URUGUAY 2008 END USE MONITORING REPORT

UNCLAS MONTEVIDEO 000145 SIPDIS WHA/BSC FOR DASCHBACH ALSO FOR INL/RM/MS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR AFIN UY SUBJECT: URUGUAY 2008 END USE MONITORING REPORT REF: STATE 127211 ¶1. Summary: Post provides herein Embassy Montevideo's CY-2008 End Use Monitoring Report in response to reftel. No new equipment was purchased with INL funds in CY-2008. All previously INL-provided material was used appropriately by the GOU to effectively enhance counter-narcotics and law enforcement efforts. End summary. Inventory Management -------------- ¶2. EUM Program Coordinator: Erin Markley, 598 2 418 7777 ext 2429, markleyen@state.gov. RSO Bill Maxwell will coordinate the inventories required for end use monitoring. DEA's regional office in Buenos Aires will provide support as needed. Counterpart Agencies -------------- ¶3. INL funding has provided assistance over the years to the following GOU agencies: the Directorate General for the Repression of Illicit Drug Trafficking (DGRTID),the Coast Guard (Prefectura),the National Drug Secretariat (JND),the Central Bank of Uruguay (BCU) and the Ministry of the Interior (MoI). For CY 2008, only the DGRTID was required to provide an annual inventory report that specified the use, status and location of all equipment supplied by the INL. The Embassy maintained regular contact with GOU officials throughout the year with regard to training opportunities, drug seizure statistics, and equipment status in order to assess how assets were being employed. All items provided are in accordance with Memorandums of Agreement or Letters of Agreement. On-site Inspections and Secondary Methods of Monitoring Resource Status -------------- -------------- ¶4. Emboffs conducted one on-site inspection at one counterpart site on equipment purchased since 2003. The unscheduled on-site inspection was performed on March 6 2009. Post inspected all items available that had been purchased in the last five years (equipment inspected was computer-related and has an estimated useful life of no more than five years). Approximately 50% of items were available for inspection, as the other 50% are in use in the field, or in use at other sites. Post regularly discussed the status of INL-funded resources being used. Approximately 50% of donated items were monitored through discussions. Status -------------- ¶5. The U.S.-provided computers, monitors, printers and servers were in good condition and operated with current versions of software. These systems were used to cultivate and analyze intelligence for the GOU's central counternarcotics database. Older computers have been restored and sent to police stations throughout the country to improve communication and data sharing within the police force. The computers were provided to the DGRTID in Montevideo and their satellite office in Rivera, on the border with Brazil. Other commodities include cameras and digital scopes which were not monitored because they were in use in the field. Inventories -------------- ¶6. The only donated items that continue to have useful lives are computers and their supporting equipment and small items used to support field work such as cameras and digital scopes. Services -------------- ¶7. In 2003 INL funds supported public awareness campaigns on the risks of drug consumption and how parents can talk to their children about drug abuse. 2005 funds supported a hotline for drug-related questions and emergencies. Program Impact -------------- ¶8. INL funding has made a significant impact in the GOU counter narcotics effort, particularly through improved wiretapping and collection of evidence. Computer equipment provided to the DGRTID has formed comprehensive information networks that are improving data sharing between Uruguay's drug enforcement agencies. The newly installed wiretapping system and assistance with other evidence collection not only allows more accurate interdiction but also amplifies the cases against traffickers. Without INL funding and assistance, many anti-narcotics projects would not be possible in their current form. Following are DGRTID's 2008 statistics for arrests and seizures: a) Individuals arrested: 2,280 b) Criminals prosecuted: 668 c) Internal market seizures: 1,058,416 kg of marijuana, 818,552 kg of cocaine, and 95,643 kg of cocaine paste. Problems and Corrective Action Plans -------------- ¶9. GOU Officials have consistently accommodated Embassy requests for information and post has documented any accountability issues in previous reports. However, most of the equipment to be monitored is computers, which blend well with GOU-purchased equipment as well as with donations from other entities. To remedy this, post will mark new equipment donated so that it is identifiable for future reporting officers. Matthewman