LEBANON: DRUG ERADICATION HALTED IN 2006 HAS NOT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 001423

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ELA, NEA/PI
ALSO FOR IO ACTING A/S HOOK AND PDAS WARLICK
P FOR DRUSSELL AND RRANGASWAMY
USUN FOR KHALILZAD/WOLFF/SCHEDLBAUER
NSC FOR ABRAMS/YERGER/MCDERMOTT/RAMCHAND
AID/ME FOR LAUDATO/BEVER/SCOTT
INL FOR DJOHNSON AND ABLOOMQUIST

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/29/2018
TAGS: PREL SNAR PTER PINR EAID SOCI UNSC NAS SY LE
SUBJECT: LEBANON: DRUG ERADICATION HALTED IN 2006 HAS NOT
RESUMED

REF: BEIRUT 1389

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. William Grant for reasons 1.4 (b)
and (d).

SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) The Internal Security Forces' (ISF) Counternarcotics
Chief said the ISF had to halt its drug eradication efforts
in the Bekaa valley agricultural region in 2006 because of
the war with Israel and the program has not resumed because
police and military personnel were needed to deal with
violence elsewhere in both 2007 and 2008. The ISF cannot
carry out eradication without security assistance from the
Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). A resident of a a village in
the Bekaa Valley known for hashish production said that, in
previous programs, authorities only eradicated hashish crops
that could be seen from the highway and chose not to bother
fields that remained out of sight from the main roadway. He
said that that Hizballah members in his town grow hashish,
but only for their own personnel income. He added that
Hizballah turns a blind eye to the drug trade in the Bekaa
and south Lebanon because it does not want to alienate its
supporters who engage in drug production and smuggling. End
Summary.

LAF AND ISF WORK TO
ERADICATE DRUG CULTIVATION
--------------


2. (C) In a September 23 meeting with Embassy INL program
director, Michel Chakkour, head of the Internal Security
Force's (ISF) Counternarcotics Unit, discussed a number of
issues related to the GOL's now-halted counternarcotics
operations in Lebanon. He said that the ISF and the Lebanese
Armed Forces (LAF) were able to go into a number of areas in
the Bekaa agricultural region to perform hashish and opium
eradication operations before the 2006 War with Israel.
However, the LAF and ISF were unable to work in 2006 because
of the war and operations could not take place in 2007 due to
the use of LAF resources in the battle with Fatah al-Islam
terrorists near the northern city of Tripoli, at the Nahr
al-Barid Palestinian Refugee camp.


3. (C) Chakkour noted that the ISF could only eradicate
illegal hashish and opium fields with the help of the LAF due
to a lack of sufficient ISF manpower and resources. The LAF
provided security to ISF teams performing the actual
eradication operation, and the ISF would not go into these
areas without LAF protection, Chakkour said.


4. (C) Chakkour added that the ISF wanted to start up
operations again in 2008, but could not due to the on-going
violence in the northern city of Tripoli and a diversion of
LAF and ISF resources to stop the fighting there. In
addition, the LAF and ISF are not ready to confront heavily
armed hashish and opium traffickers. The ISF was warned by
residents of drug cultivating regions that it would face
serious opposition from villagers and farmers if it tried to
restart counternarcotic operations in the area. He claimed,
however, that the LAF is ready to stop drug smuggling across
Lebanon's borders if it occurs.

LAF AND ISF NOT SUCCESSFUL IN
THEIR ERADICATION PROGRAM
--------------


5. (C) In a September 24 meeting with PolOff, Mohammad
Chreif, a resident of the village of Yammouneh, (a village in
the Bekaa famous for growing hashish),and son-in-law of its
mayor, said that in the past, the LAF and ISF would only go
to a few villages where hashish and opium could be seen
growing from the highways. The LAF and ISF would destroy

BEIRUT 00001423 002 OF 002


only the visible crops, leaving most fields out of sight from
the highway untouched. Chreif noted that the LAF and ISF
tried to enter Yammouneh in 2005 to do some eradication and
the villagers attacked the LAF and ISF personnel, injuring
several officers.

UN PROGRAM
A FAILURE
--------------


6. (C) Chreif added that the UN's Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) had a program in Lebanon from 1995 - 1999
as part of a GOL eradication program, with the use of
international donor assistance, for the Bekaa region
(reftel). The FAO spent approximately $22 million on the
program, which was a total disaster, according to Chreif.
Most of the money was wasted or stolen, and Chreif said that
several UN employees were able to build personal villas using
the FAO funds. In addition, the FAO chose unprofitable
alternative crops for the farmers to grow, such as potatoes,
apples, and oak trees, which motivated many farmers to opt
out of participating in the program.

NOW IS THE TIME TO START
CROP SUBSTITUTION PROGRAM
--------------


7. (C) Chreif argued that now is the time to try a crop
substitution program. Hashish has lost its value. Farmers
are losing money and looking to grow alternative crops,
according to Chreif. He said two to three years ago, farmers
would earn $1,000 per kilo for hashish, but now only earn
$100. Chreif attributed the lost earnings to basic
economics, noting that when the price was high many farmers
turned to growing hashish. Now that supply has increased,
demand has gone down causing the price to drop. He plans to
meet with Agriculture Minister Elie Skaff to discuss a plan
he and his father-in-law, the mayor, are currently working on
to substitute industrial hemp production for hashish
cultivation.


8. (C) Chreif added that the real profiteers from the drug
trade in Lebanon are the few exporters who have a monopoly
over the business and have been able to set high mark-up
prices for themselves. He said the exporters smuggle the
drugs in tires on ships to Egypt and Europe. Currently, only
small farmers are being arrested, while the huge exporters
continue to operate with few legal ramifications.

HIZBALLAH TURNS BLIND EYE TO
DRUG TRADE IN BEKAA AND SOUTH
--------------


9. (C) Chreif acknowledged that some Hizballah members in
Yammouneh were growing hashish. Chreif said Hizballah has
turned a blind eye to the drug trade in the Bekaa because it
wants to avoid losing popular support by confronting the
powerful tribes and farmers who live in the area and
cultivate the drug. Chreif also said the Hizballah is
allowing hashish to be transported from the Bekaa to the
south, and on to Israel. Hizballah allows this trade to
occur because its supporters gain money from the business.
While the drug trade is an important source of income for
Hizballah, Chreif said they actually earn more money from
selling fuel (from Iran) on the black market.
GRANT