NAS Lima End of Month Report - November

UNCLAS LIMA 001729

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR PE XR KCRM ASEC PREL
SUBJECT: NAS Lima End of Month Report - November


1. (U) Summary:

- Aviation Report

- Ports/Maritime Program Report

- Ports Program Case of Note

- Eradication Report

- Police Programs Report

- CADCA Evaluates New Community Anti-Drug Coalitions East of the
Andes





Aviation Report




2. (SBU) NAS Aviation has been reviewing and making final
comments on the Dyncorp International (DI) Option Year 04 contract.
To reduce contract costs, NAS Lima recommends reducing the number
of contract personnel; however, DI requests an increase by seven.
Given NAS Lima's strong push towards nationalization in 2010, an
increase in DI personnel is not desirable as we seek to shift more
responsibility to the PNP instead.




3. (SBU) The 23rd UH-2, which needed repair after a hard
landing, and the 24th UH-2 still await air shipment from Melbourne
International Airport in Florida. A USAF C-5 aircraft was
scheduled for October delivery but subsequently cancelled. NAS has
been informed no additional support will be provided by the US Air
Force for the Department of State. NAS Bolivia offered the use of
the NAS-supported Bolivian Air Force C-130, with dates available in
December and January, but this has now been delayed by export
license requirements.




4. (SBU) Eight UH-2s will require scheduled maintenance
within the next 45 days, impacting aircraft availability for
eradication and interdiction. This backlog has been created by
various issues including the temporary grounding of the fleet by
the ARMs inspection, unscheduled maintenance demands, smart cycle
reading, collective and cyclic issues and daily unscheduled
requirements in Pucallpa sapping the phase team primary mission.
On 24 November, NAS and DI agreed to a corrective plan which
includes a restructuring of PNP manpower allocation to increase the
number of Peruvian National Police (PNP) mechanics dedicated to the
phase maintenance effort. The Director of the PNP Aviation has
committed to assigning more qualified mechanics to the phase effort
during the last week in December and the first week in January to
take advantage of the lull in eradication and interdiction
operations over the holidays to push the phase inspections. While
this will substantially help the flow, inspections will not be
fully reestablished until March 2010. In the meantime, NAS will
request increased use of the PNP Mi-17 to reduce the flight hour
load on the UH-2s.



Ports/Maritime Program Report




5. (U) NAS Ports/Maritime Program is working with the US
Secret Service on an official visit for the Superintendant of
Peruvian Customs in March. NAS will arrange meetings such as with
the Treasury Department's National Targeting Center, U.S. Customs
and Border Protection, FINCEN, Secret Service, the U.S. Mint, and
other appointments.




6. (U) Peruvian Customs (SUNAT) and National Police (PNP)at
seaports, airports, and Postal Offices primarily in Lima seized 342
kg of cocaine HCL during November. Thirteen internal carriers were
detained at Jorge Chavez International Airport (JCIA) after being
scanned by the Body XRAY Scanner. In an unusual case, five

Colombian Nationals and one Peruvian citizen were arrested
attempting to smuggle 4 kg of heroin to Chicago. SUNAT seized
832,903 USD of undeclared money during the month, all from
Colombian nationals.




7. (SBU) The Public Ministry has in the last two months
spent $6,747,158 on Non-Intrusive Inspection Equipment (NIIE) to
combat drug trafficking. This figure includes purchases and lease
of counterdrug equipment, and includes operators, spare parts, and
maintenance. The equipment is being deployed at sea, land and air
ports of entry. NAS is meeting with working level contacts to
observe the equipment in use, and offering advice and training
where necessary.



Ports Programs Case of Note




8. (U) On November 26, the PNP Intelligence Group and Task
Force personnel raided a warehouse outside of the Port of Paita
(Peru's second leading port located in the northern part of Peru)
seizing thousands of cans of asparagus suspected of containing
liquid cocaine. The Paita PNP and prosecutor were confident that
there was cocaine in the shipment, but did not have the equipment
or trained personnel to prove its presence in the cans. The
prosecutor contacted the Task Force in Lima and requested urgent
support because the shipment of asparagus would have to be released
within a matter of hours. Three SUNAT Special Operations Brigade
members, a Chemist, and a canine went to Paita and found 172 cans
containing 88 kg of pure cocaine HCL.



Eradication Report




9. (U) CORAH (the GOP eradication agency) eradicated 9,578
hectares of illegal coca in Huanuco and San Martin departments
since January. NAS and CORAH have drafted the 2010 Eradication
Plan which is now working its way through the various GOP agencies.
The goal is to obtain the Minister of Interior's approval for the
plan before the holidays, so that eradication can begin in early
January. The goal for eradication will be a minimum of 10,000
hectares in 2010. The goal for the past three years has been 8,000
hectares.



Police Programs Report




10. (U) Jim McHugh arrived TDY in Lima and is filling in as
senior Police advisor for NAS until mid-February. McHugh is
working with the GOP to increase the number of police pre-academy
graduates who take the police academy entrance exam; increase the
percentage of police academy students from east of the Andes
(especially indigenous); increase the number of students attending
PNP academies; and convince the PNP to keep more of its DIRANDRO
force east of the Andes after their minimum three year commitment
expires.




11. (U) DIRANDRO reports the destruction of 44 rustic
laboratories, 7 HCL laboratories and the seizure of 450,942.84
kilograms of precursor chemicals and 1053.3 kilos of drugs during
the month. The price of coca leaf per arroba (a local unit of
measurement equivalent to approximately 11.3 kilos) in the Monzon
valley is approximately 55 USD.




12. (U) Brittany King, a criminal forensics lab expert from
DOJ's International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance
Program, Forensic Services Section (ICITAP) visited Lima for a week
to inspect forensic laboratories and meet with various levels of
experts and GOP officials. Her visit is in response to a request
from the GOP to NAS for assistance in modernizing their criminal
forensic lab network. King will provide NAS with a written report

of her observations and recommendations.




13. (U) Herman Rivera, a communications specialist from INL Fort
Lauderdale, visited Peru to review a PNP proposal to upgrade
communications capabilities. He visited numerous sites around the
country and evaluated existing PNP communications equipment. He
consulted closely with Col. Luis Cardenas, Head of
Telecommunications for the PNP. We are awaiting Rivera's report.





CADCA Evaluates New Coalitions East of the Andes




14. (U) At the request of NAS, CADCA trainers traveled with
NASOff to the seven new Community Anti-drug Coalitions (CAC)
located in Tingo Maria, Pucallpa, Tocache, Huanuco, and Ayacucho.
The purpose of the evaluation was to ascertain the progress of the
new CACs after one year and analyze the performance of the
technical assistance teams. CADCA trainers and NASOff met
individually with each of the technical teams, the CAC board of
Directors, and the community itself. It became clear very quickly
where the technical teams needed to improve and how far the CACs
have progressed in some areas as opposed to others. NAS plans to
replicate this experience with the Lima CACs in January.
MCKINLEY