VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHPE #5486/01 3641939
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 301939Z DEC 05
FM AMEMBASSY LIMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7851
INFO RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 2786
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 6389
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ JAN QUITO 9859
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF STATE AIR WING PATRICK AFB FL
RHEHOND/DIRONDCP WASHDC
RHMFIUU/COGARD INTELCOORDCEN WASHINGTON DC
RULSJGA/COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC//G-CI/G-M/G-OLE//
RUCOWCA/COMLANTAREA COGARD PORTSMOUTH VA
RUWDQAA/COMPACAREA COGARD ALAMEDA CA

UNCLAS LIMA 005486 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR INL/LP 
STATE FOR WHA/PPC 
ONDCP FOR D. GEDDINGS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR KCRM ASEC PREL PE
SUBJECT: PERU: NARCOTICS AFFAIRS, DECEMBER 2005 
 
REF: A. LIMA 5203 
 
     ¶B. LIMA 5335 
     ¶C. LIMA 5397 
     ¶D. LIMA 5440 
 
--------- 
SUMMARY 
--------- 
¶1.  (SBU) The Government of Peru (GOP) eradicated close to 
9,000 hectares of coca in 2005, far surpassing its goal of 
8,000 hectares.  This achievement was accomplished through 
the strong commitment of the Ministry of Interior's 
eradication force (CORAH) and the drug police (DIRANDRO) that 
provided security support.  Another measure of this year's 
successes was that DIRANDRO destroyed 518 cocaine-base 
laboratories  in 2005.  On December 30, 197 new police 
officers graduated from the NAS-funded academies, raising to 
394 the number of new police that have graduated from 
NAS-sponsored police academies east of the Andes.  The newly 
graduated police will be assigned to DIRANDRO units in coca 
growing zones.  In December, Sendero Luminoso adherents 
ambushed and killed five DIRANDRO and eight PNP officers in 
separate attacks. The UH-2s were used to medevac the wounded. 
 The FAP and the PNP are doing joint CN/CT operations with 
the two FAP-owned C-26 aircraft.  The NAS Maritime/Port 
Program has started a program to identify airline passengers 
who may be smuggling drugs or laundering money.  NAS 
continues to expand the K-9 program (more handlers, better 
facilities), extending its presence in the ports of Paita and 
Iquitos and its outreach to private shippers and exporters to 
gain useful and timely intelligence.  The GOP's national 
office of drug policy (DEVIDA) has set an ambitious 2006 goal 
to eradicate 10,000 hectares of coca in 2006.  In 2006, NAS 
will begin measuring the success of our eradication efforts 
using the Cocaine Production Averted (CPA) formula developed 
by the Crime and Narcotics Center (CNC) in Washington.  (END 
SUMMARY) 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
ERADICATION ENDS FOR 2005: ANNUAL GOAL ACHIEVED 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
¶2.  (U) December 14 marked the last day of CORAH eradication 
operations for 2005.  The final campaign of the year was in 
San Gaban in southeastern Peru.  During the last four days, 
CORAH fielded two teams of over 150 eradicators each to 
eradicate the last of the coca in the area.  All camp 
equipment and personnel were out of the base camp at Mazuko 
by December 18. 
 
¶3.  (U) Final numbers for 2005 are as follows: 8,966.26 
hectares of coca eradicated, 53,084 square meters of seedbeds 
destroyed (the equivalent of 3,539 hectares if they had been 
planted) and the discovery and observed destruction of 49 
maceration pits.  Average density of plants per hectare for 
the year was 42,340 plants, with the highest monthly density 
average being in San Gaban with 54,120 plants per hectare in 
November.  Based on plant density and the number of hectares 
eradicated, approximately 380 million plants were uprooted by 
CORAH. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The auditing firm Deloitte won the bid to conduct 
the audit of CORAH and the Institute of Tropical Crops 
(ICT).The accounting firm will do a traditional audit as well 
as a review of operations, administration procedures, and 
salary scales. 
 
---------------------------------- 
NEW ERADICATION GOAL SET FOR 2006 
---------------------------------- 
¶5.  (SBU) The 2006 GOP Eradication Plan has a goal of 10,000 
hectares to be eradicated--up from 8,000 in 2005.  There is 
an option to mount campaigns in the Apurimac and Ene River 
Valleys (VRAE) and the Monzon that would require the GOP to 
commit to establishing a permanent government presence in the 
areas, including police, health, education, and economic 
development. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Eradication is scheduled to begin in Polvora-Pizana 
as well as in Yanajanca to the south on January 10, 2006. 
President Toledo has not yet approved the plan.  Farmers have 
been replanting based on rumors that CORAH will not return 
until 2010. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
"COCAINE PRODUCTION AVERTED" FORMULA READY FOR USE 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
¶7.  (SBU) NAS-Lima has seen a real need to develop a formula 
for determining the tonnage of cocaine that was not/not 
produced due to eradication efforts--the Cocaine Production 
Averted (CPA) formula.  The formula uses the number of 
hectares eradicated, the quality of the leaf and the density 
of the plants per hectare in a given area to calculate how 
much cocaine production was averted.  After much 
consultation, NAS-Lima received CNC and DEA approval to use 
the formula the CNC devised to determine the CPA.  The CPA 
will be used at the local and regional levels in public 
outreach efforts.  Hectares eradicated will continue to be 
reported as well. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
POLICE PROGRAM: MORE SEIZURES AND NEW POLICE OFFICERS 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
¶8.  (U) In 2005, DIRANDRO's Special Operations Groups 
destroyed 518 cocaine-base laboratories in the 
Palmapampa/VRAE area.  Overall, DIRANDRO seized 4.49 metric 
tons of cocaine base, 11.5 metric tons of cocaine HCl, 500 
kilos of opium latex.  It also destroyed 584 metric tons of 
precursor chemicals, seized 64 metric tons of precursor 
chemicals, and eradicated 92.50 hectares of opium. 
 
¶9.  (U) On December 30, 197 students will graduate from each 
of the DIRANDRO/NAS Basic Training Academy, in Santa Lucia 
and Mazamari. All of the new officers will be assigned to 
DIRANDRO counternarcotics units east of the Andes to support 
eradication and interdiction activities in the VRAE and Upper 
Huallaga Valleys. In January 2006, 200 men and 50 women will 
start a one-year training program in Santa Lucia, Mazamari, 
and a new academy in Ayacucho.  This is the first year that 
women will receive this training. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
TWO DEADLY ATTACKS ON POLICE BY NARCO-TERRORISTS 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
¶10.  (SBU) On December 5, five DIRANDRO officers were killed 
in an ambush by 15 to 20 men near San Francisco in the 
Ayacucho region while transporting a prosecutor and a 
detained narcotrafficking suspect.  According to Post 
sources, a column of Sendero Luminoso (SL) carried out the 
attack.  The SL are thought to be trying to neutralize the 
presence of DIRANDRO troops in the VRAE where they have been 
destroying cocaine-base laboratories.  These interdiction 
operations caused the price of coca leaf to plummet from 120 
to 40 Soles for a 11.5 kg bag of leaf.  Precursor chemicals 
have tripled in price due to DIRANDRO's roadside inspections 
to stop the diversion of chemicals into the drug growing 
valleys. 
 
¶11.  (SBU) On December 20, SL members killed eight PNP 
officers near the town of Aucayacu, located in the Huallaga 
River coca production zone (Ref C).  An estimated 20 SL 
members ambushed the PNP vehicle near a bridge on the Tingo 
Maria-to-Aucayacu highway.  Seven police officers died in the 
20-minute gun battle.  Another died later at a local clinic. 
Post believes the pattern of SL activity is changing, and 
that the security situation in areas where the Sl is 
operating will continue to deteriorate until the GOP takes 
effective countermeasures. 
 
¶12.  (C) Post is seeing an increasing involvement of SL in 
narcotics trafficking, including a vertically integrated, 
FARC-like approach to coca paste production by at least one 
SL group.  The armed Sendero Luminoso factions in the Monzon 
and VRAE valleys have changed both their strategic objectives 
and tactics in a way that has implications for our 
counternarcotics work and anti-terrorism interests.  See Refs 
B and D. 
 
------------------------------------------ 
HELICOPTERS CALLED ON TO EVACUATE WOUNDED 
------------------------------------------ 
¶13.  (SBU) Two NAS UH-2s were used to  extract two seriously 
wounded soldiers during an attack by an SL unit on a Peruvian 
Army outpost near Quiteni in the vicinity of Satipo.  NAS was 
also asked to evacuate the PNP wounded in the ambush near 
Aucayacu where seven PNP had been killed.  Based on 
intelligence reports that a specific PNP base would be 
attacked during the holidays, NAS stationed helicopters at 
Mazamari and Pucallpa for possible emergency support. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
C-26 AIRCRAFT PROVE THEIR WORTH--AND THEN SOME 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
¶14.  (SBU) With the increase in CN/CT activity, the two 
Peruvian Air Force (FAP) C-26s have provided critical and 
timely airlift support and reconnaissance.  Overall, the FAP 
C-26 CN Air Squadron has provided excellent support, a 
positive attitude, and a clear desire to do joint operations 
with other GOP entities and the USG.  NAS and the FAP have 
not been satisfied with the availability of the aircraft 
because of unscheduled and scheduled maintenance and the 
delivery time for spare parts.  The aircraft are maintained 
by ARINC, a USG-funded contract.  A meeting is schedule with 
ARINC on January 5, 2006, to resolve the problems. 
 
¶15.  (SBU) The C-26s are proving to be a valuable asset in 
CN/CT operations.  During their first 3-plus months of 
operation, the C-26s have done the following: 
   --FLIR missions flown in support of CN/CT operations - 16 
   --Reconnaissance missions flown 
          -- Clandestine runways checked - 78 
          -- Cocaine-base labs discovered - 3 
          -- Fields of coca/poppy identified - 2 
   --Airlift support 
          -- Passengers - 384 
          -- Cargo - 26,324 lbs 
          -- MEDEVACs - 5 (4 life saving) 
   Joint Operations: PNP and Armed Forces of GOP - 6 
       -- Indentified CT personnel and structures during 
          operations. 
 
  Total aviation support for 2005 by aircraft type: 
       -- UH-1s and 2s - 6070 flight hours 
       -- C-208 - 635 flight hours 
       -- B1900 D - 118 flight hours 
       -- C-26s - 217 flight hours 
       -- T-65 - 81 flight hours 
       -- MI-17 - 120 flight hours 
       -- Y-12 - 188 flight hours 
       -- Antonov - 32-161 flight hours 
       -- Charters (commercial aircraft included) - 123 
          flight hours 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
MARITIME/PORT PROGRAM: SEIZURES AND GOP COOPERATION INCREASE 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
¶16.  (SBU) With the support of the NAS Maritime/Port Program, 
the GOP seized two containers of Peruvian antiquities 
protected by cultural patrimony laws during December.  The 
smugglers tried to bribe a Peruvian Customs agent who 
reported the incident.  The U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection (USCBP) Advisor sent an alert to the U.S. 
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attach in Mexico, 
where another container of antiquities was seized by Mexican 
authorities.  NAS became involved because it was assumed that 
the bribery attempt involved narcotics.  These seizures 
demonstrated to the GOP the value-added of the NAS Port 
Programs for preventing the smuggling of its national 
treasures. 
 
¶17.  (SBU) NAS has started a program, the Passenger 
Analystical Unit (PAU), at the Lima airport to review 
passengers suspected of drug/money trafficking to the U.S. 
The PAU is performing well in alerting authorities to 
counternarcotics smuggling, arrests and some cases of 
 
excessive money transit has been reported.  For example, 
during December, a person was detained in Los Angeles airport 
with $2.4 million dollars due to an alert from the PAU in 
Lima.  Several people have been arrested for drug smuggling 
(80% of arrested smugglers are U.S. Residents or Visa Waiver 
Program participants).  The goal of the PAU is to create a 
joint PNP and Customs unit that mirrors the NAS-sponsored 
joint Manifest Review Unit at the Port of Callao and operates 
like the USCBP PAU in the Miami International Airport. 
 
¶18.  (SBU) NAS continues to coordinate with Lima Airport 
officials concerning the consolidation of PNP and Customs 
canine facilities at the airport.  The objective is to 
consolidate the K-9 programs in one location for training and 
kennel services.  NAS is also expanding CN efforts in the 
Port of Paita, Peru's second largest port by volume.  Paita 
is now exporting approximately 80,000 containers annually (up 
from 8,500 in 2001).  The majority of these containers are 
shipped to the U.S.  On December 16, USG personnel (NAS, DEA, 
MAAG) met with PNP and Peruvian Navy officials in Iquitos to 
coordinate USG and GOP counternarcotics efforts in the area. 
The group will have monthly coordination meetings. 
 
¶19.  (SBU) NAS USCBP personnel have met with various export 
and private shipping companies in order to formulate 
methodologies for obtaining timely information on suspicious 
shipping practices that will assist the MRU in identifying 
contraband.  NAS met with the majority of private 
warehouse/terminal companies and GOP officials in order to 
improve the information flow and cooperation between Peruvian 
counterdrug entities and warehouses to prevent smuggling. 
 
¶20.  (U) Happy New Year! 
STRUBLE