VZCZCXRO8252
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHPF #0767/01 1580921
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 070921Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8523
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 PHNOM PENH 000767 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP, INL/AAE--CHARLES BOULDIN AND 
KISHA TOWN 
BANGKOK FOR NAS--TERRY DARU, DEA--SCOTT SEELEY-HACKER, PAT 
CHAGNON, AND JOHN SWAIN 
HANOI FOR DEA--JEFFREY WANNER AND POL--PETER ECKSTROM 
VIENTIANE FOR NAS--CLIFF HEINZER 
PACOM FOR JIATF-WEST--DAVID KILBOURN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR PGOV KCRM CB
SUBJECT: THE FRONT LINE IN THE CAMBODIAN DRUG STRUGGLE 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  Summary:  A remote location, geography conducive 
to evasion, and a long and poorly patrolled border with Laos 
make Stung Treng province Cambodia's drug smuggling hot spot, 
with the value of drugs smuggled estimated in the "dozens of 
millions" of dollars.  During a May 17-19 visit to this 
northern region, INL Program Analyst, Poleconoff, and Polecon 
Assistant learned that the recent renovation of a national 
highway has dramatically facilitated transportation of licit 
and illicit goods between Laos and Cambodia, although the 
highway's growing reputation as a drug trafficking route has 
caused some smugglers to evade police by using smaller roads 
in neighboring provinces.  Law enforcement capacity is weak, 
with local officials lacking the will and the equipment to 
patrol effectively.  Rumors of police and military 
involvement in drug trafficking are widespread in Stung Treng 
but officials are reluctant to confront the issue and civil 
society has little specific information to confirm these 
suspicions.  End Summary. 
 
Stung Treng:  A Drug Trafficker's Dream 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Stung Treng, a remote and sparsely populated 
province in northern Cambodia, has long been a transit point 
for illicit drugs coming from Laos, leading provincial Deputy 
Police Commissioner On Saron to describe it as the "front 
line" in Cambodia's struggle against drugs.  Governor Loy 
Sopath described drug trafficking as the province's most 
serious problem, estimating the value of the drugs smuggled 
through the province to be in the "dozens of millions" of US 
dollars.  Stung Treng province shares a 160-mile-long border 
with Laos, and much of that area is sparsely forested and 
mountainous, making it relatively easy for would-be 
traffickers to pass through on foot, bicycle, or motorbike 
and offering many opportunities for hiding from or evading 
law enforcement.  The Mekong River, which travels north to 
south across the east-west border, is filled with small 
islands and parallel channels, making it equally easy for 
traffickers to hide their movements there. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Government officials, NGO workers, and local 
business owners told the State Department team that local 
villagers bring drugs across the border in small quantities 
by foot, boat, motorcycle, or bicycle, often concealed in 
piles of fruit or vegetables, wrapped in waterproof packets 
and placed within containers of liquid resin, or hidden in 
car tires or car frames.  Once across the border, these drugs 
are trafficked--either in small quantities or after being 
consolidated into larger loads--through Cambodia into Vietnam 
or Thailand. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Drugs--first heroin and now predominantly ATS--have 
historically traveled through Cambodia down the Mekong River 
and Highway 7, often stopping in Phnom Penh before being 
routed to Thailand or Vietnam.  The recent Chinese-funded 
renovation of Highway 7 has transformed the section of road 
between Kratie (a provincial capital five hours from Phnom 
Penh) from a one-lane pot-holed dirt track into a smoothly 
paved, lightly trafficked two-lane highway which one resident 
expat described as "the best road in the country."  The new 
road cuts travel time from Kratie to Stung Treng from 12-14 
hours to 3 hours, making it possible to travel from Phnom 
Penh to Stung Treng in one day.  At present, the improved 
road stops at Stung Treng town and anyone wanting to travel 
further north to the Lao border must take a ferry across the 
Sekong River.  However, construction of a Chinese-funded 
bridge will be completed in July 2008, and the Chinese also 
plan to improve and pave the dirt road leading from Stung 
Treng town to the Lao border within the next year.  The 
province is currently undertaking its own project of 
constructing gravel feeder roads to connect to remote 
communities, an effort the governor said he hoped would be 
finished by 2008. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) While the improvement of Highway 7 has facilitated 
the flow of licit and illicit goods from Laos into Cambodia, 
sources also report that the widespread recognition that 
Highway 7 and the Mekong are used for drug trafficking has 
pushed some traffickers to use alternate routes.  Sources 
speculated that smaller players in particular are using new 
routes, while large-scale traffickers have little fear of the 
police and can use the far more efficient Highway 7 with 
relative impunity.  Stung Treng Governor Loy Sopath reported 
 
PHNOM PENH 00000767  002 OF 004 
 
 
that Highway 78 in Ratanakiri is gaining popularity as a new 
route.  Several sources reported that drugs are often 
trafficked from Laos into the remote northeast Siem Pang 
district of Stung Treng province on foot, and then taken 
either south into Phnom Penh or west into Vietnam via 
Ratanakiri province.  Other reported routes include: 
--traveling south from Stung Treng and then cutting east 
through Kratie and Mondulkiri provinces to enter Vietnam 
--traveling west from Stung Treng into Preah Vihear province 
and then entering Thailand through Preah Vihear, Oddar 
Meanchey, or Banteay Meanchey provinces 
 
Narcotics Washing Up on the Mekong's Shores 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) While most of the drug busts in the province have 
been fairly small, two related and rather spectacular 
incidents illustrate that larger-scale illegal activity 
likely takes place.  Cambodian officials report that in 
August 2006, Lao law enforcement authorities seized USD 
$940,000 that Chea Eang, a Cambodian businessman, was 
carrying in cash from Cambodia to Laos.  Chea Heung claimed 
that he earned this money importing gasoline, but Cambodian 
authorities suspect it really came from drug smuggling. 
Despite these suspicions on the Cambodian side, the Lao 
authorities eventually returned the money to Chea Heung.  Two 
months later, a boat transporting Chea Heung and at least 
seven 30-liter jerry cans filled with ATS tablets and heroin 
sank in the Mekong River.  Chea Heung was arrested but later 
released by the Lao authorities; boat owner Peng Kao is 
reportedly in hiding.  The case was never reported in the 
newspapers, and local villagers were reportedly very confused 
to find containers full of tablets and powder washing up on 
shore.  Not realizing that they were illicit drugs, some 
tried to sell the contents to local pharmacies, while others 
turned them in to police. 
 
Law Enforcement Capability Low 
------------------------------ 
 
¶7. (SBU) There are few drug busts in the province relative to 
the area's importance as a trafficking route, and most busts 
are made by provincial police based on tips from police 
informants.  According to provincial Deputy Police 
Commissioner On Saron, the provincial police were involved in 
15 drug cases in 2006, but only one so far in 2007--a decline 
he attributes to smugglers becoming more circumspect. 
Gendarmerie, military, border police, and border liaison 
officers all play some role in drug interdiction, but are 
responsible for far fewer drug busts.  The border police's 
only drug case was the September 2004 seizure of 
approximately 10,000 methamphetamine tablets, and the border 
liaison offices' only drug case was the October 2006 arrest 
of one individual with 17,000 methamphetamine tablets, On 
Saron stated.  He was unclear about the role of the 
gendarmerie and military in patrolling the border, but noted 
that they had been involved in only one drug case since 2004. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) There are two official border crossings in Stung 
Treng province--a land crossing at Dong Krolor and a river 
crossing at Chhoeu Teal Thom Island (Koh Chhoeu Teal 
Thom)--plus eight unofficial but commonly used trails, and 
myriad places for a traveler to forge his/her own path. 
There are a total of four Border Liaison Offices (BLOs) in 
the area--one each on the Lao and Cambodian sides of each of 
the two official border crossings.  The Cambodian BLOs are 
each staffed by five to seven officials, including customs, 
border police, and immigration police.  BLO officials report 
that they can't carry out their main duty--patrolling the 
area--because each office has only one boat and one 
motorcycle and little or no money for gas.  In response to 
questions from Poleconoff, the officials indicated that they 
could patrol on foot and did so occasionally, but were 
unenthusiastic about the idea. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) The Cambodian border police have observation posts 
(remote one room wooden shacks without electricity, water, or 
inspection/law enforcement equipment) at the eight unofficial 
passages, but these are only sporadically staffed and are 
tasked with merely observing border crossers without 
inspecting or challenging them.  When the Deputy Police 
Commander led the State Department team on a boat trip from 
the provincial capital to the border, the island observation 
 
PHNOM PENH 00000767  003 OF 004 
 
 
post we visited was unstaffed and there were no signs of any 
people--law enforcement officers or civilians--within sight. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) The governor and law enforcement officials readily 
admit that their law enforcement capability is low and are 
eager for international assistance.  The Deputy Police 
Commander was grateful for the 4Qoining police, military, and 
other officials received from military and DEA trainers last 
year during the JIATF-West sponsored training course, and 
would like to participate in more training.  He also outlined 
needs for additional equipment, specifically vehicles, boats, 
cameras, walkie-talkies, office stationary, and x-ray 
machines.  The BLOs appear to be slightly better equipped as 
the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has provided them 
with some equipment--including a boat and a motorcycle, 
walkie-talkies, a camera, and a few computers for computer 
based training (although one of the BLOs has no electricity), 
all housed in a a small wooden office/dormitory.  BLO 
officials at one BLO checkpoint presented the State 
Department team with their wish list:  corrugated metal 
(presumably to build additional facilities), a generator, a 
solar panel, a car, two motorcycles, six walkie talkies, two 
toilets, two boats, and a well.  Lars Pedersen, the newly 
arrived head of UNODC's Phnom Penh office, said that the BLOs 
had been successful in facilitating communication between the 
Lao and Cambodian authorities on the ground, but that there 
had not been the increase in drug seizures that the 
establishment of BLOs in other countries had spurred. 
 
Persistent Rumors of Local Corruption 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶11.  (SBU) NGO and local business sources said they believed 
reports post has heard that military and police officers have 
a significant role in larger scale drug smuggling, but none 
had direct evidence nor detailed knowledge of these 
operations.  These sources said there were persistent rumors 
to this effect, and pointed to the unexplained wealth of some 
military and police officials as supporting evidence.  One 
local businessman said he had heard that the police were 
becoming more aggressive in catching small-scale drug 
traffickers, a move he suggested benefited the larger-scale 
operations with ties to police, military, or government 
officials. 
 
¶12.  (SBU) Government officials admitted that there may be 
some corruption, but downplayed its importance and avoided 
discussing the topic at length.  The Deputy Police 
Commissioner described two recent cases involving local 
officials:  an outstanding arrest warrant for a police 
officer believed to have been smuggling more than 1700 
methamphetamine tablets, and one police officer and one 
military official who were jailed for two months for 
possessing 400 grams of crystal methamphetamine but were 
later released when the sample inexplicably tested negative 
for narcotics at the NACD drug laboratory.  The Governor 
suggested rotating border liaison officials frequently to 
discourage the development of criminal collaboration with 
local smugglers, and evaded a question about what should be 
done to target the big players controlling drug trafficking 
in the province. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶13.  (SBU) It's no wonder Stung Treng has long been a favored 
spot for drug trafficking:  its remote location, sparsely 
distributed and poor population, and maze-like forests and 
waterways make it a narcotics smuggler's dream.  While the 
governor and law enforcement officials rightly claimed that 
their operations are hampered by lack of equipment and 
funding, lack of political will and corruption are likely 
more fundamental problems.  The enthusiasm Border Liaison 
Officers displayed in discussing the need for equipment to 
conduct motorcycle and boat patrols dissipated once the 
conversation turned to their infrequent foot patrols, which 
could be done with equipment they possess now.  Similarly, 
government officials stuck strictly to talking about small 
time drug traffickers, ignoring the larger players that are 
likely carrying the majority of drugs and that some have 
suggested have connections to the local political and 
military elite.  With a small Pol/Econ section (which will 
lose an officer for 2007-8) and no INL budget, post's efforts 
 
PHNOM PENH 00000767  004 OF 004 
 
 
to encourage better law enforcement in the region are 
currently limited to annual JIATF-West training sessions. 
However, post is encouraged by INL's increasing engagement in 
Cambodia and believes that this will be a fertile area for 
work if INL's FY09 budget request for Cambodia can be 
supported within a larger foreign assistance envelope for 
FY09. 
MUSSOMELI