Uruguay 2009-02010 INSCR Part I (draft)

UNCLAS MONTEVIDEO 000614 SIPDIS INL FOR JOHN LYLE WHA/BSC FOR MARY DASCHBACH E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR SUBJECT: Uruguay 2009-02010 INSCR Part I (draft) REF: STATE 97230 ¶1. (U) Following is Embassy Montevideo's draft text for the INCSR Part I which was also submitted by email per reftel instructions. BEGIN URUGUAY INSCSR DRAFT TEXT: Uruguay 2010 ¶I. Summary Uruguay is not a major narcotics producing or transit nation. Foreign trafficking cartels and individuals, including from Mexico, Eastern Europe, Colombia, and Bolivia, continue to be active in Uruguay, often having larger operations in neighboring Argentina or Brazil. Uruguay also continues to experience increasing local consumption of the highly addictive and inexpensive cocaine paste, the crude, cocaine base product known locally as "pasta base." In June, the Government of Uruguay released a National Plan Against Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering, which aims to better coordinate the counternarcotics efforts of the varied agencies involved in fighting organized crime. Uruguay is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention. II. Status of Country Though not a major narcotics producing or transit country, Uruguay is nonetheless exploited by international drug traffickers for transit and logistics operations. Uruguay's porous borders and limited inspection of airport and port cargo makes it an attractive transit point for contraband. Uruguay is not known for narcotics cultivation or production, and there have been no seizures of domestically produced narcotics in 2009. This year Uruguay saw its largest ever seizure (over 2 tons of cocaine),as well as the first seizure of a chemical precursor, lidocaine, which is used to dilute cocaine. The most frequently seized drug in Uruguay is marijuana, though officials are concerned about the growing popularity of cocaine paste. Local demand for cocaine paste continued to increase in 2009, as did the incidence of crime related to this drug, according to the National Anti-Drug Secretariat. Use of cocaine base inside prisons has led to insecurity and severe health problems in prisons. Individual drug use is not viewed as a criminal offense and Uruguay's rehabilitation centers are strained with increasing addicts seeking assistance. Significant efforts to reduce drug use and assist addicts continued during 2009. III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 2009 Policy Initiatives. The GOU made significant strides in counternarcotics policy in 2009. The newly developed four-year National Plan Against Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering outlined the coordination of state resources and participants and created a governing body made up of undersecretaries from the agencies working in those areas. In January, special courts for organized crime began operating, resulting from legislation passed in 2008. The courts have jurisdiction over drug trafficking, money laundering, corruption, and banking fraud, as well as trafficking in persons. Two judges and two federal prosecutors now cover all cases related to organized crime, which allows them to specialize and to better identify related. For example, recently, a drug mule case was also found to have a trafficking in persons component. New legislation passed in 2009 allows the sale or use of seized assets before the conclusion of criminal cases that sometimes take years. Demand reduction efforts also advanced and have reflected the changing abuse patterns and side effects that come with cocaine base use. Uruguay is an active member of the Organization of American States Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD),the Southern Cone Working Group of the International Conference for Drug Control, and other international organizations fighting narcotics, corruption, and crime. Law Enforcement Efforts. The GOU is highly conscious of the rising counternarcotics threat and has made consistent efforts to improve its response capacity. Efforts to coordinate interagency strategies and the implementation of improved practices have paid off in terms of increased seizures. The Uruguayan counternarcotics police lead the interagency coordination due to their demonstrated effectiveness over the long term. They continued to improve their operations and intelligence unit by upgrading investigative techniques. Port of Montevideo controls are steadily improving, and in March, customs officials began working with a team of special operations police who patrol the ports. This team liaises with the counternarcotics police and has full access to the port area and flexibility to investigate suspicious activity. In 2009, the military began integrating a new radar system with the civilian system to gain better control of airspace in the north, in an effort to better control the northern borders and the clandestine airstrips. In 2009, the GOU seized 2,415 kilograms (kg) of cocaine in both national and international counternarcotics operations. The GOU also seized 174 kg of cocaine base, which was almost double the 2008 level; and 547 kg of marijuana, down from 963 kg in 2008. (Note: numbers are accurate as of Oct 26 and will be updated in Dec. End note.) Uruguay's interdiction numbers are low in the context of its neighbors, and reflect lower narcotics consumption and less trafficking in Uruguay as well as the GOU's proactive and aggressive efforts to contain these problems. The seizure of over two metric tons of cocaine in October as part of an international operation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was a historical seizure for Uruguay and the region. After receiving intelligence from DEA and its Argentine counterparts, the Uruguayan Coast Guard was able to identify and detain a yacht transporting 2,174 kg of cocaine. One Croatian national was arrested in Uruguay and three others were arrested in Eastern Europe. The investigation is ongoing. The operation is an example of successful information sharing and international cooperation, in this case with Uruguayan, Argentine, and Serbian officials under DEA guidance and investigation. Nationally, the successful operation, which including the Uruguayan Coast Guard, the counternarcotics police and the organized crime courts, is evidence of improved interagency cooperation. The GOU made 1,185 drug-related arrests leading to 483 convictions. These numbers are a slight decrease (Note: likely to change with end of year numbers. End note.) from 2008 in both overall arrests number of convictions. Corruption. Uruguay has taken legal and law enforcement measures to prevent and punish public corruption as related to narcotics production, processing or shipment. Corruption cases are now under the jurisdiction of the organized crime courts. The GOU Transparency Law of 1998 criminalizes various abuses of power by government authorities and requires high-ranking officials to comply with financial disclosure regulations. Public officials who do not act on knowledge of a drug-related crime may be charged with a "crime of omission" under the Citizen Security Law. There were no corruption cases in 2009. Agreements and Treaties. Uruguay is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention; the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances; the 1961 UN Single Convention, as amended by the 1972 Protocol; the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption; the Inter-American Convention Against Terrorism; the Inter-American Convention Against Trafficking in Illegal Firearms; the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and its three Protocols; and the UN Convention against Corruption. It is also a member of the OAS Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) and in 2009 Uruguay held the presidency for the CICAD Money Laundering Experts Group. The USG and Uruguay are parties to an extradition treaty that entered into force in 1984, a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) that entered into force in 1994, and a Letter of Agreement through which the USG funds counternarcotics and law enforcement programs. Uruguay has also signed drug-related bilateral agreements with Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Chile, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Venezuela and Romania. Uruguay is a member of the regional financial action task force Grupo de Accion Financiera de Sudamerica (GAFISUD). Cultivation/Production. Neither USG nor Uruguayan agencies have evidence of significant cultivation of illicit drugs in Uruguay. Production is also rare, and no processing plants were seized in ¶2009. Drug Flow/Transit. Limited law enforcement presence along the borders, in the ports, and in the northern Uruguayan airspace opens up Uruguay to drug trafficking by private vehicle, bus, small private airplanes, trucks, commercial aircraft flights, and containerized cargo. Colombian and Bolivian traffickers have smuggled cocaine into Uruguay by flying directly into remote regions from Bolivia, using make-shift airstrips located on foreign-owned residential farms. This practice is being targeted by implementing radar systems in northern Uruguay, currently continues. From Uruguay, narcotics are generally transported to Brazil for domestic consumption there or transshipped onward to Europe. In 2009, the largest seizure was a yacht carrying over 2 metric tons of cocaine heading out to meet a ship on the high seas. Domestic Programs (Demand Reduction). Uruguay's demand reduction efforts focus on prevention programs, rehabilitation and treatment. In 2009, the National Drug Rehabilitation Center continued to train health care professionals and sponsored teacher training, public outreach, and other programs in community centers and clubs. This year Uruguay produced a new anti-drug education program for adolescents that is taught in schools across the country. The interagency treatment and prevention program "Portal Amarillo" continued to serve as a primary outlet for addicts seeking help. It features drug rehabilitation clinics and a hotline, services for both in-patient and out-patient drug users in northern Montevideo and in the Department of Maldonado. In a specialized program targeting prison populations, prison personnel and inmates were trained to develop, plan, and perform activities to reduce drug abuse. Uruguay continues to develop methods to track trends in drug use. In 2009, Uruguay completed a survey of drug use in youth populations, including secondary schools and prisons, and in 2010 they will undertake a survey of drug use in the general population. Those findings will allow them to better shape demand reduction programs. IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs Bilateral Cooperation. U.S. strategy has been to prevent Uruguay from becoming a major point for narcotics transit or processing. Although DEA does not have an office in Uruguay, the regional DEA office has provided support and guidance to Uruguay authorities, in both general operations and specific investigations. The regional DHS office also provided training and support to officials in border areas and ports. USG assistance to the GOU in 2009 included support to demand reduction programs; support for narcotics interdiction operations, including provision of equipment; and assistance with police training. USG programs also provided training in maritime law enforcement leadership, port security including container inspection, and border security training to the Uruguayan Navy, Coast Guard, and Marines. As part of the State Partnership Program, the Connecticut Air National Guard is providing technical assistance to the Uruguayan Air Force on radar integration, maintenance, operations and training. The Road Ahead. With the National Plan Against Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering and the new legislation on organized crime courts and asset forfeiture, Uruguay has set the foundation for solid counternarcotics work. The counternarcotics police's improving investigative capacity and international cooperation are further steps towards making Uruguay less attractive to drug traffickers. Regardless, as a small country, Uruguay lacks the resources to maintain state-of-the-art technology and the field experience to provide local training. The USG encourages Uruguay to continue interagency and international cooperation and increase investment in its counternarcotics efforts. Uruguay has several dedicated demand reduction programs, and needs to continue reaching out to youth and at risk groups to stop abuse before it starts. MATTHEWMAN