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Viewing cable 08COTONOU20, DRUG TRAFFICKING IN BENIN

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
08COTONOU20 2008-01-09 11:45 2011-08-30 01:44 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Cotonou
VZCZCXRO8010
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHCO #0020/01 0091145
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 091145Z JAN 08
FM AMEMBASSY COTONOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0097
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHNA/DEA HQS WASHDC
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 0004
RUEHOS/AMCONSUL LAGOS 1293
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COTONOU 000020 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS INL/AAE 
LAGOS FOR SAM GAYE 
 
E.O. 12958:N/A 
TAGS: SNARPGOVBN
SUBJECT: DRUG TRAFFICKING IN BENIN 
 
REF: (A) STATE 165562 (B) 07 COTONOU 893 (C) 07 COTONOU 867 (D) 07 
COTONOU 648 
 
1.(SBU) Summary:  The GOB's weakness in controlling its borders and 
allegations of corruption in its police force present serious 
challenges to fighting drug trafficking in Benin.  According to 
published reports and friendly government sources, cocaine and 
heroin transit Benin, and marijuana is cultivated and used in Benin. 
The GOB has the will to act against drug traffickers but lacks the 
equipment and the honest and well-trained police force such 
enforcement requires.  End Summary. 
 
2.(SBU) As detailed in Ref C, Benin is a transit country for cocaine 
and heroin, and marijuana is cultivated for use in Benin. 
Approximately 420 kilograms of cocaine was seized in Benin in 2007. 
This marks a remarkable surge over 2006 seizures of approximately 23 
kilograms of cocaine.  According to information from the French 
Police Attache, cocaine from South America and heroin from 
South-East Asia transit Benin en route to Europe.  According to the 
French, it continues to the United States via Charles De Gaulle 
airport.  The GOB lacks any real equipment for detection of drug 
trafficking at its borders, and does not have the capacity to 
interdict traffickers at sea.  In that regard, there is a strong 
possibility that trafficking in narcotics in Benin is a larger 
problem than current statistics indicate. 
 
3.(U) The GOB passed anti-drug legislation in 1997 modeled on the 
United Nations Drug Convention and adopted a national policy on 
combating illegal narcotics in 1999.  President Yayi's government, 
which has been in office since April 2006, has shown interest in 
fighting drug trafficking and corruption.  After Benin's largest 
drug bust in August 2007, when more than 360 kilograms of cocaine 
was seized after a drug running vessel ran ashore off the coast of 
Ouidah, (Ref D) the GOB moved swiftly to investigate allegations of 
police corruption in the cocaine seizure.  When the GOB's 
investigation revealed corruption within OCERTID (Central Office for 
Repression of Illicit Drug Trafficking), the Beninese National 
Police's anti-drug division, the GOB ordered the arrest of five 
members of OCERTID including Roger Talon, OCERTID's director at the 
time.  The National Director of Police, Antoine Azonhounmey, was 
subsequently fired for insubordination when he failed to comply with 
the Minister of Interior's directions to bring the officers under 
investigation before the investigating judge. 
 
4.(SBU) In addition to the GOB's willingness to take action against 
corrupt police officers the GOB has asked repeatedly for U.S. 
assistance in improving its police force to fight against illegal 
drugs (Ref B).  Felix Hessou, the Minister of the Interior, is a 
credible interlocutor who appears to have a sense of urgency in 
combating illegal narcotics trafficking in Benin. 
 
4.(SBU) Minister Hessou's efforts are undercut by the weakness of 
OCERTID, the police division responsible for combating narcotics 
trafficking. OCERTID's limited forces have little training or 
equipment.  OCERTID's Director and Deputy Director were both 
arrested on allegations of stealing and trafficking the cocaine 
OCERTID recovered from the August 2007 drug bust in Ouidah.  Benin's 
security forces depend solely on finding drugs during searches of 
people or goods and from tips from the public.  Benin does not 
employ equipment or dogs in its searches.  OCERTID can perform 
limited testing on seized drugs to determine their composition.  It 
requests assistance from its counterparts in Nigeria to perform 
advanced testing.  While Benin has criminalized money laundering, 
the police lack the capacity to effectively investigate and prevent 
it. 
 
5.(SBU) The French government is the most active bilateral partner 
in assisting the GOB to improve its capacity to fight against 
illegal drug trafficking.  In the past, the French provided 
counter-narcotics training at OCERTID and training at the national 
police school in Porto-Novo. Additionally, the French Embassy has a 
full-time Police Attache.  Pending funding, the French plan to 
expand the number of trainings offered in Benin and will begin, in 
2008, to build a computerized network, which will allow Benin's 
police force to share information on major crimes. 
 
6.(SBU) Comment: President Yayi and his administration are committed 
to countering corruption and have taken a series of anti-corruption 
measures since they began governing in April 2006.  His Minister of 
the Interior takes the problem of narcotics trafficking seriously 
but lacks the resources and a trained and honest police force to 
lead the fight.  USG assistance to improve Benin's ability to combat 
drug trafficking would be welcomed by its political leaders who have 
shown a willingness to move against it. End Comment. 
 
 
COTONOU 00000020  002 OF 002 
 
 
BROWN