VZCZCXYZ0007
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSJ #0587 1921423
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 101423Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY SAN JOSE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9925
INFO RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SAN JOSE 000587 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR PM/DTCC - BLUE LANTERN COORDINATOR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KOMC ETTC CS
SUBJECT: BLUE LANTERN LEVEL 3: PRE-LICENSE END-USE CHECK 
CONDUCTED ON LICENSE 050107493 
 
REF: STATE 68489 
 
¶1. Per Reftel request, on July 7, we met with Peter Andre, 
the owner of Armeria J.R. Andre and established the bona 
fides of the company.  We consider Armeria J.R. Andre a 
legitimate recipient of United States Munitions List (USML) 
items.  Andre told us he was familiar with the regulations 
governing the import of U.S.-origin defense articles, 
including restrictions on re-transfer or re-export. 
 
¶2. Armeria J.R. Andre, located in San Jose, has been in 
business since 1949 and is one of the oldest gunshops in 
Costa Rica.  Peter Andre's father, George Andre, was the 
original owner of the business.  Peter Andre also has another 
gunshop in Escazu, located just outside of San Jose, called 
Serengeti Armeria.  Andre mentioned that sales in his Armeria 
J.R. Andre shop were relatively low and that he kept the San 
Jose store open mainly due to sentimental reasons since it 
had been open for so long. 
 
¶3. The company sells vintage hunting rifles, shotguns, 
revolvers, pistols, and related hunting accessories including 
knives and outdoor survival equipment.  The store maintains 
files on all of their customers and is visited twice a week 
by the Ministry of Public Security's General Directorate for 
Arms and Explosives to review and approve purchase requests 
and final sales.  The company has a valid license to import 
and sell firearms from the Ministry. 
 
¶4. Marco Moya, the store manager, detailed the rigorous 
checks that a potential buyer must go through in order to 
legally and successfully purchase a firearm in their store 
(and in accordance with Costa Rican law).  These requirements 
include: 
 
 -- Proof of firearms safety course; 
 
 -- psychological test; 
 
 -- copy of cedula (Costa Rican national identification and 
voting card); 
 
 -- police record; 
 
¶5. Andre told us that the last time this store had been 
robbed was in the late 1980s.  The store's main entrance, 
when closed, is secured behind a metal curtain that is locked 
with a high-security lock and is alarmed.  Normally the store 
is attended to by its manager and one employee, who also 
double as security guards and are armed.  When closed, all of 
the displayed weapons are put into an excellent high security 
vault.  Andre told us that ADT monitored the store and is 
physically checked every 30 minutes by a roving guard.  We 
observed one camera near the entrance. 
 
¶6. Andre underlined that his company has no business 
relationship whatsoever with Armeria Rex, a company that has 
been found to be an unreliable recipient of USML in the past. 
 According to Andre, Rex had taken part in an illegal arms 
trade with companies in Peru and Panama some years ago. 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶7. In Costa Rica the name Armeria J.R. Andre" is synonymous 
with arms sales and has a respectable reputation throughout 
the country.  This company and a handful of others make up 
the bulk of all firearms sales in Costa Rica. 
CIANCHETTE