US-COSTA RICA PARTNERSHIP AGAINST NARCOTRAFFICKERS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SAN JOSE 001682

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR WHA/CEN AND INL/LP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/09/2017
TAGS: PINR PREL PTER SNAR XK CS
SUBJECT: US-COSTA RICA PARTNERSHIP AGAINST NARCOTRAFFICKERS
BRINGS RESULTS; HIGHLIGHTS NEEDS

Classified By: DCM Peter Brennan per 1.5 (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: Close bilateral cooperation and improved
intra-GOCR coordination yielded impressive counter narcotics
successes since early July. Joint USG-GOCR efforts
intercepted four go-fast boats and forced a fifth to turn
back towards Panama. Ashore, a probable fuel depot for
go-fasts and two cocaine caches were discovered. Since
January 1, the GOCR has tallied over 28 MT of narcotics
seized, plus USD 3 million in cash. While these operations
have underscored the continued willingness of the Costa Rican
air unit and coast guard to &get out there8 against
traffickers, they have also highlighted serious deficiencies
in coast guard equipment and readiness. New coast guard
commander Martin Arias may help, but his past record is not
spotless. END SUMMARY.

RIDE-ALONG PROGRAM PROVES EFFECTIVE
===================================


2. (SBU) The recent GOCR successes can be attributed to three
factors: 1) the bilateral ride-along program, which places
Costa Rica Coast Guard (CRCG) personnel aboard US vessels to
accompany USCG law enforcement teams; 2) better Costa Rican
surveillance practices; and 3) better communication among the
multiple law enforcement agencies involved. The combination
has led to earlier detection of vessels suspected of drug
smuggling (go-fast boats),the capture of their crews, and
the seizure of a substantial amount of drugs. So far this
year, nearly twenty-eight metric tons of cocaine have been
seized by Costa Ricans, or in joint GOCR-USG actions.

HOT PURSUITS NET DRUG LADEN GO-FAST BOATS
==========================================


3. (SBU) On July 9, the USCG and CRCG combined forces to
pursue and intercept two go fast boats which had been
detected earlier by a US aircraft. One boat and its contents
were torched by its crew, and it sank with an estimated one
metric ton of cocaine off Puntarenas, on the Pacific coast.
The three-member Colombian crew was plucked from the water by
a USCG helicopter and subsequently handed over to GOCR Public
Security officers. The three were held for deportation on
immigration violations as the depth of the water prevented
the recovery of any evidence for prosecution purposes. The
second boat was abandoned at the beach and its crew fled on
foot. Public Security forces secured the boat and its
illegal cargo (970 kilograms of cocaine) and through
subsequent investigation managed to locate two suspected crew
members, now accused of drug trafficking.


4. (SBU) On July 20, the USCG located a third go-fast boat
off the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Upon noticing
they have been detected, the crew turned the boat around and
fled toward Panama, where USCG lost contact with the vessel.
On July 23, a fourth go-fast was apprehended with a three-man
crew, all Colombians, who were arrested. Their boat contained
one ton of cocaine and was suspected to have been en route to
unload its cargo somewhere in the region, most likely
Guatemala, by utilizing re-fueling depots along the Costa
Rican and Nicaraguan coasts.


5. (SBU) On August 26, a helicopter from the frigate USS
Halyburton, located a fifth go-fast along the Northern
Pacific coast, near Playa Flamingo in Guanacaste. When the
boat crew realized they had been spotted, they started to
jettison their cargo of approximately 135 bales of cocaine,
then turned toward shore. Once on the beach, the crew burned
the boat and fled on foot. This has become standard practice
for many go-fast crews facing capture in Costa Rican waters.
CRGC and police personnel eventually located and arrested the
escaped traffickers -- five Colombians now in preventive
detention pending charges. A CRCG boat also proceeded to the
area where the narcotics had been thrown overboard, in an
effort to recover the cargo.

SEARCH AND SEIZURE ALMOST BECOMES SEARCH AND RESCUE
=============================================


6. (SBU) The CRCG search for the floating drugs almost became
a search and rescue. Lacking appropriate communications and
navigation equipment, the Costa Rican launch was soon off
course and out of touch. The U.S. aircraft which had helped
hunt down the go-fast had to return to the vicinity to find
the lost CRCG vessel. After a three-hour search, the boat
was found and guided safely home, but the story could have
easily had a not-so-happy ending, all for the lack of

equipment as basic as a marine radio and a GPS unit. The
CRCG vessel was able to recover six bales of cocaine with a
total weight of 120 kilos. Subsequent search of the area by
the Halyburton recovered an additional 26 bales, bringing the
total seizure to 640 kilos.

INCREASED OPTEMPO HIGHLIGHTS NEEDS
==================================


7. (SBU) The August 26-27 go-fast operation highlighted the
limitations and poor state of the CRCG. The few vessels they
have are often inoperative due to poor maintenance, lack of
funding for spare parts and fuel, and other budgetary
constraints. Of six ex-USCG patrol boats in the inventory,
only two are operable at the moment. Smaller launches, like
the wayward vessel described above, not only lack basic
communication and navigation equipment, but also basic
rescue/emergency equipment (e.g., emergency flare guns,
survival rations, etc.) Despite these limitations, CRCG
crews do their best with what they have and spare no efforts
to conduct patrols. They will not be able to do so much
longer, however, without proper equipment and maintenance.

NEW LEADERSHIP MAY MAKE A DIFFERENCE
====================================


8. (C) Long aware that the CRCG lacked strong operational
leadership, and in light of the coast guard problems revealed
in August, Minister of Public Security Berrocal named Martin
Arias as Coast Guard Commander on August 30. Arias is a
career CRCG officer recognized for his experience in maritime
operations. This is a needed contrast to his predecessor,
Carlos Alvarado, a maritime lawyer. However, Arias,s record
is not perfect. Confirmed GOCR intelligence and OIJ reports
indicate that he probably diverted fuel and spare parts for
resale during his tenure as commander of the CRCG base in
Puntarenas. This "open secret" within the coast guard was
not enough to prevent Berrocal from naming Arias (or from
charging him with any crime),but it may limit the latter,s
ability to run the CRCG in a transparent, efficient manner.

OTHER INVESTIGATIONS, OTHER SEIZURES
====================================


9. (SBU) The weekend of August 4, in an investigation based
on intelligence information, officers of the Public Security
forces discovered an encampment in Playa Matapalo,
Puntarenas, in the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The
encampment was evidently used as a fuel depot where go-fast
boats could stop on their way north, enabling them to carry a
heavier payload. Forty-nine 50-gallon drums were located,
twenty-five of them still filled with fuel. As part of the
same investigation, Public Security forces raided a house in
the same region on August 7, where two metric tons of cocaine
were discovered. Three Colombian citizens were arrested and
the investigation continues.


10. (SBU) In one more case, investigations by the Judicial
Police (OIJ) resulted in the seizure of a trailer that
contained 1,200 kilos of cocaine in the area of Goicoechea in
the Central Valley September 1. This investigation started
five months ago. Five more Colombians were arrested.


11. (SBU) Close cooperation between US agencies and GOCR law
enforcement agencies has been key to these anti-narcotics
successes, but so also improved GOCR inter-agency cooperation
and heightened security force vigilance, not only against
drug trafficking, but also money laundering. This year alone
the GOCR has seized nearly three million USD in cash; the
most significant seizure occurred on July 20 when OIJ agents
found USD 2.4 million in cash stashed in two suitcases in a
tractor-trailer entering from Nicaragua. On July 22, another
USD 75,000 was found, again at the Nicaragua-Costa Rica
border, hidden in the cab lining of a semi tractor.

COMMENT
=======


12. (C) Although we could not block Arias,s selection to run
the CRCG, we will lay down a marker with Berrocal that his
new commander bears close watching. With the CRCG as one of
the centerpieces of the GOCR,s recent CN success, and with
assistance to the CRCG factored into our FY2008 and FY2009
planning, Berrocal cannot afford to have the wrong man in
charge. Meanwhile, the GOCR,s overall CN successes
highlight the continued importance of our Bilateral Maritime
Agreement, and the benefits of close international and

inter-agency cooperation, at sea or ashore. We will continue
to encourage the Costa Ricans to play to those strengths.
LANGDALE