Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08NASSAU191
2008-03-03 22:18:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Nassau
Cable title:  

U.S.-BAHAMAS COUNTER-DRUG TASK FORCE REVIEWS TRAFFICKING

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UNCLAS NASSAU 00191

SIPDIS
CXNASSAU:
 ACTION: NAS
 INFO: OPBAT AMB DCM POL FBI DEA CGLO

DISSEMINATION: NAS
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: CDA: DBHARDT
DRAFTED: NAS: DFORAN
CLEARED: DEA: KSTANFILL; CGLO: MFREDIE

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RUEKJCS RUWDQAC RUMIAAA RUEAORD RUZFAAJ RHEHAAA
DE RUEHBH #0191/01 0632218
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 032218Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY NASSAU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5266
INFO RUEHWN/AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN 5665
RUEHKG/AMEMBASSY KINGSTON 8587
RUEHPU/AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE 3599
RUEHSP/AMEMBASSY PORT OF SPAIN 4755
RUEHDG/AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO 2894
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0171
RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA 0554
RUCOWCV/CCGDSEVEN MIAMI FL//CC/OLE//
RUCOWCV/COGARD AIRSTA CLEARWATER FL
RUEABND/DEA DISTRICT OFFICE FT LAUDERDALE
RUEABND/DEA DIVISION OFFICE MIAMI FL
RHEHOND/DIRONDCP WASHINGTON DC//PASS TO USCG//
RHMFISS/DIRJIATF SOUTH
RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHDC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUCNFB/FBI MIAMI FIELD DIVISION MIAMI FL
RHMFIUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/HQ USNORTHCOM
RHMFISS/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUWDQAC/US INTERDICTION COORD WASHINGTON DC
RUMIAAA/USCINCSO MIAMI FL
RUEAORD/USCS AIRBRANCH MIAMI FL
RUZFAAJ/USNORTHCOM J23 PETERSON AFB CO
RHEHAAA/WHITEHOUSE WASHDC 0100
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 NASSAU 000191 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

INL/LP FOR KEVIN BROWN
WHA/CAR FOR JOSEPH TILGHMAN
DHS/OIA PASS TO CARIBBEAN ATTACHE OFFICE, MIAMI

E.O. 12958
TAGS: SNAR PGOV PREL BF
SUBJECT: U.S.-BAHAMAS COUNTER-DRUG TASK FORCE REVIEWS TRAFFICKING
TRENDS AND COUNTER-DRUG EFFORTS

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

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 NASSAU 000191

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

INL/LP FOR KEVIN BROWN
WHA/CAR FOR JOSEPH TILGHMAN
DHS/OIA PASS TO CARIBBEAN ATTACHE OFFICE, MIAMI

E.O. 12958
TAGS: SNAR PGOV PREL BF
SUBJECT: U.S.-BAHAMAS COUNTER-DRUG TASK FORCE REVIEWS TRAFFICKING
TRENDS AND COUNTER-DRUG EFFORTS

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


1. (SBU) The Ambassador and Deputy Prime Minister co-chaired the
semi-annual Joint Counternarcotics/Illegal Migration Task Force
Meeting (JTF) between the United States, The Bahamas, and the Turks
and Caicos Islands on December 14, 2007. The parties discussed
trafficking trends, reviewed year-to-date progress in fighting drug
and migrant smuggling, updated on proposals to regulate
wooden-hulled sailing sloops from Haiti believed to play a large
role in trafficking through The Bahamas, and discussed integrating
the Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF) more effectively into
Operations Bahamas, Turks and Caicos (OPBAT). The Government of The
Bahamas committed to strengthening its capability to combat the drug
trade, outlining its plans to increase air and marine assets for the
RBDF and open forward operating bases in Great Inagua and Exuma.


2. (SBU) The Ambassador challenged all parties to better integrate
their operations and share intelligence in real time He urged the
government of The Bahamas to approve a proposal to place a member of
the Haitian National Police (HNP) in Great Inagua to assist Bahamian
authorities in screening Haitian crews as they enter Bahamian
waters. He asked the GCOB to enforce existing laws that require
that vessels from Haiti check-in in Great Inagua upon entering
Bahamian waters, disgorge their cargo, and, if not Bahamian owned,
immediately exit Bahamian waters. The parties agreed to continue
the working group on combating the threats from Haitian sloops, move
forward with the U.S./Bahamas/Turks and Caicos Working Group that
will develop a protocol for sharing of intelligence and coordinating
assets as discussed during the December 11, 2007 meeting in the
Turks and Caicos Islands (reftel). End Summary.

--------------
YEAR-TO-DATE PROGRESS
--------------


3. (SBU) In his opening remarks, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign
Minister Brent Symonette reiterated the GCOB's commitment to
eliminating the drug trade. He noted that the government's budget
reflected this commitment with increased spending on the Royal
Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) and Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF),

including the purchase of eight new marine vessels for the RBDF. He
discussed plans to develop forward operating bases in Great Inagua
and Exuma. He warned that increased migrant and small arms'
trafficking was an outgrowth of drug trafficking and asked that
future JTF meetings include discussions of illicit arms trafficking
as well as narcotics and migrant trafficking. He thanked the U.S.
for its support of the recently concluded CARICOM seminar on small
arms trafficking. He acknowledged the December 11, 2007 talks in
Grand Turk as a sign of increased cooperation in the region and
pledged continued Bahamian assistance to the Turks and Caicos
Islands.


4. (SBU) The Ambassador stated that the transition of the OPBAT base
in Georgetown from the U.S. Army to the DEA had gone smoothly and
that the planned addition of a fixed-wing asset to OPBAT would
strengthen our ability to detect and monitor drug trafficking
through The Bahamas. He challenged the group to be forward looking
and look to fully integrate the Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF)
into OPBAT by committing RBDF assets to the OPBAT mission. He
encouraged the Bahamian Cabinet to act favorably upon a proposal to
place an officer from the Haitian National Police (HNP) in Great
Inagua to assist with the screening of Haitian crews that are
required by Bahamian law to check-in in there. He asked the
Bahamian government to fully enforce these existing laws requiring
vessels entering The Bahamas from Haiti to stop in Great Inagua and
disgorge their cargo. He encouraged the governments of The Bahamas
and Turks and Caicos Islands to engage with the government of Haiti.
He mentioned the possibility of including representatives from the
governments of Haiti and the Dominican Republic in future meetings.


5. (U) Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Raymond Gibson stated
that marijuana and cocaine seizures were down in 2007. He
attributed this reduction to earlier arrests of major drug dealers.
He indicated that drug traffickers were involved in smuggling
firearms and money along with narcotics, noting that in June 2007
police seized fourteen high powered rifles along with cocaine and
marijuana. Gibson reported that 1,023 pounds of cocaine and 4,221
pounds of marijuana were seized year-to-date versus 1,205 pounds of
cocaine and 5,668 pounds of marijuana seized in 2006. (Note: Unlike
the DEA, the RBPF does not include marijuana plant eradication in
their statistics. End Note). Gibson stated that the RBPF opened
420 new drug cases in 2007 that resulted in 527 arrests. This is an
increase from 2006 when 413 new cases resulted in 487 arrests.


6. (U) Acting Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF) Commander Samuel
Evans reported that during January-November 2007 the RBDF
interdicted 1,562 illegal Haitian migrants in Bahamian waters, along
with 71 Cubans. He noted that July through September was a
particularly active timeframe for illegal migration. He observed
that the number of illegal migrants had dropped following September
as a result of the excellent interdiction efforts of the U.S. Coast
Guard and the RBDF. Embassy's GCLO presented the U.S. Coast Guard's
year-to-date interdiction numbers, stating that 3,497 illegal
Haitian migrants were interdicted in the Windward Passage and
southern Bahamas region and repatriated to Haiti. He attributed
this large number to the landing of 120 illegal Haitians at
Hallandale Beach, Florida in March. In addition to the Haitian
migrants interdicted, the GCLO reported that 103 Cubans were
interdicted in Bahamian waters along with 14 suspected migrant
smugglers and 255 illegal migrants from countries including Jamaica,
Brazil, the PRC, Ecuador, Guyana and Bulgaria.


7. (U) The OPBAT Operations Center Commander stated that OPBAT flew
90 search and rescue missions (SAR) in FY 07, assisting more than
200 people. He noted that year-to-date for FY 08, OPBAT has already
flown 20 SAR missions.

--------------
REGIONAL DRUG AND MIGRANT TRAFFICKING TRENDS
--------------


8. (SBU) ACP Gibson stated that recent drug smuggling trends include
the use of pleasure crafts, wooden-hulled Haitian sloops and
intermingling narcotics smuggling with arms smuggling. He noted
that recent changes in Bahamian money laundering laws have led
traffickers to store bulk cash in safe houses. The DEA Country
Attach stated that eight to ten percent of U.S.-bound cocaine
transits The Bahamas. He noted an increase in the proceeds of drug
trafficking moving from the U.S. to The Bahamas on its way to its
ultimate destination in Colombia. He indicated that an increasing
percentage of South American cocaine was entering Hispanola, with a
trend away from Jamaican and Bahamian drug trafficking organizations
towards Haitian drug trafficking organizations. He commented that
TCI was becoming a major transshipment point for narcotics and
intelligence as revealed by a number of suspicious radar tracks
between Hispanola and TCI. Finally, the DEA Country Attached stated
that the street price for cocaine in The Bahamas has risen to
$10-12K per kilogram from $8-10K and that the street price for a
kilo of cocaine in Miami is approximately $20K. ACP Gibson
concurred with the DEA report and added that the police are seeing a
resurgence of Haitian traffickers, both native-born and children of
Haitian parents living in The Bahamas.


9. (SBU) The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Deputy Commissioner of
Police Rodney Adams noted that narcotics trafficking through TCI
occurred via large coastal freighters, pleasure crafts,
wooden-hulled Haitian sailing sloops and go-fast boats. He
indicated that small quantities of narcotics remained in TCI for
local consumption, but that most of the narcotics entering TCI was
destined for The Bahamas and the United States. He reported that
illegal drugs had washed ashore; probably as a result of air drops
and that a number of well-known Bahamian drug traffickers had taken
up residence in TCI.


10. (SBU) Commander Evans reported that trends in illegal migration
had not changed. Migrants continue to arrive in unseaworthy
wooden-hulled sailing sloops from Haiti that also smuggle narcotics
and weapons. He noted that enacting legislation to ban
wooden-hulled commercial sailing sloops from Bahamian waters would
help deter illegal Haitian migration. CGLO stated that the U.S.
Coast Guard sees three specific regional migration threats. The
Windward Passage, southern Bahamas and the waters around TCI are
predominantly threatened by Haitian migrants in wooden-hulled
sailing sloops departing from northern Haiti. Cay Sal Bank and the
western Bahamas face illegal Cuban migration. Multi-engine go-fast
boats registered in Florida loiter in the banks or travel directly
to Cuba to pick up migrants. They transit through Cay Sal Bank on
their way to the U.S. He stated that evidence indicates that
illegal Cuban migrants are dropped off on the larger cays to await
pick-up from go-fasts to head for south Florida or the Bahamas.
Illegal migrants through the northern Bahamas include Haitians,
Cubans and Brazilians. They make their way to the northern Bahamas
Islands by any means available, legal or illegal and are then
transported to Florida by go-fast boats, pleasure crafts or cabin
cruisers that blend in with legitimate recreational boaters and
fishermen.


11. (SBU) U.S.C.G. District Seven's Captain Daniels added that drug
and migrant trafficking organizations which traditionally had
operated separately are now converging. He stated that both are
lucrative businesses that contribute to collateral crime. He
mentioned that go-fast boats operating from Florida in The Bahamas
are now as likely to smuggle people as drugs. As a result, the
Coast Guard has redeployed its assets to counter the emerging
threat. He expressed appreciation for RBDF support in backfilling
areas when the Coast Guard lacked assets to provide coverage. He
opined that success in countering the drug and migrant threat
required closer integration of operations and improved intelligence
sharing. He stated that the RBPF's Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) and
DEA in Freeport have provided valuable information about suspicious
vessel departures that helped the Coast Guard interdict smugglers.
He noted that the more information that is shared, the better job
law enforcement will do.


12. (SBU) Bahamian Director of Immigration, Vernon Burrows indicated
that most illegal migrants in The Bahamas are Haitian and Cuban. He
stated that through November 2007, the GCOB repatriated 6,476
illegal migrants, including 5,647 Haitians. He mentioned that The
Bahamas had difficulty repatriating Cubans despite an MOU requiring
that Cuba accept its illegal migrants back. He noted that The
Bahamas new e-passport system will lead to a new border control
management system that will be operational in Nassau and Freeport by
January 2008 and in the rest of The Bahamas by February 2008. He
stated that, by the end of March 2008, all Bahamian travel documents
would be converted and would include embedded chips with digital
photos and fingerprints. Burrows asked about restarting the Joint
Anti-Smuggling Unit (JASU). The parties agreed to discuss
restarting JASU outside of the JTF.


13. (SBU) The Ambassador noted that increased intelligence from
Haiti was a priority as the bulk of narcotics and migrant
trafficking emanated from Haiti. He stated that there is a
significant intelligence gap, noting that we don't know what we
don't know. TCI Police Commissioner Edward Hall agreed that getting
credible information from Haiti was difficult. He noted that the
GTCI had tried putting an informant into Haiti. This worked for a
short period of time, but was difficult to sustain given conditions
in Haiti.

--------------
OTHER ITEMS
--------------


14. (SBU) Assistant Comptroller of Customs William Poitier delivered
the Haitian Sloops Working Group report, following up a tasking from
the June JTF meeting. He stated that existing Bahamian law requires
vessels entering Bahamian waters originating from Haiti to stop in
Great Inagua and disgorge any cargo. Non-Bahamian-owned vessels are
then required to leave Bahamian waters, while Bahamian owned vessels
may proceed further into Bahamian waters. He noted that this law
had not generally been enforced and that the working group has
proposed amending existing laws to require all vessels meet certain
health and safety standards. The Office of Legal Affairs is in the
process of drafting this legislation. The practical effects of
these standards would be to ban wooden-hulled Haitian sloops, since
none of these vessels meet even rudimentary health and safety
equipment requirements. A discussion about the distinction between
Bahamian and non-Bahamian owned vessels ensued, with Director of
Public Prosecutions, Bernard Turner, stating emphatically that the
burden of proof in determining the country of ownership for these
vessels rested with the person claiming Bahamian ownership. The
Narcotics Affairs Officer (NAS) noted that the Bahamian Port
Authority refuses to register wooden-hulled commercial vessels,
making it difficult for someone to prove such a vessel was Bahamian
owned. The parties agreed that the Working Group would continue
meeting to discuss enforcement of existing laws and to ensure that
draft health and safety legislation is presented to the Cabinet.
They also agreed that the biggest impediment to enforcement was the
lack of maritime assets in the area.


15. (SBU) The Ambassador asked about the status of the proposal to
house an English-speaking member of the HNP at Great Inagua to
assist Bahamian officials with interviewing Haitian crew members.
The Under Secretary in the Ministry of National Security (MNS),
Peter Deveaux-Isaacs, advised that this proposal requires Cabinet
approval. He noted that the proposal is under active consideration
by the Cabinet and that he expected to have a decision early in

2008. TCI Police Commissioner Hall stated that the TCI police
employ a number of Creole speaking officers in TCI and they have
proven helpful in developing intelligence about Haitian involvement
with narcotics and migrant smuggling.

16. (SBU) The CBP Area Port Director reported on the status of
security upgrades at the Lynden Pindling International Airport. He
noted that serious concerns with security remain, citing problems
with unauthorized airport personnel accessing secure areas. He
stated that security improvements were planned in the next two to
three months that would alleviate this problem. He also indicated
that there is a problem with employees in the domestic terminal
accessing the U.S.-bound terminal, including cases where bags and
merchandise have been placed on U.S.-bound flights without proper
documentation. Bahamian officials pledged to continue working with
CBP to resolve these security concerns.


17. (SBU) During a discussion about further integrating the RBDF
into OPBAT, RBDF Commander Evans noted that the RBDF planned to
procure two new vessels for Nassau Harbor, two new twenty-seven foot
vessels would be delivered within a few weeks and placed in Great
Inagua, a forty and a forty-eight foot vessel are being built for
delivery to the RBDF, and the RBDF has begun the process for
procuring two eighty foot patrol crafts. He noted that several of
the RBDF's larger vessels needed replacement. The CGLO commented
that the USCG stood ready to assist with resources and
recommendations concerning the best asset mix for the RBDF's various
missions. He noted the importance of increasing resources in
Freeport to counter the increased drug and migrant trafficking
originating there. USCG District Seven indicated that the USCG
planned to increase the number of port calls in Nassau.


18. (SBU) Commander Evans stated that the RBDF had increased its
manpower and patrols in Great Inagua. MNS Under Secretary
Deveaux-Isaacs committed the GCOB to expanding the facilities in
Great Inagua. This expansion will include expanding the harbor to
accommodate larger vessels. The Naval Liaison Officer (NLO) offered
to seek assistance from SOUTHCOM once the GCOB completes its plans
for Great Inagua.

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


19. (SBU) The December 14 meeting continued the trend of substantive
JTF meetings dedicated to discussing the latest drug and migrant
trafficking issues confronting the U.S., The Bahamas, and the Turks
and Caicos Islands. The parties agreed to pursue initiatives that
should increase our ability to interdict traffickers, including
enforcing existing Bahamian laws requiring freighters arriving from
ports in Haiti to stop in Great Inagua, strengthening these laws to
ban wooden-hulled sail freighters from Haiti (as was done in 2007 in
TCI at the Embassy's suggestion),increasing maritime assets in
Great Inagua, placing a vetted member of the HNP in Great Inagua to
assist with interviewing Creole-speaking crew members, sharing
intelligence on suspected drug and migrant traffickers in real time
and coordinating the placement of our maritime and air assets.
While, some of these proposals await approval or resources from the
Bahamian Cabinet, we will continue to meet with and encourage the
government to fully implement these proposals.

HARDT