DRUG TRAFFICKING IN BENIN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COTONOU 000020

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS INL/AAE
LAGOS FOR SAM GAYE

E.O. 12958:N/A
TAGS: SNARPGOVBN
SUBJECT: DRUG TRAFFICKING IN BENIN

REF: (A) STATE 165562 (B) 07 COTONOU 893 (C) 07 COTONOU 867 (D) 07
COTONOU 648

1.(SBU) Summary: The GOB's weakness in controlling its borders and
allegations of corruption in its police force present serious
challenges to fighting drug trafficking in Benin. According to
published reports and friendly government sources, cocaine and
heroin transit Benin, and marijuana is cultivated and used in Benin.
The GOB has the will to act against drug traffickers but lacks the
equipment and the honest and well-trained police force such
enforcement requires. End Summary.

2.(SBU) As detailed in Ref C, Benin is a transit country for cocaine
and heroin, and marijuana is cultivated for use in Benin.
Approximately 420 kilograms of cocaine was seized in Benin in 2007.
This marks a remarkable surge over 2006 seizures of approximately 23
kilograms of cocaine. According to information from the French
Police Attache, cocaine from South America and heroin from
South-East Asia transit Benin en route to Europe. According to the
French, it continues to the United States via Charles De Gaulle
airport. The GOB lacks any real equipment for detection of drug
trafficking at its borders, and does not have the capacity to
interdict traffickers at sea. In that regard, there is a strong
possibility that trafficking in narcotics in Benin is a larger
problem than current statistics indicate.

3.(U) The GOB passed anti-drug legislation in 1997 modeled on the
United Nations Drug Convention and adopted a national policy on
combating illegal narcotics in 1999. President Yayi's government,
which has been in office since April 2006, has shown interest in
fighting drug trafficking and corruption. After Benin's largest
drug bust in August 2007, when more than 360 kilograms of cocaine
was seized after a drug running vessel ran ashore off the coast of
Ouidah, (Ref D) the GOB moved swiftly to investigate allegations of
police corruption in the cocaine seizure. When the GOB's
investigation revealed corruption within OCERTID (Central Office for
Repression of Illicit Drug Trafficking),the Beninese National
Police's anti-drug division, the GOB ordered the arrest of five
members of OCERTID including Roger Talon, OCERTID's director at the
time. The National Director of Police, Antoine Azonhounmey, was
subsequently fired for insubordination when he failed to comply with
the Minister of Interior's directions to bring the officers under
investigation before the investigating judge.

4.(SBU) In addition to the GOB's willingness to take action against
corrupt police officers the GOB has asked repeatedly for U.S.
assistance in improving its police force to fight against illegal
drugs (Ref B). Felix Hessou, the Minister of the Interior, is a
credible interlocutor who appears to have a sense of urgency in
combating illegal narcotics trafficking in Benin.

4.(SBU) Minister Hessou's efforts are undercut by the weakness of
OCERTID, the police division responsible for combating narcotics
trafficking. OCERTID's limited forces have little training or
equipment. OCERTID's Director and Deputy Director were both
arrested on allegations of stealing and trafficking the cocaine
OCERTID recovered from the August 2007 drug bust in Ouidah. Benin's
security forces depend solely on finding drugs during searches of
people or goods and from tips from the public. Benin does not
employ equipment or dogs in its searches. OCERTID can perform
limited testing on seized drugs to determine their composition. It
requests assistance from its counterparts in Nigeria to perform
advanced testing. While Benin has criminalized money laundering,
the police lack the capacity to effectively investigate and prevent
it.

5.(SBU) The French government is the most active bilateral partner
in assisting the GOB to improve its capacity to fight against
illegal drug trafficking. In the past, the French provided
counter-narcotics training at OCERTID and training at the national
police school in Porto-Novo. Additionally, the French Embassy has a
full-time Police Attache. Pending funding, the French plan to
expand the number of trainings offered in Benin and will begin, in
2008, to build a computerized network, which will allow Benin's
police force to share information on major crimes.

6.(SBU) Comment: President Yayi and his administration are committed
to countering corruption and have taken a series of anti-corruption
measures since they began governing in April 2006. His Minister of
the Interior takes the problem of narcotics trafficking seriously
but lacks the resources and a trained and honest police force to
lead the fight. USG assistance to improve Benin's ability to combat
drug trafficking would be welcomed by its political leaders who have
shown a willingness to move against it. End Comment.


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