VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHPE #1808/01 3221827
ZNR UUUUU ZH
R 171827Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY LIMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9622
INFO RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 3540
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 1280
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ NOV MEXICO 3760
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 2183
RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 2064
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 7988

UNCLAS LIMA 001808 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR INL/LP NAD WHA/PPC 
ONDCP FOR LT COL RONALD GARNER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR KCRM ASEC PREL PE
SUBJECT: LIMA NAS END OF MONTH REPORT - OCTOBER 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: 
 
- New National Police Director and Minister of Interior Named 
- Eradication 
- New Graduating Class of the Special Counter Drugs 
Operations Course: Mazamari 
- DIRANDRO Statistics 
- MEDEVAC Policy/Procedures to be Revised 
- FLIR Back in Business 
- Change in FAP C-26 Contractors Bring Program Closer to 
Nationalization 
- Ports Program Report 
- Mayor of Major City Arrested on Money Laundering Charges 
- New Criminal Procedure Code in Cases of Corruption 
Implemented Nationwide 
- ILEA RTC/Lima Completes its Final Course for 2008 and other 
ILEA News 
- New TIP Information Campaign in Peru 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
New National Police Director and Minister of Interior Named 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶2. (U) Following the resignation of his entire Cabinet in a 
corruption scandal involving executives of state enterprises 
and government officials, President Alan Garcia named retired 
National Police General Remigio Hernani Meloni to replace 
Luis Alva Castro as Minister of Interior.  Hernani has 
appointed 
General Remicio Maguino, a former PNP Chief of Staff with a 
background in anti-terrorist and intelligence operations, 
Director of the PNP. 
 
 
------------ 
Eradication 
------------ 
 
¶3. (U) October eradication reached 1027.85 hectares. 
Reacting to intelligence reports of possible Sendero Luminoso 
(SL) activity against eradication forces at various locations 
and threats of protest by coca growers, NAS modified 
operations by reducing the time spent in any one location and 
following no apparent geographical pattern when determining 
eradication locations.  Coca growers in and around Aucayacu 
organized protests against eradication and confronted CORAH 
workers on three separate occasions.  These confrontations 
were generally peaceful and eventually broken up by DIRANDRO 
security 
forces.  In an unrelated incident, two CORAH workers were 
injured by shotgun pellets from an inadvertently triggered 
animal trap.  Both workers were safely removed from the cite 
and are in full recovery. On October 17, eighty Peruvian army 
soldiers were removed from eradication security duty, however 
PNP security support numbers from the Special Operation 
Division remained constant.  DIRANDRO and CORAH authorities 
are working to reestablish military support in these high 
threat level areas. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
New Graduating Class of the Special Counter Drugs 
Operations Course - Mazamari 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶4. (U) Deputy NAS Director, the  DIRANDRO Director, NAS 
Police Advisor  and other NAS personnel attended the 
graduation ceremony of the fourth Special Counter Drugs 
Operations (GOES) class.   Of the 73 PNP officers who 
completed this elite special operations course, 63 percent 
were selected to form the new GOES unit.  GOES units are 
specialized in high risk/long range counter-narcotics 
operations.  As part of their training, the graduates 
eradicated seven hectares of opium poppy in the Celendin 
province in the department of Cajamarca - approximately an 
hour and a half by airplane from Mazamari. 
 
------------------- 
DIRANDRO Statistics 
------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) During the month of October, DRIANDRO destroyed 1,038 
cocaine production laboratories and 16 HCL cocaine base 
laboratories nation wide.  The DIRANDRO Anti-drug Unit 
covering the VRAE and Huallaga  seized and destroyed 39.4 
metric tons of chemical precursors and 22 metric tons of 
various types of drugs. 
 
 
 
---------------------------------------- 
MEDEVAC Policy/Procedures to be Revised 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (U) NAS experienced a higher than normal number of MEDEVAC 
requests from the field for injuries ranging from broken ribs 
and hypothermia to spider bites and gun shot wounds. 
However, two of the seven missions were aborted 
due to poor communication from the field and/or poor medical 
diagnoses.  Therefore, SAA has directed a review of MEDEVAC 
policies and procedures so as to minimize Night Vision Goggle 
(NVG) MEDEVACS and eliminate crew rest issues 
and wasted flight hours. 
 
--------------------- 
FLIR Back in Business 
--------------------- 
 
¶7. (U) Repairs for the FLIR imaging system as well as for the 
ADS digital mapping camera are complete and both are fully 
operational and mission ready.  The availability of this 
equipment has been much anticipated by the Peruvian 
Joint Command, who use the FLIR for their operations in the 
VRAE, and DIRANDRO and CORAH, who use the ADS camera for 
interdiction and eradication planning. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
Change in FAP C-26 Contractors Brings Program Closer to 
Nationalization 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶8. (U) The  maintenance services contract for the 
NAS-supported FAP C-26s has been awarded to DRS Technologies; 
former contractor, ARINC, closed their 
operations in Lima at the end of the month.  The new contract 
is reduced in scope from previous agreements for the 
contractor is now  primarily in a technical advisory role 
relying on the FAP to conduct the actual maintenance 
and record keeping on the aircraft.  This arrangement under 
the new contract will move maintenance services of the C-26s 
closer to nationalization and reduce the actual costs of 
contract maintenance. 
 
-------------------- 
Ports Program Report 
-------------------- 
 
¶9. (U) For the month of October, Peruvian Customs (SUNAT), 
Peruvian National Police stationed at the International 
Airport, Customs SERPOST, and the port of Callao seized a 
296.286 kilograms of cocaine HCL and detained 12 internal 
carriers carrying approximately 940 grams of cocaine.  The 
Peruvian Navy, 
with the PNP, seized 9 kilograms of cocaine HCL from the 
luggage of a cargo-ferry passenger along the Huallaga River. 
The NAS/DEA supported Chemical Unit seized 3.5 metric tons of 
sulfuric acid submerged in a pond near a maceration pit in a 
remote area northwest of Tingo Maria.  The site was 
abandoned, therefore, no arrests were made. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
Mayor of Major City Arrested on Money Laundering Charges 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶10. (U) Luis Valdez, the Mayor of Coronel 
Portillo-Ucayali/Pulcallpa was taken into custody on Money 
Laundering charges.  Valdez is suspected of being the head 
are a large criminal organization involved in narcotics 
production and trade, and has been accused in the past of 
being involved in the assassination of a local journalist. 
Authorities began asset forfeiture proceedings involving 124 
factories and various financial accounts.  77 people named as 
persons of interest in the investigation.  Valdez is the 
highest ranking public official to date to be arrested on 
money laundering charges 
in Peru. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
New Criminal Procedure Code in Cases of Corruption 
Implemented Nationwide 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶11. (U) Following its national roll out plan, the GOP 
introduced the New Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) in the 
judicial district of Arequipa. The CPC replaces a 1940s 
mixed-inquisitorial criminal procedure model. 
Anti-corruption components of the CPC, however, went into 
effect nationwide as of October 2008. 
 
------------------------------------ 
RTC/Lima Completes Final Course for 2008 and other ILEA News 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶12. (U) ILEA RTC/Lima completed the Senior Officials 
Awareness course on Trafficking in Persons (TIP) at end of 
October, the final course for 2008.  Current PNP operations 
manager General Adolfo Mattos has been moved to another PNP 
position.  It is unclear at this time if he will continue 
with his responsibility as ILEA administrator for the PNP or 
if that will be given to his replacement. 
 
----------------------------- 
New TIP Information Campaign 
----------------------------- 
 
¶13. (U) The Lima office of the International Organization for 
Migration (IOM) rolled out a new nationwide information 
campaign focused on domestic trafficking in Peru.  The roll 
out event included information on the success of the Ministry 
of Interior's hotline, two television ads and two radio spots 
focusing on the common methodologies used in Peru to trick 
victims into 
sexual exploitation and forced labor.  The extensive national 
press coverage highlights the growing interest and 
sensitivity of Peruvian journalists to the local trafficking 
problem. 
MCKINLEY