EL SALVADOR: DRAFT 2007-2008 INTERNATIONAL

UNCLAS SAN SALVADOR 002228 SIPDIS SIPDIS INL/LP FOR AMARTIN; WHA/CEN FOR HTHOMPSON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ES SNAR SUBJECT: EL SALVADOR: DRAFT 2007-2008 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY REPORT (INCSR) PART ONE, DRUGS AND CHEMICAL CONTROL REF: SECSTATE 136787 ¶1. (U) The following is El Salvador's draft 2007-2008 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR),Part One, Drugs and Chemical control. Draft INCSR is submitted in compliance with instructions contained in reftel. ¶2. (U) Begin draft text: 2007-2008 INCSR Part One: Drugs and Chemical Control El Salvador ¶I. Summary El Salvador is a transit country for cocaine and heroin. Illicit narcotics originating in South America are smuggled over land and by sea to the United States via Mexico. In 2007, the National Police (PNC) seized 261 kg of marijuana and 4065 kg of cocaine. While El Salvador is not a major financial center, in 2007 the government seized USD 1,437,448 worth of assets stemming from drug-related crime. El Salvador is party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention. II. Status of Country El Salvador sits astride Eastern Pacific smuggling routes for cocaine and heroin, and also serves as a transit point for narcotics moving over land and via maritime routes towards Mexico and the United States. El Salvador hosts a Forward Operating Location crucial to regional narcotics trafficking detection and interception efforts. Transnational street gangs, including MS-13 and M-18, are major threats to public security in El Salvador. Although transnational street gangs are not thought to be major narcotics trafficking organizations, they are apparently involved in street level drug sales. Neither precursor chemical production and transit nor illicit trading in bulk ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are significant problems in El Salvador, although indicators suggest that some diversion of these substances has been attempted. III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 2007 Policy Initiatives. In 2007 the government of El Salvador (GOES) targeted maritime trafficking along Central America's Pacific coastline and overland transit routes, as well as narcotics-related money laundering operations. The Anti-Narcotics Division (DAN) of the National Civilian Police (PNC) focused on overland transportation, commercial air, package delivery services, and maritime transportation in the Gulf of Fonseca. The Financial Investigative Unit (FIU) of the Attorney General's office monitored suspicious financial activity and investigated suspected instances of money laundering and associated financial crime. Accomplishments. GOES accomplishments in 2007 illustrate El Salvador,s strong commitment to the objectives of the 1988 UN Drug Convention. Salvadoran customs and law enforcement entities stationed at El Amatillo border crossing used the USG-supported Containerized Freight Tracking System (CFTS) to inspect commercial and passenger vehicles arriving from Honduras. Salvadoran police at El Amatillo used the CFTS to inspect 12,053 commercial freight trucks, 10,942 passenger buses, and 9,569 passenger vehicles. These inspections yielded 1.3 kg of seized cocaine, as well as the arrests of 26 individuals for trafficking offenses. Overall in 2007, the National Civilian Police (PNC) seized a total of 261 kg of marijuana and 4065 kg of cocaine. Law Enforcement Efforts. In 2007, GOES anti-narcotics efforts focused on priority law enforcement targets of mutual interest to both the United States and El Salvador. Salvadoran police investigators and prosecutors shared law enforcement intelligence and coordinated operations with USG counterparts. The GOES fielded a special organized crime unit featuring embedded prosecutors and police investigators, and also undertook measures to increase cooperation between prosecutors and the police. The National Civilian Police (PNC) Anti-Narcotics Division (DAN),while competent and proactive, is nonetheless hampered by funding shortfalls and legal impediments against wiretapping. In cooperation with the FBI and the State Department Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL),in October 2007 the PNC stood up the Transnational Anti-gang Unit (TAG),a major initiative which promises to focus Salvadoran and U.S. law enforcement resources, expertise, and operational capacity against a wide range of gang activity, to include street-level narcotics distribution and related violence. Corruption. The GOES does not as a matter of policy encourage or facilitate illicit production or distribution of narcotics, psychotropic drugs, or other controlled substances, nor does it launder proceeds from illegal drug transactions. No senior Salvadoran government officials are known to engage in, encourage, or facilitate the illicit production or distribution of drugs, nor the laundering of proceeds from illicit drug transactions. Salvadoran law severely penalizes abuse of an official position in relation to the commission of a drug offense, including accepting or receiving money or other benefits in exchange for an act of commission or omission relating to official duties. The PNC,s Internal Affairs Unit and the Attorney General's Office investigate and prosecute GOES officials for corruption and abuse of authority. El Salvador is a party to the Inter-American Convention against Corruption. Consistent with the country's obligations under that Convention, the law criminalizes soliciting, receiving, offering, promising, and giving bribes, as well as the illicit use and concealment of property derived from such activity. El Salvador is also a party to the UN Convention against Corruption. Agreements and Treaties. El Salvador is a party to the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances; the 1961 UN Single Convention as amended by the 1972 Protocol; the Central American convention for the Prevention of Money Laundering Related to Drug-Trafficking and Similar Crimes; the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its three protocols, and the 1988 UN Drug Convention. The current extradition treaty between the United States and El Salvador, which dates back to 1911, does not provide a workable extradition regime. El Salvador,s constitutional prohibition of life imprisonment has proven to be an obstacle to successfully negotiating a new bilateral extradition treaty. Narcotics offenses are, however, included as extraditable crimes by virtue of El Salvador,s ratification of the 1988 UN Drug Convention. Cultivation/Production. Local growers cultivate small quantities of marijuana in the mountainous regions along the border with Guatemala and Honduras. The marijuana crops, reportedly of very low quality, are intended exclusively for domestic consumption. There is no evidence of coca or poppy cultivation. Drug Flow/Transit. Heroin and cocaine are smuggled through the Eastern Pacific approaches along El Salvador,s coastline. Traffickers using go-fast boats and commercial vessels smuggle narcotics through adjacent international and Salvadoran waters. Cocaine and heroin from Colombia are typically smuggled over land through El Salvador on the Pan-American Highway. Most drugs transiting over land are carried in the luggage of commercial bus passengers and in hidden compartments inside commercial tractor-trailers traveling north to Guatemala. Domestic Programs (Demand Reduction). Several government agencies implement GOES demand reduction programs. The Ministry of Education provides lifestyle and drug prevention courses in public schools, and also sponsors after-school activities. The PNC operates a D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program modeled on the U.S. program. The Ministries of Governance and Transportation have units that advocate drug-free lifestyles. The Public Security Council (Consejo Nacional de Seguridad Publica) promotes gang member demobilization, and actively sponsors substance abuse prevention outreach towards El Salvador,s gang population. The USG-supported Salvadoran NGO FundaSalva works with the GOES to provide substance abuse awareness, counseling, rehabilitation, and reinsertion services to the public. In 2007, FundaSalva provided demand reduction outreach to 3,450 individuals, as well as addiction treatment to 367 patients. EL Salvador also has numerous local faith-based demand reduction programs, as well as counseling programs administered by recovering addicts. IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs Policy Initiatives. The primary focus of U.S. assistance is increasing the operational capacity of Salvadoran law enforcement agencies to interdict illicit narcotics shipments, and to combat narcotics-related money laundering, financial crime, and public corruption. Promoting transparency, efficiency, and institutional respect for human and civil rights within both Salvadoran law enforcement organizations and the criminal justice system are also at the forefront of the U.S. assistance agenda. U.S. efforts to combat transnational gangs also help to mitigate the corrosive impact of street-level drug sales, narcotics consumption, and related violence. Cooperative ventures by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and INL to provide the GOES with an automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS),as well as the placement of an INL-funded Regional Gang Advisor in San Salvador, will significantly enhance Salvadoran investigative and prosecutorial capacity. Bilateral Cooperation. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) San Salvador Country Office works closely with the PNC Anti-narcotics Division (DAN). The U.S. provided funding for operational support to the joint DEA and PNC DAN high profile crimes unit (GEAN),as well as training and logistical assistance to various DAN entities. The DEA and INL country office also regularly coordinate with the PNC financial crime unit and the federal prosecutor's Financial Investigation Unit (FIU),and are working to establish stronger ties to federal banking regulators and the local banking association regarding issues relating to drug trafficking and money laundering. The United States also funded training and travel related to airport security, money laundering, maritime boarding operations, and anti-gang measures. Other regional and in-country USG assets, to include the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA),and, where appropriate, U.S. military and Coast Guard personnel, provide training, assistance, and logistical support to Salvadoran counterparts. The Transnational Anti-gang Unit (TAG),a joint unit operated by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the PNC, focuses bilateral and regional resources against a wide range of criminal offenses committed by transnational street gangs. The TAG, in cloe coordination with DEA, monitors transnational treet gang activity related to illicit narcotics Road Ahead. The United States will continue toprovide training and support to Salvadoran law eforcement institutions. Increasing the capacity of Salvadoran law enforcement entities to gather,analyze, and disseminate intelligence will in tun enhance operational and investigative capacity and, in conjunction with increased prosecutorial capacity, result in a greater number of criminal convictions. Further integration of police and prosecutorial activity, assisted by automated fingerprint analysis and computerized database sharing (i.e. AFIS),will significantly increase GOES ability to solve crimes and, most importantly, try, convict, and incarcerate dangerous criminals. Additional information sharing information amongst law enforcement and financial institutions will also facilitate more effective trafficking, money laundering, and financial crime investigations. The recent establishment of the joint FBI-PNC Transnational Anti-gang Unit (TAG),as well as the pending arrival of an INL Regional Gang Advisor, will enable El Salvador to stand at the forefront of regional anti-crime efforts. ¶3. (U) End draft text. ¶4. (U) Mission point of contact for the 2007-2008 INCSR report is INL Program Officer Anthony K. Stapleton, stapletonak@state.gov, (503) 2501-2040. Glazer