VZCZCXRO7931
PP RUEHPA
DE RUEHDK #1291/01 1690806
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 180806Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY DAKAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8557
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 0031
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 0245
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 0028
RUEHLC/AMEMBASSY LIBREVILLE 0955
RUEHLI/AMEMBASSY LISBON 0796
RUEHLU/AMEMBASSY LUANDA 0422
RUEHTO/AMEMBASSY MAPUTO 0458
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 0028

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DAKAR 001291 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR INL/AAE, AF/W, AF/RSA AND INR/AA 
ACCRA FOR USAID/WA 
PARIS FOR POL - D'ELIA AND DEA - HOUSTON 
LAGOS FOR DEA - GAYE 
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE PLS PASS DEA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/14/2016 
TAGS: SNAR PGOV PREL PU
SUBJECT: GUINEA BISSAU: DRUG FIGHT TAKES BIG STEP BACKWARD 
 
Classified By: DCM Robert P. Jackson for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
¶1.  (C) In a surprising move, the GOGB took a big step 
backward in the fight against drug trafficking with the 
firing of the police chief responsible for two major 
seizures.  The Interior Minister appears to be positioning 
himself to control more of the traffic.  Meanwhile, 
consumption is starting to be seen in the local population. 
With this development, bilateral cooperation on drugs will be 
complicated.  Now more than ever, the Department should 
continue to move forward with funding for the UNODC position 
in Bissau.  END SUMMARY. 
 
COMMISSION INVESTIGATES MISSING COCAINE 
--------------------------------------- 
¶2.  (U) An interministerial commission was established to 
examine the circumstances surrounding the cocaine seizure on 
September 24, 2006 which netted 674 kg. of cocaine, the 
largest ever in the country's history.  Shortly after the 
seizure, the two Latin American smugglers were released from 
jail and the drugs disappeared out of Finance Ministry 
coffers.  Several people involved in the case testified 
including former Finance Minister Victor Mandinga. 
 
¶3.  (C) The commission released a final report on June 9 
which listed three courses of action.  The first was to turn 
over to the Attorney General the full transcript of the 
proceedings so he could open criminal cases.  On June 12, the 
Attorney General verified to PolOff June 12 that he would 
open criminal investigations but did not say against whom. 
The second action was a national program to combat drugs to 
be created by the Minister of Justice in coordination with 
the others on the commission.  Third was the immediate 
de-commissioning of Judicial Police Director-General Orland 
da Silva and Central Director of Investigation and Prevention 
of the Judicial Police Alexandre Forbes.  No explanation was 
given for the dismissals; no charges were brought against the 
two men; and no one has yet been appointed to lead the 
Judicial Police. 
 
DA SILVA SPEAKS OUT 
------------------- 
¶4.  (C) PolOff and visiting DEA Agents Robert &Sam8 Houston 
from Paris and Sam Gaye from Lagos interviewed da Silva who 
confirmed suspicions that the firing was an effort to destroy 
the Judicial Police as the only successful anti-drug agency 
in the country.  Both cocaine seizures were conducted by da 
Silva and his men.  Da Silva alleged Interior Minister Baciro 
Dabo was behind the move.  He saw Dabo and others from the 
Interior Ministry headed toward Gabu the morning of June 10 
and his sources confirmed that the men went to meet two 
planes which had arrived from Venezuela carrying cocaine. 
 
¶5.  (C) Da Silva and his men were planning an interdiction of 
the two planes which were scheduled to arrive at the military 
section of the Bissau national airport the morning of June 
¶10.  Members of the military viewed him surveilling the site 
and altered the landing to Gabu.  He noted that traffickers 
are not as brazen as they used to be and are using more out 
of the way locations such as Gabu, about 100 miles east of 
Bissau. 
 
¶6.  (C) Da Silva did not know who would replace him as 
Judicial Police chief but guessed it would be a puppet for 
Dabo.  He said he was not a suspect in the disappearance of 
the drugs; on the contrary, the only explanation he received 
for his ouster was not keeping a key to the coffers in the 
Ministry of Finance where drugs were stored.  He learned of 
his firing by hearing it on the radio. 
 
¶7.  (C) When asked if President Joao Bernardo &Nino8 Vieira 
was behind his firing, da Silva said he did not think so. 
Dabo and Vieira have had a very close relationship in the 
past and Dabo has served previously as the President,s 
security advisor.  But da Silva said the relationship is 
 
DAKAR 00001291  002 OF 002 
 
 
strained and Dabo only won his post by buying it from Party 
of Social Renewal (PRS) Vice President Sori Djalo.  At the 
time, Djalo was the proxy of PRS president Kumba Yala, but 
they have since parted ways. 
 
CONSUMPTION RISING 
------------------ 
¶8.  (C) Da Silva and UNOGBIS Deputy Daniel Ruiz both raised 
concerns that drug usage, most prominently crack cocaine, is 
starting to take root in Guinea-Bissau.  They noted this was 
significant because just recently, drug usage was completely 
unknown in the country.  Recognizing the problem, Finance 
Minister Iussuf Sanha has asked donors for support in 
stopping drug use.  Ruiz described a scene at a high school 
across the street from his house where he witnessed drug 
pushers, who he said were Nigerian, engaged in a shoot-out 
with police. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
¶9.  (C) Da Silva's firing appears to be a significant 
set-back for counter narcotics efforts in the country.  The 
firing has not been explained by the GOGB but it seems clear 
that no explanation will convince observers that the move was 
justified.  DEA agents were in-country with the goal of 
furthering the working relationship with da Silva as police 
chief and only learned of his firing on the morning of their 
arrival in Bissau.  Now, any cooperation with DEA will be 
slowed until a new chief is appointed and assessed for 
reliability. 
 
¶10.  (C) The Embassy has sent a diplomatic note to Prime 
Minister Martinho N,Dafa Cabi, who presided over the 
commission which fired da Silva, requesting clarification and 
reiterating the importance of fighting narcotics, money 
laundering and corruption.  Embassy strongly urges rerouting 
USD 150,000 in INL/ICITAP pipeline funding to support the 
UNDP project of posting a UNODC counter-narcotics official in 
Bissau.  Post is also looking into the possibility of 
establishing a mini-Dublin group among Dakar-based diplomats 
to strengthen our message to the GOGB.  END COMMENT. 
 
¶11.  (U) Visit Embassy Dakar's SIPRNet site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/af/dakar. 
JACOBS