambodia and believes that this will be a fertile area for work if INL's FY09 budget request for Cambodia can be supported within a larger foreign assistance envelope for FY09. MUSSOMELI