K-9 DRUG OFFICER SPEAKS UP ABOUT NARCOTICS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CONAKRY 000329

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/30/2018
TAGS: PGOV NARC ASEC KDEM GV
SUBJECT: K-9 DRUG OFFICER SPEAKS UP ABOUT NARCOTICS
CORRUPTION AND VIOLENCE AGAINST POLICE

REF: CONAKRY 0184

Classified By: A/DCM SHANNON CAZEAU FOR REASON 1.4 B AND D



1. (C) SUMMARY. A K-9 officer within Guinea's anti-drug unit shares
his
insights regarding narcotics-related corruption and the recent, violent
stand-off between the police and the military. Contact said that there
are least 13 confirmed deaths resulting from the violence, and likely
more
unconfirmed casualties. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) Poloff and RSO met with a new police contact on June 25 to
discuss
the recent police strike that resulted in a violent stand-off with the
military. Contact is a police commissioner in charge of the K-9 unit
within Guinea's Anti-Drug unit (OCAD). He said he was interested in
speaking with the Embassy because he was present when Ambassador Carter
attended a recent ceremony during which the GoG allegedly incinerated
cocaine (reftel). Contact added that he knows the U.S. Government is
interested in combating drug trafficking issues, and he is frustrated
with
the level of corruption within OCAD.


3. (C) When asked about last week's police strike that resulted in
violence, Contact said that as soon as he heard about the strike
started
by the CMIS police on June 16, he decided to stay home. He said he has
not been back to work since the strike began, but received reports of
what
was going on via telephone calls from colleagues. Contact added that
he
told his colleagues at OCAD that they should also go home because he
expected the military to raid their offices in search of seized
narcotics. (COMMENT. The military did raid OCAD the afternoon of June

17. END COMMENT).


4. (C) Contact commented that about ten minutes before the military
attacked OCAD, the Director General of OCAD's daughter, who is also a
police officer, came to her father's office to clear out any drugs and
money kept on the premises. According to contact, the fact that the
daughter came just before the military did suggests that she had inside
information regarding the raid.


5. (C) Regarding the total number of casualties resulting from the
violence, Contact said that he was aware of at least 13 confirmed
deaths
on the police side, but said there might be as many as 19 deaths. He
said
that it has been difficult to get an accurate total because a number of
police officers are missing or otherwise unaccounted for. Contact
added
that he knew of a case of one police officer who had been intentionally
searched out by military officers and then beaten to death.


6. (C) In response to a question about possible negotiations between
the
police and the Government of Guinea (GoG),Contact said that the police
had established a "commission" of representatives that was proceeding
with
negotiations. He said that no agreement had been reached, but that the
GoG is expected to offer permanent employment to 654 police
contractors.
These contractors had originally been told that they had to receive
formal
training before they could be offered permanent employment, but Contact
said that the GoG had decided to waive the training requirement in
order
to "calm the situation." Contact added that the GoG had agreed to some
rank promotions, but there was no indication of an agreement on
salaries.


7. (C) Returning to drug trafficking issues, Contact said that most of
the officers working at OCAD, especially senior officers, are involved
in
narcotics-related corruption. He said he was embarrassed that the GoG
refused to provide a cocaine sample to Ambassador Carter during the
recent
incineration ceremony, stressing that the fact that the GoG refused
suggests that the burned powder was not actually cocaine. "It was
manioc," he said; "it did not burn the way cocaine should burn."
Contact
added that the handful of OCAD police officers who are actually
interested

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in combating narcotics trafficking are threatened by senior police
officials seeking to maintain the system of corruption. He said that
corruption goes all the way up through the system to Police Director
General Bangoura.


8. (C) Contact mentioned that he is the head of the K-9 unit and asked
for assistance in getting his unit trained. When asked whether he had
any
dogs, Contact sheepishly shook his said and said the entire K-9 unit
does
not actually have any canines. He added that OCAD leadership is
vehemently opposed to getting dogs. "Every time I ask for them, they
tell
me that they are too expensive, or they don't have room for kennels,
etc,"
he said. Contact added that police leadership does not want dogs on
the
force because they would be too effective in countering narcotics.

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


9. (C) Contact was unusually eager to discuss internal police affairs
and
expressed interest in continued confidential conversations with the
Embassy. Although his motivations are unclear, he seems sincere in his
interest to combat narcotics trafficking and the rampant corruption
that
comes with it. END COMMENT.
CARTER