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RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ JUN QUITO 0429
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RUWDQAA/COMPACAREA COGARD ALAMEDA CA

UNCLAS LIMA 002205 
 
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: NAS MONTHLY REPORT MAY 2006 
 
 
¶1.  (U) Key developments in May 
 
--  The GOP has CORAH had eradicated 4,416 hectares of coca 
in 2006.  If the new GOP administration continues to support 
this effort, we believe eradication should top the CY 2006 
goal of 10,000 hectares by December. 
 
--  The GOP remains enthused about establishing an 
ILEA-Regional Training Center in Lima. 
 
--  PNP interdiction operations in the VRAE and Huallaga have 
driven down the price of coca leaf and caused precursor 
chemical prices to rise in these regions. 
 
 
¶2.  (U) Police Program - The supported DIRANDRO Special 
Operations-Special Group Interdiction in the Apurimac/Ene 
Valley (VRAE) destroyed 68 cocaine base laboratories and ton 
quantities of essential chemicals and coca leaf.  DIRANDRO 
special teams seized 18,641 kilograms of cocaine. 
PNP personnel working out of the police base in Santa Lucia 
provided security for eradicators and destroyed 9 cocaine 
base laboratories. Totals for the year include 307 destroyed 
cocaine laboratories of which 173 were found in the VRAE 
area.  The PNP claims to have seized 6 metric tons of cocaine 
base, ten times last year's effort over the same time frame. 
PNP interdiction efforts have driven coca leaf prices from 70 
soles to 50 soles per 25 pound bag (a measure known as an 
arroba) and have caused precursor chemical prices to rise in 
the coca growing valleys. 
 
¶3. (U) Coca Control - On May 19, CORAH opened a second 
eradication front in Sion/Campanilla.  When finished, they 
will move south to the Tocache area to support the first 
front and continue working southward with the goal of making 
San Martin coca-free by mid-July of this year. As of May 24, 
CORAH had eradicated 4,416 hectares of coca and 11,187 square 
meters of seedbeds.  CORAH has been averaging 90 hectares a 
day since the beginning of operations in the Campanilla Area. 
 
 
¶4.  (U) CADA is supporting two AID pilot programs: one 
involves measuring illicit coca crops in two national parks 
in the Pasco Department with the purpose of replacing it with 
eco-tourism; the other pilot involves measuring the plots and 
productivity of 100 farmers registered with ENACO in La 
Libertad Department to provide insight into how ENACO might 
better control the marketing of legal coca. 
 
¶5.  (U) ICT went into the field for a third time in order to 
take sample measurements of coca located in the 
Sion/Campanilla area.  This information will be used to come 
up with a realistic measure for Cocaine Production 
Averted(CPA). 
 
¶6.  (U) Eradication On Hold For Presidential Elections: Big 
Airlift - PNP General Vizcarra ordered police to suspend 
support for eradication operations for 7 days before the 
second-round election runoff  June 4, and possibly for a few 
days afterwards.  The eradication security police are 
replacing DINOES police, who are being transferred from 
communities and cities East of the Andes to Lima. 
The cost factor of keeping the 600 contract eradicators 
camped at Santa Lucia base was prohibitive: the eradicators 
will go home and return to work after the elections. 
 
¶7.  (U) The operation to move all the police and CORAH 
workers was, we believe, the largest single airlift NAS Lima 
has coordinated, done at a few days notice.  It involved 
using airplanes and helicopters, including 9 Huey 2s, 2 PNP 
MI-17s, 2 PNP Antonov 32s, Cessna 206 and 208, PNP Yankee-12 
and the FAP's C-26.  Six hundred CORAH and 250 PNP were moved 
out of the field to Santa Lucia - then 600 eradicators and 
130 police were moved to Tingo Maria (where most originate). 
Thirty police were moved to Aguaytia. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Port security program - During the month of April 
2006, the police at the Jorge Chavez International Airport 
Program in Lima seized 95 kgs of cocaine, 1.5 kgs of opium 
latex, and arrested 23 passengers.  The total tally for May 
was 287 kgs of cocaine seized from 36 drug smugglers.  During 
May 2006, drug police also seized approximately 100 kgs in 33 
separate detection cases at the Peruvian post office. 
Peruvian Customs dog handlers and their canines that recently 
completed training at USCBP K9 Academy, Front Royal, 
Virginia, have dramatically increased drug seizures at Lima 
Airport.  NAS USCBP Advisors are entering pertinent 
information regarding airport illicit narcotics arrests in US 
Law Enforcement and US State Consular databases, especially 
when arrestees are involved in the Visa Waiver program. 
 
¶9. (SBU)   Peru's Manifest Review Unit (MRU) is now 
analyzing/inspecting an average of 120 containers per month 
that transit the Port of Callao, a substantially greater 
number of shipping containers than a year ago when no more 
than four containers per month were searched.  The MRU 
identifies containers that are suspicious.  NAS has provided 
the Peruvian Customs with various non-intrusive detection 
technology such as ion scanners, busters, and now a mobile 
x-ray van.  Peruvian law enforcement officers will use the 
mobile x-ray van to conduct no-notice blitzes at various 
airports and seaports.  The NAS USCBP advisor has trained the 
Peruvian Customs Special Operation Brigade and the MRU to use 
this equipment in accord with FLETC standards.  The NAS Ports 
Program is working with Peruvian customs officials to deploy 
two X-ray scanners to inspect maritime containers at Lima's 
Port of Callao.  NAS is attempting to contract a second 
scanner for Peru's second leading seaport, Paita, near the 
Ecuadorian border. Eventu 
ally, over 50,000 containers leaving Peru's port will be 
scanned per year. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) In April, NAS advisors briefed DEA regarding a 
container suspected to be carrying drugs to the Bahamas. 
Bahamian police who seized 65 kgs of cocaine Hcl found inside 
the container.  By working this case, the Peruvian police 
discovered a smuggling ring at the Port of Callao. Ring 
members were breaking and regluing maritime container seals 
in order to put drugs into containers that had already passed 
Customs inspection. The Peruvian drug police are managing the 
follow-on investigation. 
 
¶11.  (U)  The GOP is working on its reply to the USG's offer 
to establish a Regional Training Center in Lima under the 
auspices of the International Law Enforcement Academy.  In 
the meantime, the GOP has agreed to host three new courses 
under the ILEA-RTC banner in July and August.  The courses 
will focus on combatting money laundering and trafficking in 
persons. 
STRUBLE