VZCZCXRO6601
PP RUEHPA
DE RUEHRY #0329/01 1821422
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 301422Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY CONAKRY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2704
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUEABND/DEA WASHDC
RHMCSUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CONAKRY 000329 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/30/2018 
TAGS: PGOV NARC ASEC KDEM GV
SUBJECT: K-9 DRUG OFFICER SPEAKS UP ABOUT NARCOTICS 
CORRUPTION AND VIOLENCE AGAINST POLICE 
 
REF: CONAKRY 0184 
 
Classified By: A/DCM SHANNON CAZEAU FOR REASON 1.4 B AND D 
 
 
¶1.  (C) SUMMARY.  A K-9 officer within Guinea's anti-drug unit shares 
his 
insights regarding narcotics-related corruption and the recent, violent 
stand-off between the police and the military.  Contact said that there 
are least 13 confirmed deaths resulting from the violence, and likely 
more 
unconfirmed casualties.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (C) Poloff and RSO met with a new police contact on June 25 to 
discuss 
the recent police strike that resulted in a violent stand-off with the 
military.  Contact is a police commissioner in charge of the K-9 unit 
within Guinea's Anti-Drug unit (OCAD).  He said he was interested in 
speaking with the Embassy because he was present when Ambassador Carter 
attended a recent ceremony during which the GoG allegedly incinerated 
cocaine (reftel).  Contact added that he knows the U.S. Government is 
interested in combating drug trafficking issues, and he is frustrated 
with 
the level of corruption within OCAD. 
 
¶3.  (C) When asked about last week's police strike that resulted in 
violence, Contact said that as soon as he heard about the strike 
started 
by the CMIS police on June 16, he decided to stay home.  He said he has 
not been back to work since the strike began, but received reports of 
what 
was going on via telephone calls from colleagues.  Contact added that 
he 
told his colleagues at OCAD that they should also go home because he 
expected the military to raid their offices in search of seized 
narcotics.  (COMMENT.  The military did raid OCAD the afternoon of June 
¶17.  END COMMENT). 
 
¶4.  (C) Contact commented that about ten minutes before the military 
attacked OCAD, the Director General of OCAD's daughter, who is also a 
police officer, came to her father's office to clear out any drugs and 
money kept on the premises.  According to contact, the fact that the 
daughter came just before the military did suggests that she had inside 
information regarding the raid. 
 
¶5.  (C) Regarding the total number of casualties resulting from the 
violence, Contact said that he was aware of at least 13 confirmed 
deaths 
on the police side, but said there might be as many as 19 deaths.  He 
said 
that it has been difficult to get an accurate total because a number of 
police officers are missing or otherwise unaccounted for.  Contact 
added 
that he knew of a case of one police officer who had been intentionally 
searched out by military officers and then beaten to death. 
 
¶6.  (C) In response to a question about possible negotiations between 
the 
police and the Government of Guinea (GoG), Contact said that the police 
had established a "commission" of representatives that was proceeding 
with 
negotiations.  He said that no agreement had been reached, but that the 
GoG is expected to offer permanent employment to 654 police 
contractors. 
These contractors had originally been told that they had to receive 
formal 
training before they could be offered permanent employment, but Contact 
said that the GoG had decided to waive the training requirement in 
order 
to "calm the situation."  Contact added that the GoG had agreed to some 
rank promotions, but there was no indication of an agreement on 
salaries. 
 
¶7.  (C) Returning to drug trafficking issues, Contact said that most of 
the officers working at OCAD, especially senior officers, are involved 
in 
narcotics-related corruption.  He said he was embarrassed that the GoG 
refused to provide a cocaine sample to Ambassador Carter during the 
recent 
incineration ceremony, stressing that the fact that the GoG refused 
suggests that the burned powder was not actually cocaine.  "It was 
manioc," he said; "it did not burn the way cocaine should burn." 
Contact 
added that the handful of OCAD police officers who are actually 
interested 
 
CONAKRY 00000329  002 OF 002 
 
 
in combating narcotics trafficking are threatened by senior police 
officials seeking to maintain the system of corruption.  He said that 
corruption goes all the way up through the system to Police Director 
General Bangoura. 
 
¶8.  (C) Contact mentioned that he is the head of the K-9 unit and asked 
for assistance in getting his unit trained.  When asked whether he had 
any 
dogs, Contact sheepishly shook his said and said the entire K-9 unit 
does 
not actually have any canines.  He added that OCAD leadership is 
vehemently opposed to getting dogs.  "Every time I ask for them, they 
tell 
me that they are too expensive, or they don't have room for kennels, 
etc," 
he said.  Contact added that police leadership does not want dogs on 
the 
force because they would be too effective in countering narcotics. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶9.  (C) Contact was unusually eager to discuss internal police affairs 
and 
expressed interest in continued confidential conversations with the 
Embassy.  Although his motivations are unclear, he seems sincere in his 
interest to combat narcotics trafficking and the rampant corruption 
that 
comes with it.  END COMMENT. 
CARTER