COSTA RICA: POLICE EQUIPMENT DONATION TO QUEPOS MUNCIPALITY

UNCLAS SAN JOSE 001098 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR WHA/CEN, WHA/PPC, INL/LP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR PREL PINR ASEC CASC CS SUBJECT: COSTA RICA: POLICE EQUIPMENT DONATION TO QUEPOS MUNCIPALITY ¶1. (U) SUMMARY. On November 23-24, we visited the city of Quepos on Costa Rica's Pacific coast to donate nearly $14,000 of police equipment as well as to conduct end-use monitoring of equipment previously donated to the coast guard station there. Although the police equipment was not purchased with Merida Initiative funds, this donation certainly falls within the intent of the Merida Initiative to improve security in Central America. Selecting Quepos as Post's pilot project for donating directly to a municipality improves security for Amcit residents and tourists and complements the city's active anti-crime efforts. The event received positive radio and print media coverage. END SUMMARY. -------------- EARLY QUEPOS CHRISTMAS: "HAPPIEST DAY" -------------- ¶2. (U) On November 23, Post's INL office donated nearly $14,000 of police equipment, including items such as uniforms, vests, holsters, GPSs, and night vision equipment to the municipal police of Quepos in the municipality of Aguirre. This donation, made possible in part thanks to an agreement between the city of Quepos and the Costa Rican Ministry of Public Security, marks the first time we have directly contributed to the security efforts of a local municipality. Oscar Monge, the Mayor of Quepos, accepted the donation on behalf of the Quepos Municipal Police with great gratitude and enthusiasm. ¶3. (U) One of the key players that made this donation possible was Harry Bodaan, a private American citizen who owns a local boutique hotel who has become deeply involved in improving security in Quepos. He assisted in the liaison between the local government and the U.S. Embassy to arrange for the donation. At the donation ceremony, Monge and city council president Osvaldo Zarate emphasized the longstanding need for better police equipment to improve citizen security. Monge called the event "the happiest day of my life." Political officer Robert Andrew detailed the contents of the police equipment donated and expressed the Embassy's expectation that the equipment would help improve security in Quepos. ¶4. (U) Following the ceremony, the mayor led Post and media representatives on a tour of various Quepos sites in which his administration had significantly improved the level of security. Included in this tour were: -- a newly-constructed public park situated on a small peninsula, built on the site of a former discotheque where drugs used to be dealt; -- a street alongside Manuel Antonio Beach (popular among Amcits) that used to be filled with vendors who sold everything from beads to drugs, and was once the site of five to six assaults per day, has not seen a violent assault in four months; and -- a centrally-located parking lot under construction that used to be a dirt parking lot occupied by unlicensed taxis and drug dealers. The revenue from the lot will raise funds for the Quepos municipal police force. -------------- POSITIVE MEDIA COVERAGE -------------- ¶5. (U) Several national media representatives accompanied us and local officials at the donation ceremony and various site visits throughout the day. Radio Colombia, a nationally syndicated radio network and The Tico Times, Costa Rica's only English-language print weekly, interviewed both the mayor and Poloff. Poloff underscored the partnership between the "public-private-public" (Mayor's office/Bodaan/Embassy)sectors that made the donation possible. -------------- END-USE MONITORING OF QUEPOS COAST GUARD -------------- ¶6. (U) On November 24, Poloff conducted end-use monitoring (EUM) of previously donated coast guard equipment at Quepos. INL built a coast guard barracks and operations center as well as donated six boats and other support equipment eight years ago. All of the boats and equipment were accounted for; however, none of the boats were in operating condition (and have not been since 2003). ¶7. (SBU) During the EUM, we noted the construction status of Marina Pez Vela, a private marina mostly funded by retired American businessmen, and confirmed that two slips had been donated to the coast guard to berth two operational boats. During a short ride on a 36-foot patrol boat, the coast guard shared information with us about narco-trafficking activities along the coast and their efforts to interdict trafficking in the area. The boat that we rode in, named the Rio Naranjo, has three 200 h.p. engines and was seized from drug traffickers in June 2008. With a top speed of 40-45 knots, it now serves as one of the coast guard's primary vessels for intercepting drug runners along the Quepos area of the Pacific coast. ¶8. (SBU) While aboard the Rio Naranjo, the coast guard showed us the site of a particularly dangerous drug pursuit in September. Near the mouth of the Rio Damas River, where suspected drug-running vessels frequently hide, the coast guard boat in pursuit of one of these vessels capsized and two crew members drowned. The coast guard also showed us a small air strip on the coast where they believe drug traffickers frequently transfer from their cargo from "go-fasts" onto small airplanes to be shipped further north. The Quepos coast guard has taken some measures to better patrol the area and prevent shipments from leaving by air, but according to the coast guard there is little coordination between them and the drug control police (PCD) or any other law enforcement agency to maximize effectiveness of the operations. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Selecting Quepos as Post's pilot project for donating directly to a municipality directly promotes both USG security interests as well as improving security for resident and tourist Amcits. We estimate that hundreds, if not thousands, of Amcits are permanent residents in the Quepos area with hundreds of thousands of Amcits tourists visiting every year. During the high volume holiday season, the security of tourist areas is a crucial concern. ¶10. (U) Attachments include some photos of the donation ceremony, vessel Rio Naranjo in Marina Pez Vela, and a donation document completely listing the police equipment donated. BRENNAN