Embassy Guatemala: November 2009 Merida Report

UNCLAS GUATEMALA 001418 SENSITIVE SIPDIS PLEASE PASS TO USAID/LAC/CAM KSEIFERT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR PGOV KCRM GT SUBJECT: Embassy Guatemala: November 2009 Merida Report REF: A) 09 STATE 114752; B) 09 GUATEMALA 1272; C) 09 GUATEMALA 1254 D) 09 GUATEMALA 1346; E) 09 GUATEMALA 857; F) 09 GUATEMALA 740 ¶1. (SBU) In response to ref A, Post submits the information below detailing Embassy Guatemala's Merida activities for November 2009. Issues for Washington ¶2. (SBU) Allocation of Merida funding continues to be inconsistent and slow. Some Embassy programs are still awaiting funds, including the Narcotics Affairs Section's (NAS) counter-narcotics program and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) vetted unit. Post requests Washington's assistance in ensuring the speedy allocation of Merida funds. ¶3. (SBU) The Embassy continues to work closely with the Public Ministry and is impressed by its commitment to prosecuting corrupt officials and criminal organizations. Merida funds should continue to support this institution and improve its capacity to act as an effective USG partner. Internal Developments ¶4. (U) The security situation in Guatemala continues to deteriorate. Recent press reports have noted the emergence of Local Citizen Security Groups (Juntas Locales de Seguridad Ciudadana). These groups, made up of armed civilians who are frustrated with the security situation in their communities, are operating in rural departments, such as Quiche, Chimaltenango and Solola. The groups advocate vigilante justice and have acted out violently against police and suspected delinquents. For example, on November 16, a police office was beaten to death in Chimaltenango for allegedly trying to extort money from a bus driver. On November 27, in Solola, a large group of locals murdered three suspected extortionists who had allegedly killed a bus driver and a passenger. The police in Solola initially resisted the group's attempts to recapture the three from police custody; however, the mob responded by setting three police cars and a motorcycle on fire. The police eventually abandoned their posts fearing for their safety and the three captured, including a 16-year old boy, were taken to a nearby park where they were covered in gasoline and burned alive (septel). ¶5. (U) Moreover, the murder rate in Guatemala continues to climb. Homicides have increased six percent over this time last year and overall crime, including thefts and home invasions, are expected to rise as the holidays approach and Guatemalans receive their Christmas bonuses. Implementation Activities ¶6. (U) The following implementation activities have taken place during November 2009: - USAID Merida funding was retained under a Congressional hold for more than a year. Currently USAID is in the final phase of reviewing/evaluating implementation proposals for its primary Merida activities: The Community Action Fund, Youth at Risk crime prevention and Community Based Policing. The award for implementation should be granted in December of this year, with operations and Merida activities beginning in January 2010. On November 17, the Ambassador and President Alvaro Colom, joined by local authorities, announced that USAID Merida funding will be used to support communities near Coban, Alta Verapaz in combating serious crime. - NAS ordered equipment, valued at approximately 812,000 USD, to support the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS). The equipment has been put out for contract in Washington. - NAS requested equipment and communications gear, valued at 80,000 USD, for the anti-gang unit (PANDA),the Collection, Analysis and Dissemination of Criminal Information Unit (CRADIC), and the Villa Nueva and Mixco model precincts. - Merida funds, together with other funding, helped NAS, USAID, and the Commission Against Addictions and Drug Trafficking (SECCATID) train 35 police officers to implement a drug prevention program for children and youth who attend USAID's outreach centers in Mixco. SECCATID, officers from Drug Awareness and Resistance Education (DARE),and the Police Athletic League (PAL) offered drug prevention, handicrafts and sports lessons to children and youth during a summer school program. - Merida funding provided technical assistance and an expert consultant to assist in drafting the comprehensive Asset Forfeiture Law. ¶7. (U) Post's Merida Initiative meeting was held on November ¶18. Post's Law Enforcement Working Group meetings were held on November 3 and November 17. Significant Merida Supported Host Nation Seizures ¶8. (SBU) USG law enforcement participation and/or intelligence played an important part in seizures in November 2009: - November 5 - Guatemala City International Airport: Seizure of $304,140.00 U.S. dollars (ref B). - November 9 - Guatemala City International Airport: Seizure of 400,000 tablets of pseudoephedrine and loratadine (ref C). - November 18 - Guatemala City International Airport: Seizure of 400,000 tablets of pseudoephedrine and loratadine (ref D). ¶9. (U) As this is post's first monthly submission, we wish to highlight post's Merida-related successes: - 2004 to present - The NAS-funded Model Precinct utilizes a community policing model to increase citizens' confidence in the police. It has been extremely successful in Villa Nueva (a Guatemalan suburb) and as a result, will be replicated in four other locations (ref E). - 2007 to present -- USAID has supported the creation of five 24-hour courts where police, prosecutors, judges, public defenders, prison officials, forensic technicians and court administrators are co-located in one building and able to efficiently process offenders through the judicial system. The 24-hour courts are able to hold arraignments, order pre-trail detention or bail, and authorize arrest and search warrants. NAS provided training to all 24-hour court personnel in the use of complaint forms and the Total Information Management System (SIPOL). While this program is not supported with Merida funding, it provides a valuable tool for achieving Merida objectives. With FY 2009 regular USAID program funds, USAID will work with the GOG to establish additional 24-hour courts in key areas of Guatemala to complement Merida activities. In addition, the Embassy will support the establishment of the high impact courts to prosecute high profile cases, including Zetas and other drug trafficking organizations. This court will also be financed with regular USAID program funds and will contribute to Merida objectives. - February-July 2009 - ICE and NAS used Merida funds to train 32 anti-drug (SAIA) police stationed at the airport. These trainings contributed to the seizures noted in para 7. - September 2009 - Coordination between the anti-gang unit (PANDA),the wire intercept unit (UME) and the National Civilian Police (PNC) contributed to the arrest of 15 M18 gang members. This raid effectively dismantled a gang unit in Mixco, a Guatemalan suburb suffering from extortion and increasing violence (ref F). - October-November 2009 - A group of four non-elite university students traveled to St. Michael's College in Vermont in October for an 8-week Undergraduate Intensive English Language program funded through the Merida Initiative. Participants in this program represent a variety of departments and universities. - October-November 2009 - Guatemalan prisons are extremely weak institutions that often allow gang members and others to run illicit operations from inside the prison using cell phones, and other means to communicate outside. In addition, stereos, billiard tables, televisions, and other contraband are not confiscated. NAS helped the GOG establish a more secure prison facility in Guatemala City by providing technical assistance from Colorado State Penitentiary officials, prison guard equipment, and communications gear. This facility is now used for the most dangerous criminals. The Month Ahead ¶10. (U) Below are post's planned activities for December 2009: - The first English Access Scholarship Program classes are scheduled to begin in early December. Half of the $800,000 English Access Program in Guatemala is being funded through the Merida Initiative. All 700 students will be enrolled by the end of January 2010. - The contract for implementation of USAID's primary Merida activities - The Community Action Fund, Youth at Risk crime prevention and Community Based Policing - should be granted in December 2009. - NAS plans to procure software, valued at 100,000 to 130,000 USD, to improve the computer systems at the CRADIC. MCFARLAND