LIMA NAS MONTHLY REPORT - SEPTEMBER

UNCLAS LIMA 001686 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR INL/LP NAD WHA/PPC ONDCP FOR LT COL RONALD GARNER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR KCRM ASEC PREL PE SUBJECT: LIMA NAS MONTHLY REPORT - SEPTEMBER ¶1. (U) Summary: * NAS Director completes Field Orientation * New Solicitor for Money Laundering and Asset Forfeiture Position Created * SL Threat Grounds UH-2s in Santa Lucia * FAP Budget Cuts Will Negatively Impact VRAE Operations * NAS Aviation Update * DIRANDRO Activities * Pre-Academies Conduct Practice Exams * SUNAT Statistics * NAS Sponsored Canine Course completed * NAS/DEA Sponsored Chemical Interdiction Unit * CORAH Statistics * Anti-Drug Community Coalitions Exhibition -------------- NAS Director completes Field Orientation -------------- ¶2. (U) NAS Director Arias, accompanied by the Director of DIRANDRO and other NAS officers, conducted an orientation visit to PNP bases in Ayacucho, Santa Lucia, Palma Pampa, and Mazamari. -------------- -------------- New Solicitor for Money Laundering and Asset Forfeiture Position Created -------------- -------------- ¶3. (U) The GOP has designated a new specialized Solicitor for Money Laundering and Asset Forfeiture within the Prosecutor's Office. This new specialized Solicitor will have responsibility for all non-drug or terrorism related Money Laundering cases, both of which will stay with their respective departments. The position is expected to be filled by early October. -------------- SL Threat Grounds UH-2s in Santa Lucia -------------- ¶4. (U) At the end of September, Sendero Luminoso elements threatened to down UH-2 eradication support helicopters in Santa Lucia. All helicopters were grounded save one flight of food and water for the eradication forces still in the field. Regular operations resumed the following morning. -------------- -------------- FAP Budget Cuts Will Negatively Impact VRAE Operations -------------- -------------- ¶5. (U) The Peruvian Air Force (FAP) faces a 90 percent budget reduction by the Ministry of Finance. This looming budget cut comes at a critical time for the FAP, who until recently had very few fixed wing aircraft and flyable helicopters. However, though the aircraft is now properly maintained, there are no funds to purchase fuel. NAS' FAP contacts insist that this cut will negatively impact the ability of the FAP to continue the escalation of counter terrorism operations in the VRAE. -------------- NAS Aviation Update -------------- ¶6. (U) The FLIR and Digital Camera for the C-26s used to support ongoing CN/CT operations in the VRAE are expected to be repaired and fully operational by the first week of October. FAP leadership are anxious to be able to use the FLIR and Digital Camera in support of VRAE operations. ¶7. (U) The need for repairs for the runway at Palma Pampa in the VRAE remains critical. At this moment, and for the past year, only UH-2s are able to land on what is the only fixed wing aircraft runway for the VRAE. The local mayor remains an obstacle due to his preoccupation with the possibility of resistance by the narco-traffickers and the local population. The closest usable runway for fixed wing aircraft is located in Mazamari, an hour and fifteen minutes by helicopter from Palma Pampa. NAS Lima continues to work with the FAP and other local authorities to obtainpermission to begin the repairs. The FAP is interested in establishing a detachment of their own at Palma Pampa and therefore has worked closely with NAS to move the repairs forward. The FAP Commander for the region has spoken with the Joint Services Commander and the Minister of Defense who has committed to meeting with the Prime Minister to seek support for the repairs. -------------- DIRANDRO Activities -------------- ¶8. (U) Overall, DIRANDRO reports the destruction of 940 cocaine base and 16 HCL laboratories and the seizure of 381,751.933 kilos of precursor chemicals and 22,992.706 kilos of drugs for the month of September. In the Huallaga Valley alone, DIRANDRO reports the destruction of 22 cocaine base laboratories and 15 rustic cocaine laboratories. In Tingo Maria, the Special Operation Division destroyed a large HCL laboratory and confiscated 2.5 MT of precursor chemicals and 67 kilograms of HCL. Finally, the Ayacucho Road Interdiction Group intercepted two inter-city buses headed to Lima from Ayacucho seizing 51 hand grenades and 9 kilos of cocaine paste. The price of coca leaf per arroba has increased slightly in the Huallaga Valley to 35 USD as well as in the VRAE to 40 USD. This increase is in anticipation of the beginning of the rainy season. -------------- Pre-Academies Conduct Practice Exams -------------- ¶9. (U) NAS sponsored Pre-Academies conducted a practice exam for 600 students to evaluate their knowledge prior to the Police Academy entrance exams which are due to begin in December. Had this been the real exam, approximately 40 percent of the students would have passed. This is a marked improvement from last year when only 30 percent of the students performed well on the practice exam. -------------- SUNAT Statistics -------------- ¶10. (U) Peruvian Customs at Jorge Chavez International Airport, Lima (SUNAT) and the main international post office (SERPOST) seized 93.05 kilos of cocaine HCL and detained 12 internal carriers (each carrying nearly one kilo). At the Port of Callao, SUNAT scanned 13,078 sea-going containers and physically inspected 278 containers. SUNAT detained a passenger traveling from Madrid into Lima carrying 108,000 Euros in the lining of his jacket and is now under investigation for money laundering. -------------- Canine Course completed -------------- ¶11. (U) Thirteen SUNAT canines and 11 handlers completed the 13 week training course at the Colombian National Police canine training facilities in Facatativa, Columbia. The newly produced SUNAT Canine Manual was used by the USCBP and SUNAT instructors to conduct the training. In coordination with NAS Bogota, four Colombian Police handlers/canines also participated. With the addition of the 11 new handlers and canines, the SUNAT interdiction capability is expected to increase significantly considering that the current unit of 8 canines has discovered over 30 MT of cocaine since 2006. The new units are expected to be deployed and fully operational by November 2008. -------------- Chemical Interdiction Unit -------------- ¶12. (U) The NAS sponsored Chemical Interdiction Unit uncovered a large scale laboratory and equipment in the Sendero Luminoso stronghold of Alto Union and Bajo Cotomono-Aucayacu in Tingo Maria. Four microwave ovens, five hydraulic metal presses, six metal molds for cocaine brick production, large air compressor, a generator, two acetone recyclers, and seven scales were seized as was 2.5 metric tons of acetone, ten kilos of potassium permanganate, 200 gallons of alcohol and 77 kilos of cocaine HCL. It is estimated that this laboratory was producing approximately 1,000 kilos of HCL monthly. Additionally, the Chemical Unit interdicted a cargo truck outside the northern city limits of Lima, en route to the VRAE, seizing two MT of hydrochloric acid and making five arrests. -------------- CORAH Statistics -------------- ¶13. (U) CORAH eradicated 713.3 hectares during the month of September brining the yearly total to 7,613.8. During eradication, 22 maceration pits were uncovered at a ratio of 3.56 aceration pits every 100 hectares eradicated. -------------- Anti-Drug Community Coalitions Exhibition -------------- ¶14. (U) NAS Programs Office has identified the lack of public information and visibility of the 11 NAS sponsored Lima Anti-drug Community Coalitions (CAC) as a serious obstacle to sustainability. As such, NAS programs organized a CAC exhibition and presentation for local authorities and media. Each of the 11 CACs designed a table top informative presentation of their CAC activities which were displayed during a larger presentation about the Lima CACs, their work and activities in the communities. The event was used to launch a new informative video about the CACs and the new CAC website. In addition to local police and community leadership, the audience also included four regional Mayors, representatives from the Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Health, local schools, church representatives, a representative from the Army, a representative from the Municipality of Lima, the regional government of Callao, among others. The event was heavily covered by both local and national press in print, online, radio and television. Additionally, the deputy director of the Secretaria Ejecutiva de la commission contra de las Adicciones y el Trafico Ilicito de Drogas (SECCATID) in Guatemala attended the event and expressed deep interest in replicating the Lima CAC experience in Guatemala. MCKINLEY