VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHPE #0034/01 0052001
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 052001Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY LIMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3527
INFO RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 4232
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 7151
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ JAN QUITO 0915
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 000034 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR INL/LP 
STATE FOR WHA/PPC 
ONDCP FOR LT COL RONALD GARNER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR KCRM ASEC PREL PE
SUBJECT: NAS MONTHLY REPORT, DECEMBER 2006 
 
REF: LIMA 4766 
 
--------- 
SUMMARY 
--------- 

¶1. (U) The key developments in November 2006: 
 
** CORAH ended the year with a total of 10,137 hectares of 
coca leaf eradicated. 
 
** The GOP's 2007 Eradication Plan is still awaiting a final 
signature. 
 
** CORAH completes many financial and management improvements 
this year. 
 
** Regional eradication-alternative development seminar in 
Lima hailed as success. 
 
** ICT is developing a marketing plan to achieve 
sustainability. 
 
** Third police "pre-academy" opens with 179 students. 
 
** Narco-terrorist ambush kills 8, including 5 police. 
 
** Nine UH-2 pilots graduated at Pucallpa--one more step 
toward nationalization of CN efforts. 
 
** NAS-funded ports programs seized 2.1 metric tons of 
cocaine HCL in 2006, which is more than double the amount 
seized last year. 
 
END SUMMARY 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
CORAH EXCEEDS ANNUAL GOAL OF 10,000 HECTARES 
--------------------------------------------- 

¶2. (U) CORAH ended the year with a total of 10,136.58 
hectares of coca eradicated, mainly in the San Martin 
Department.  Using the Cocaine Production Averted (CPA) 
formula, CORAH operations avoided the production of 34 metric 
tons of cocaine HCl.  CORAH also eliminated 36,195 square 
meters of seedbeds that would have become an additional 2,413 
hectares of new coca plots.  The 2007 Eradication Plan has 
been submitted to the Minister of Interior and is awaiting 
her signature. 
 
¶3. (U) From November 28 through December 15, CORAH worked 
with a limited workforce since only 60 police personnel 
returned to the field after their election-security 
assignments.  This meant that CORAH did not stay in the field 
overnight, making operations less efficient and thereby more 
costly.  CORAH is standing down for the holidays and is 
planning to restart operations on January 8 depending on the 
weather (it is the rainy season). 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
CORAH ADMINISTRATION REVIEWED AND IMPROVED IN 2006 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 

¶4. (U) During the year, NAS did financial and management 
audits of CORAH with the goal of identifying areas for 
improvement and cost savings.  Below are some of the results 
of this administrative review: 
  --  The Administrative Procedure Manuals were completely 
revised. 
  --  A computerized, integrated, administration system has 
been installed and tested. 
  --  The 2007 Eradication Plan will include much needed 
training for all personnel. 
  --  NAS is providing management training material and 
guidance to managers. 
  --  CORAH's 2007 audit plan has been approved. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
REGIONAL CN SEMINAR HAILED AS A SUCCESS 
---------------------------------------- 

¶5. (U) An eradication-alternative development seminar was 
held in Lima on December 5-6.  Joint NAS-USAID delegations 
came from Colombia, Bolivia, and Ecuador (a delegation from 
Afghanistan had to cancel at the last minute) as well as 
representatives of INL/LP, USAID-Washington, and ONDCP.  The 
discussions focused on the positive results that come about 
when alternative development programs and eradication 
operations are coordinated.  Results included each country 
team identifying some next steps to implement, a commitment 
to pursue an integrated communications campaign, and a 
determination to share expertise through visits from country 
to country.  Many participants commented on the usefulness of 
the seminar. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
ICT STILL IMPROVING CPA; NOW DEVELOPING MARKETING PLAN 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 

¶6. (U) The Institute for Tropical Crops (ICT) was in the 
field in mid-December collecting final coca-plant data for 
the year to include in the CPA Formula in order to make the 
2006 estimate as precise as possible.  ICT, CADA, and CORAH 
also tested their different methodologies for measuring plant 
density per hectare.  The results will be ready soon.  In 
addition, ICT is analyzing whether their budget for 2007 
should be modified to allocate more funding for developing 
and implementing a marketing plan.  It is important to start 
implementation in 2007 if ICT is to become sustainable within 
five years. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
WEATHER SLOWS INTERDICTION; 3RD PRE-ACADEMY STARTS 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 

¶7. (U) Heavy rain and serious flooding in the Huallaga and 
the VRAE slowed interdiction operations in December.  The 
third of three police pre-academies opened in Ayacucho this 
month with 179 students. 
 
¶8. (U) According to data from DIRANDRO, the totals for 
interdiction operations in 2006 are: 
  -- 713 cocaine-base laboratories destroyed; 
  -- 11 cocaine HCl laboratories destroyed; 
  -- 5.1 tons of cocaine base seized; 
  -- 14.6 tons of cocaine HCl seized; 
  -- 203.5 tons of precursor chemicals destroyed; 
  -- 490 tons of coca leaf destroyed. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
NARCO-TERRORIST AMBUSH IN VRAE KILLS EIGHT 
------------------------------------------- 

¶9. (SBU) On December 16, eight people were ambushed and 
killed by a group of about 20 suspected narco-terrorists 
using automatic weapons.  Five police officers and two 
inspectors from the national parastatal that regulates the 
legal coca market (ENACO) were killed when their vehicle was 
ambushed; a civilian bystander was also killed.  The attack 
took place in the jungle region in the Ene and Apurimac River 
Valley (VRAE).  Two days later after a jungle pursuit, a 
military patrol captured eight suspects with weapons 
allegedly used in the attack; other fugitives remain at 
large.  The ambush was similar to the December 2005 Sendero 
Luminoso (SL) attack killing five police in the VRAE.  Police 
speculate that the perpetrators of the recent attack were SL 
remnants acting on behalf of narcotraffickers (see reftel). 
Four UH-2s were used to transport reinforcements to the scene 
and medevac the victims. 
 
------------------------------------------ 
NINE NEW PERUVIAN PILOTS TRAINED ON UH-2S 
------------------------------------------ 

¶10. (U) On December 7, nine Peruvian pilots graduated from 
the first UH-2 helicopter qualification course taught, in 
part, by Peruvian Air Police instructor pilots (IPs).  The 
training was done at the NAS base at Pucallpa.  The commander 
of the PNP Air Police, General Daniel De La Flor and NAS 
Deputy Director Garace Reynard presided over the ceremony. 
In CY 2007, additional Peruvian IPs will soon be trained at 
Pucallpa so that the PNP will be able to train its own 
pilots.  New pilots will continue to receive initial 
rotary-wing training in the U.S., but they will be trained on 
the new UH-2s in Pucallpa.  NAS is moving toward 
nationalization without lowering the standards in pilot 
qualification and safety. 
 
¶11. (U) When eradication operations halted on December 15, 
the UH-2s were moved to Pucallpa for intensive maintenance. 
The contractor used the holiday hiatus to prepare the 
helicopters for operations in 2007.  Also, night-vision 
goggle (NVG) training was completed by flight crews during 
this period. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
PORTS PROGRAM: COCAINE SEIZURES UP 100 PERCENT OVER 2005 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 

¶12. (SBU) The NAS-funded ports programs seized 2.1 metric 
tons of cocaine HCL in 2006, which is more than double the 
amount seized last year.  This month seizures netted 399 kg 
of cocaine HCL.  The Customs and Airport Police at Jorge 
Chavez International Airport (Lima) seized 122 kg from 
travelers and cargo shipments. 
 
¶13. (SBU) On December 7 with information from the 
NAS/DEA-sponsored Manifest Review Unit (MRU), the Peruvian 
Customs seized of 52.54 kg in a maritime container scheduled 
to leave the Port of Callao in the ship "Parana".  In 
addition, the MRU sent an international alert that led to the 
seizure of 190 kg of cocaine in a maritime container on Dec 
20 in Freeport, Bahamas. 
 
¶14. (SBU) On December 23, NAS Ports personnel were told about 
34.7 kg of cocaine HCl that had spilled from a garbage 
dumpster when it was accidentally struck by a truck moving 
cargo at Pier 2, Port of Callao.  Apparently, the cocaine was 
pre-staged for loading on one of the two ships docked at the 
pier.  NAS Ports Program is urging Peruvian Customs to 
restart the spot checks of cargo and containers at pier side 
prior to loading on ships in addition to the on-going 
container scanner operations.  The spot checks are designed 
to prevent the last-minute insertion of drugs into 
cargo/containers and to prevent traffickers from passing 
cocaine to crew members just prior to a ship's departure. 
STRUBLE