VZCZCXYZ0002
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHQT #2809/01 3192223
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 152223Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY QUITO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5690
INFO RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA IMMEDIATE 6180
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA IMMEDIATE 1165
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ NOV 0225
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA IMMEDIATE 3680
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS IMMEDIATE 2173
RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA IMMEDIATE 0667
RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL IMMEDIATE 1443
RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL

UNCLAS QUITO 002809 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MASS SNAR PTER EC CO PE
SUBJECT: LAB BUSTS MARK ECUADOR'S MOVE FROM TRANSIT TO 
PRODUCTION 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: The Ecuadorian National Police (ENP), 
working with Peruvian anti-drug authorities and the DEA, 
uncovered and dismantled three cocaine processing labs in 
southern Ecuador.  The ENP arrested 45 individuals - 
including Colombian fugitive Juan Solarte Mora, and seized 
vehicles, boats, cocaine processing chemicals, and other 
support equipment.  This was the largest drug lab bust ever 
in Ecuador, a success that underscores the vulnerability of 
Ecuador's porous southern border with Peru and demonstrates a 
clear shift towards Ecuador by narcotics traffickers not just 
for transit but now also as a platform for production. 
Moreover, the proximity of these labs to Eastern Pacific 
access points dovetails with the well-established shift from 
Colombian to Ecuadorian flagged vessel for shipping multi-ton 
loads of cocaine.  On the public opinion front, the bust has 
received considerable media coverage, with some finally 
calling for a stronger GOE anti-drug stance.  End Summary. 
 
"Operation Tsunami" Rains Results 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The Ecuadorian National Police Sensitive 
Investigation Unit (ENP-SIU), acting on surveillance 
information collected over three months, initiated "Operation 
Tsunami" on November 7.  The highly successful operation 
 
SIPDIS 
targeted a suspected cocaine conversion laboratory (base to 
crystal) operated by Colombian fugitive chemist Juan Solarte 
Mora in Carchipulla, a small mining town in the southern 
Ecuadorian province of El Oro.  ENP-SIU officials seized 200 
kilograms of cocaine base and excavated numerous barrels of 
processing chemicals in the recently abandoned and highly 
toxic underground lab.  Believed to have been built in or 
around 2001, the ENP-SIU estimates that the lab likely 
produced between two and four tons of cocaine a month.  A 
second smaller lab still in use was discovered and dismantled 
near-by.  The ENP-SIU, with the assistance of Peruvian 
anti-drug authorities and the DEA, successfully arrested 45 
individuals in "Operation Tsunami." 
 
Super Lab Discovered 
-------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The ENP-SIU on November 9 reported that they had 
identified a third cocaine conversion laboratory in the 
remote El Oro town of Cerro Azul - one hour east of 
Carchipulla.  ENP-SIU officials raided the site on November 
10, discovering sleeping quarters for 18, storage facilities 
with 200 55-gallon barrels of chemicals (hydrogen peroxide, 
methyletholkeytone, and hydrochloric acid), 100 bags of 
caustic soda, and 50 to 80 barrels of yet to be identified 
chemicals from a Guayaquil based chemical company.  Five heat 
lamps, six microwave ovens, tape, cellophane, and other items 
used to package the drugs were also confiscated.  A separate 
storage facility housed 15-20 large 300-gallon plastic 
containers used to mix base with chemicals. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) ENP Police Chief General Jose Vinueza lauded the 
bust as the "largest" ever in Ecuador, capable of producing 
an estimated four to six tons of cocaine a month.  The lab, 
believed to have been built within the last year, was powered 
by a newly purchased Yamaha generator and was equipped with 
potable water.  Colombian fugitive Juan Solarte Mora ran the 
operation, receiving large supplies of base cocaine from 
Peruvian traffickers.  Two Ecuadorian police officers (not 
associated with the ENP-SIU) were found to be supporting the 
drug smuggling/processing efforts - a warrant for their 
arrest is imminent. 
 
Press Coverage Extensive, Some Question GOE 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Press coverage of the El Oro busts has remained 
mainly factual, hopefully helping to better educate 
Ecuadorians on the growing narcotics threat.  Most articles 
also noted General Vinueza's public confirmation of DEA 
logistical support in the drug lab busts.  A November 14 
editorial in the Guayaquil daily "El Expresso de Guayaquil", 
noted that the ENP had discovered numerous narcotrafficking 
cases...with the "effective collaboration of the DEA and once 
again proving that the Manta Base (FOL) is fulfilling its 
role as defined in the accord." 
 
Comment 
 
------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The ENP-SIU is a special DEA vetted unit that has 
worked closely and effectively with the U.S. on numerous 
narcotrafficking cases.  The El Oro busts signals an alarming 
shift in the production of cocaine to Ecuador, and highlights 
the vulnerability of Ecuador's porous southern border region. 
 The discovery of cocaine processing labs in southern Ecuador 
and their proximity to Eastern Pacific access points further 
highlights the shift in the use of Ecuadorian flagged vessels 
to move multi-ton cocaine loads. While the ENP-SIU and the 
Ecuadorian Navy played a significant role in the 61 metric 
tons of cocaine seized in Ecuador in fiscal year 2006, 
resource limitations continue to hinder wider action against 
what is clearly a large and growing challenge. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) On the national political scene, high-ranking GOE 
officials, to Ecuador's detriment, have traditionally been 
slow in acknowledging the true scope of the narcotics 
problem, choosing instead to lay blame on the U.S. consumer 
market.  Foreign Minister Francisco Carrion's repeated public 
statements against the Manta FOL in contrast to his emphatic 
demand for an ATPDEA extension as a reward for Ecuador's 
international counter-narcotics obligations epitomizes the 
GOE's schizophrenic approach to the regional drug war.  We 
will continue to define, both publicly and privately, the 
regional drug fight as multi-faceted, of which the Manta FOL 
is key. More successes like this will surely impact public 
opinion and push high-ranking GOE officials to acknowledge 
and address the narcotics threat accordingly. 
JEWELL