VZCZCXYZ0002
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHPE #3776/01 3401922
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 061922Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY LIMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7464
INFO RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 5336
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 7684
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ DEC QUITO 1621
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 003776 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE, SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR INL/LP 
STATE FOR WHA/PPC 
ONDCP FOR LT COL RONALD GARNER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC PREL SNAR KCRM PE
SUBJECT: NAS MONTHLY REPORT, NOVEMBER 2007 
 
REF: LIMA 3638 
     LIMA 3563 
     LIMA 3646 
     LIMA 3707 
 
 
--------- 
SUMMARY 
--------- 
¶1. (U) The key developments in November 2007: 
 
** CORAH surpasses the coca eradication goal of 10,000 hectares for CY 
¶2007. 
 
** President Garcia tells visiting ONDCP Director John Walters that he 
strongly supports controls on precursor chemicals, money laundering, 
and asset forfeiture. 
 
** Narcoterrorists attack PNP station with automatic weapons and 
grenades; 4 PNP officers killed in separate incident. 
 
** The PNP killed one and captured eight members of the Shining Path 
group in the Upper Huallaga River Valley (UHV). 
 
** Security threats trigger 4-day curfew at Pucallpa base. 
 
** Cuts to aviation budget prompt search for other training methods for 
UH-2 pilots; consulting with INL/A and NAS-Bogota. 
 
** Flight Simulator Training System (FSTS) is being studied by NAS and 
INL/A. 
 
** NAS is purchasing an aeronautical beacon tracking system that will 
reduce flight hours and improve crew safety. 
 
** Agreement with NAS-PNP Police Program was amended to expand police 
training at the Tarapoto PNP base. 
 
** The PNP raided its first-ever internal carrier laboratory near the 
Lima airport where mules swallowed cocaine pellets. 
 
** Drug arrests and seizures increased by 300 percent at the Lima 
Airport, compared to this time last year. 
 
** Demand Reduction Program is establishing a Web portal for community 
anti-drug coalitions. 
 
** Sanchez Paredes siblings added to Peru's list of presumed 
narco-traffickers. 
 
END SUMMARY 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
PERU REACHES ANNUAL GOAL OF 10,000 HECTARES ERADICATED 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
¶2. (U) On November 15, CORAH, with significant support from DIRANDRO, 
surpassed the 10,000-hectare coca eradication goal for CY 2007.  One 
strategy that contributed to this success was working on two different 
fronts since June.  November's totals are 1,644 hectares eradicated, 
3459 square meters of seed bed destroyed, and a total of 57,923,089 
plants uprooted.  Having reached its annual goal, CORAH can now reduce 
operations in December in order to stay within budget and not tap into 
next year's funds to reach the goal as has been done in years past. 
 
¶3. (U) NAS spent the last week of November working closely with CORAH 
to plan the end of this year's effort and to begin dismantling the 
eradication camp at Santa Lucia.  In preparation for the 2008 program, 
NAS participated in a series of preparatory planning and budget 
sessions with CORAH that included a two-day seminar on coca 
quantification procedures, hosted by DEVIDA.  Aerial reconnaissance of 
the areas targeted for eradication operations next year operation were 
conducted.  Working with the CORAH Executive Director and the Director 
of Operations, the final draft of next year's eradication plan is 
nearly finished.  Coordination meetings with the Aviation and Police 
programs will take place in early December, after which the eradication 
plan will be presented to USAID for its review and approval, ensuring 
that all concerned programs are involved. 
 
----------------------------------- 
ONDCP DIRECTOR WALTERS VISITS LIMA 
----------------------------------- 
¶4. (U) On November 5-6 during a visit to Lima, ONDCP Director John P. 
Walters met with Peruvian President Alan Garcia, Interior Minister Luis 
Alva Castro, and Romulo Pizarro of the Drug Policy Agency (DEVIDA).  In 
a November 6 meeting with President Garcia, ONDCP Director Walters 
emphasized that the U.S. was doing its part to reduce drug consumption 
in the U.S., noting reductions n the use of cocaine and supply 
shortages on the streets.  President Garcia confirmed his government's 
strong will to fight narcotics-trafficking in an integrated manner, 
with new emphasis on precursor chemicals, money laundering and asset 
forfeiture.  The meeting followed a press conference in which President 
Garcia had announced the GOP would continue with drug interdiction 
policies, but would add special emphasis to money laundering cases. 
The President assured the Director that one of the central objectives 
of his Government was counter-narcotics, including eradication, drug 
interdiction, and a concerted effort to intercept chemicals. 
See Ref A. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
NARCOTERRORISTS ATTACK ON POLICE STATION 
----------------------------------------- 
¶5. (SBU) An attack by narco-terrorists on a police station in a remote 
town in the Apurimac region left one officer dead and three injured on 
November 1 (Ref B).  According to various media reports, between 40 and 
70 heavily armed individuals attacked the Ocabamba police station 
around midnight with automatic weapons and grenades.  Media analysts 
are blaming narco-terrorists, remnants of the Shining Path (Sendero 
Luminoso--SL) terrorist group, for the attack.  The Police stated the 
attack was a revenge killing because of a recent PNP drug seizure in 
the area.  Minister of Interior Luis Alva Castro visited the scene 
later in the day and vowed that Peru's war on drugs will not be 
deterred. 
 
¶6. (U) In a separate incident, a group of up to 40 heavily armed 
individuals attacked two PNP vehicles on November 13 in northern 
Huancavelica region about 200 kilometers east of Lima, killing 4 PNP 
officers (Ref C).  According to media reports, the attack was a 
response to recent seizures of drugs and precursor chemicals in the 
area by the PNP, much like what has been said about the November 1 
attack in Ocobamba (Ref B), some 200 kilometers to the southeast. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
POLICE KILL 1 NARCOTERRORIST, CAPTURE 8 
---------------------------------------- 
¶7. (U) A PNP operation, carried out in the early morning hours of 
November 27, killed one and captured eight members of the SL 
organization in the Upper Huallaga River Valley (UHV).  The third in 
command in the UHV organization and leader of its forces on the western 
side of the Huallaga River was killed in the attack.  The eight 
suspects captured included the organization's ideological chief, 
"Comrade Julian", as well as the head of personal security for the 
group's leader "Comrade Artemio" (Ref D). 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
SECURITY THREATS TRIGGER 4-DAY CURFEW AT PUCALLPA BASE 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
¶8. (U) A curfew from 21:00 to 06:00 was imposed on all U.S. personnel 
at the NAS Main Operating Base (MOB) in Pucallpa for 4 days, starting 
on November 20.  Three recent security incidents triggered the security 
measure.  First, gunfire occurred at night at a small army base 
approximately 5 km from the MOB on November 16.  The Army maintained 
the attackers were on the outside -- up to 20 armed personnel, possibly 
SL.  Once a UH-2 flew over the base, the attack ended.  Two Peruvian 
soldiers were wounded.  The attack could have happened inside the base, 
or could have been to capture weapons and ammunition (NAS Aviation 
stores its ammunition in a bunker on the base).  In a second incident 
on November 20, a letter addressed to a NAS Guardian at the MOB 
demanded a payment of 120,000 USD to prevent any attacks on Americans. 
A detailed sketch of the MOB and the locations of fuel and personnel 
billets was attached.  Finally, the recent release by the GOP of 2,000 
criminals from the local prison has caused a steep rise in armed 
robberies and murders.  Several locals working at the MOB or their 
families have been robbed, killed, or injured. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
BUDGET CUTS THREATEN PILOT TRAINING--A SEARCH FOR SOLUTIONS 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
¶9. (U) The pilot training needed to maintain the NAS aviation program 
in Peru could be severely impacted by proposed budget cuts.  In 
response, the NAS Directors in Peru and Colombia along with INL/A are 
considering conducting initial-entry rotary wing (IERW) training for 
Peruvian pilots in Colombia.  IERW training in Colombia is sponsored by 
the DOD and the State Department loans its UH-1s for the training. 
Since there will be little or no DOD 9201 funds available for training 
at Fort Rucker, the training in Colombia appears to be a cost-effective 
option since it could be done for much less than the $290,000 per 
student charged at Fort Rucker.  The civilian helicopter school at 
Titusville, FL may cancel the special training program it created for 
NAS if there are not enough students--a clear possibility.  INL/A is 
monitoring the situation and has advised the NAS Directors. 
 
¶10. (U) One proposal being considered is a cost-sharing agreement that 
could reduce the need for DOD funding.  Another plus would be that 
training could be conducted in UH-1s instead of the small piston 
helicopters used at Titusville, which translates into fewer flight 
hours required for transition training to the UH-2s.  This plan could 
also be the model for developing pilot training for the region. 
 
¶11. (U) The unscheduled maintenance price tag on the UH-2s for 2007 is 
estimated to be 2.8 million USD and 3.4 million USD for 2008.  This 
unfunded expense was not foreseen.  The maintenance was done by the 
contractor DynCorp.  The majority of the cost has gone toward replacing 
engines, transmissions, and conducting unscheduled inspections and tear 
downs because of over-torques and over-temps by pilots.  INL/A Director 
Nell said that the over-torques and over-temps should be considered a 
critical safety-of-flight issue, so we are looking at using a Flight 
Simulator Training System (FSTS) to address the issue.  Basically, 
additional training of our pilots in the SFTS should save helicopter 
flight hours and unscheduled maintenance costs.  We estimate that 10 
percent of our flight-hour training requirements (about 700 hours) 
could be done in the SFTS.  Using the SFTS would result in fewer 
procedural mistakes by the pilots because the mistakes would be made in 
the SFTS.  The cost for initial setup is being studied.  The most 
advanced SFTS is not being considered due to availability and cost.  A 
procedural or vision SFTS without hydraulics may be possible.  If an 
SFTS is located in Lima, it could be used by other NAS operations in 
the region for UH-2 training. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
SATELLITE TRACKING BEACONS WILL SAVE CREWS AND MONEY 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
¶12. (U) NAS will be buying a DMR-500 aeronautical beacon tracking 
system that will be able to track aircraft by satellite.  The beacons 
would provide flight track information and compare it to actual flight 
plans for safety and recovery efforts if an aircraft goes down.  In the 
VRAE and the Monzon where the threat level is high, policy specifies no 
single aircraft operations due to the potential for being shot down or 
becoming missing.  This technology will allow NAS to schedule 
single-aircraft missions instead of the currently required dual 
aircraft missions, which will save critical flight hours. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
POLICE ACADEMY PROGRAM EXPANDS TO TARAPOTO 
------------------------------------------- 
¶13. (U) The existing PNP academy in Tarapoto has been added as the 
fourth academy in the NAS-PNP Police Academy program.  An addendum was 
signed and annexed to the current bilateral agreement between NAS and 
the PNP.  Parts of the base will be refurbished to accommodate more 
students.  At the Santa Lucia, a 21-day training course on Tactics and 
Operations was conducted by a U.S. military team and DIRANDRO for 80 
DIRANDRO personnel from the Special Operations Division (DIVOEDAD) and 
the Special Operations Group (GOES).  Finally, 607 students from the 
three Police Pre-Academies (Mazamari, Ayacucho, and Santa Lucia) will 
be taking the PNP entrance examination in early December.  Students 
recruited from rural areas and indigenous groups east of the Andes 
participated in a rigorous academic program to prepare for the 
examination. 
 
¶14. (U) Interdiction operations continued in the VRAE, resulting in the 
destruction of 603 cocaine-base laboratories and 14 cocaine HCl 
laboratories, and the seizure of 6 metric tons of precursor chemicals. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
DRUG AND MONEY SEIZURES INCREASE AT PORTS AND BORDERS 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
¶15. (SBU) On November 8, the PNP Port Intelligence Unit detected its 
first-ever an internal carrier laboratory near the Lima airport where 
mules swallowed cocaine pellets and where the traffickers provided 
accommodations for the mules before they ingested the pellets.  DEA was 
advised, and a raid was conducted where 4 traffickers were arrested. 
10,000 USD, 1,000 Nuevo Soles (approximately 300 USD), and 120 pellets 
were also seized. 
 
¶16. (SBU) In November, Peruvian Customs and the airport police at the 
Jorge Chavez International Airport (JCIA) and the Peruvian Post Office 
in Lima seized 339 kg of cocaine HCl.  Also, 59 internal carriers 
(mules) were arrested, with 43 being identified by the x-ray body 
scanner.  There has been a 300 percent increase in the arrests of mules 
at JCIA compared to this time last year.  This increase can be directly 
attributed to a clear willingness on the part of Peruvian Customs to 
conduct interdiction operations using the non-intrusive instruments and 
x-ray scanner equipment provided by NAS. 
 
¶17. (SBU) SUNAT continued its new program to seize illicit money this 
month by seizing a total of 73,521 USD: 30,000 USD at the Peruvian Post 
Office in Lima destined for Toronto, Canada, and 43,521 USD at Tacna on 
the Peru-Chile border. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
WEB PORTAL COMING FOR COMMUNITY ANTI-DRUG COALITIONS 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
¶18. (U) NAS is contracting with company to design a Web portal for 
community anti-drug coalitions (CAC).  CAC members will upload activity 
reports, event announcements, photos, etc. to the Web portal for three 
purposes: to allow for monitoring and evaluation of the CACs, to 
provide a forum for sharing best practices and lessons learned, and to 
publicize the efforts of communities to reduce drug abuse.  A part-time 
Webmaster and technician will maintain the portal once it is designed 
and running.  Youth groups in the CACs are expected to update the CACs' 
web pages. 
 
¶19. (U) The CAC in central Lima established a youth center 
("tele-centro") with videos, books, and Internet access.  Based on CAC 
sustainability plans, the location and computers were donated by the 
municipality; other community organizations also contributed various 
resources to the center.  NAS contributed less than 50 percent of the 
startup costs and the community has committed to providing long-term 
support.  Another CAC has organized a campaign to enforce the local 
ordinance prohibiting both the sale of alcohol to minors and the 
consumption of alcohol in the streets or public areas.  Alcohol 
consumption by minors is a well-researched risk factor leading to 
illegal drug abuse. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------------------- 
PERUVIAN MEDIA LINKS SANCHEZ PAREDES FAMILY TO NARCOTRAFFICKING 
--------------------------------------------- ------------------- 
¶20. (SBU) On November 24, after months of media stories linking the 
Sanchez Paredes family to narco-trafficking, the Peruvian government's 
anti-drug intelligence organizations added the names of four Sanchez 
Paredes siblings -- Manuel, Santos Orlando, Fortunato Wilmer, and 
Amanda Francisca Sanchez Paredes -- to the list of Peruvian drug 
kingpins.  The four are siblings of the narco-trafficker Perciles 
Sanchez Paredes, who was killed by gunfire in 1991 in Trujillo.  This 
means the authorities have some facts to investigate the activities of 
the family.  No charges have been brought. 
NEALON