BLUE LANTERN LEVEL 3: PRE-LICENSE END-USE CHECK

UNCLAS SAN JOSE 000267 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR PM/DTCC - BLUE LANTERN COORDINATOR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: CS ETTC KOMC SUBJECT: BLUE LANTERN LEVEL 3: PRE-LICENSE END-USE CHECK CONDUCTED ON LICENSE 05-050090336 REF: A. STATE 22315 ¶B. 05 SAN JOSE 0051 ¶1. Per Ref A request, on March 12, we met with Rafael Polini, the owner of Mundi Arms of San Jose and established the bona fides of the company. We consider Mundi Arms of San Jose a legitimate recipient of United States Munition List items and Polini was knowledgeable of the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR). Polini added that he was very familiar with regulations governing the import of U.S.-origin defense articles, including restrictions on re-transfer or re-export. ¶2. Mundi Arms of San Jose has been in business since 1994, but derives from a company that Polini's father founded in ¶1937. Polini has a brother, Eduardo Polini, who also has an arms business and was the subject of a previous Blue Lantern check in 2005 (Ref B). The two brothers separated their businesses in 1993-94. ¶3. Mundi Arms sells rifles, shotguns, revolvers, pistols, and related accessories of all brands and calibers. The most common and most sold items are .38 and .22 caliber pistols. His office maintains files on all of their customers and sends a monthly report to the Arms and Explosives section of the Ministry of Public Security (MPS),the GOCR ministry responsible for oversight. In addition, the MPS regularly inspects the store (usually once a week) to review sales receipts and records. ¶4. Polini told us that all prospective customers must have a background check, proof of firearms safety course, and psychological test. His customers are mostly local hunters and citizens concerned with self-defense. All of his customers reside in Costa Rica and, due to GOCR regulations, he cannot sell weapons to foreigners. ¶5. The store, located in the heart of downtown San Jose near the intersection of Avenue Zero and Second Street, has a monitored ADT security system. During non-business hours, there is an armed security guard present outside the store and iron security curtains are pulled down to physically secure the premises. We observed three security cameras, two directed at the entrance and one towards the display counter, controlled by a monitor in Polini's office. ======= COMMENT ======= ¶6. In Costa Rica the name "Polini" is synonymous with arms sales and has a respectable reputation throughout the country. Although Costa Rica does not have a military, it does have a police force that is stretched to the limit due to rising rates of crime. More and more Costa Ricans, a generally peaceful population who would not normally purchase firearms, are buying weapons for self-defense due to the deteriorating domestic security situation. BRENNAN