VZCZCXYZ0001
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHPU #1602/01 3251214
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 201214Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9156

UNCLAS PORT AU PRINCE 001602 
 
SIPDIS 
 
INL/LP FOR KEVIN BROWN, ANGELIC YOUNG AND MEAGAN MCBRIDE 
INL/AAE FOR JOHN LYLE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR HA
SUBJECT: HAITI DRUG CHAPTER FOR 2008-2009 INCSR 
 
REF: STATE 100970 
 
¶1.  Per instructions reftel, Port au Prince submits the 
following text for the Haiti drug chapter of the 2008-2009 
International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR). 
Data table required of major list countries, with a copy of 
this text, will be submitted by e-mail as well. 
 
¶2.  Begin Text: 
 
Haiti 
¶I. Summary 
Haiti is a major transit country for cocaine and marijuana 
from South America and the Caribbean respectively.  In 2008, 
air smuggling of narcotics to Haiti from Venezuela again 
increased, following the trend in 2007.  The Preval 
Administration continued the struggle to overcome pervasive 
corruption, weak governance and mismanagement, an effort 
complicated by food riots in April, the subsequent lack of a 
functioning government for five months following the 
dismissal of the Prime Minister (and his cabinet) by the 
Legislature and the devastating effects of four hurricanes 
that hit Haiti in quick succession in August-September 2008. 
Haiti,s law enforcement institutions remain weak and its 
judicial system dysfunctional.  In 2007, with the support of 
the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), 
the Haitian National Police (HNP) conducted a successful 
campaign in the Port-au-Prince area to disrupt gang elements 
involved in kidnapping, drug trafficking, and intimidation. 
Although the campaign decreased criminal activity in those 
areas, the Government of Haiti (GOH) has yet to deliver the 
sustained police presence needed to eliminate the gangs, 
criminal activity and a resurgence of kidnapping and 
robberies has occurred.  The GOH, with assistance from 
international donors ) principally MINUSTAH, the United 
States and Canada ) continues to promote the restoration of 
the rule of law.  The HNP, with the support of MINUSTAH, 
completed the second year of its reform plan, which includes 
a vetting and certification process for all officers, and 
reform of institutional elements including the General 
Administration Department and Logistics Bureau.  The HNP,s 
counternarcotics unit carried out operations during the year 
that resulted in limited seizures of drugs.  Haiti is a party 
to the 1988 UN Drug Convention. 
 
II. Status of Country 
Haiti is a major drug transit country.  Haiti,s 1,125 miles 
of unprotected shoreline, uncontrolled seaports, numerous 
clandestine airstrips, along with a struggling police force, 
dysfunctional judiciary system, corruption, and weak 
democracy make it an attractive strategic point for drug 
traffickers.  Cocaine and, to a lesser extent, marijuana are 
trafficked through Haiti to the United States and, in smaller 
quantities, to Canada and Europe.  In addition to being 
shipped directly to the United States, drugs brought into 
Haiti also are moved overland into the Dominican Republic for 
onward delivery to the U.S. and Europe.  From January-October 
2008, Haiti experienced a 15 percent increase in drug 
smuggling flights, 23 compared to 20 in all of 2007, as 
reported by the U.S. Joint Interagency Task Force)South 
(JIATF-S).  However, anecdotal evidence on the ground 
indicates that the number of clandestine flights may be up to 
three times that number. 
 
III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 2008 
During 2008, the HNP provided in-service training to over 500 
veteran officers, with the assistance on MINUSTAH civilian 
police advisors.  However, no new recruits graduated from the 
HNP Academy in 2008, a major setback in achieving the minimum 
number of 14,000 police by 2011 as agreed with MINUSTAH as 
part of the HNP reform plan adopted in 2006.  The 20th class 
of 708 police cadets entered the Academy in July 2008 and is 
expected to graduate in February 2009.  The 21st class of 
approximately 700 cadets is expected in enter in January 2009 
thanks to a major expansion of the police academy undertaken 
by Canada and the United States that will allow two classes 
to be run simultaneously for the first time.  The Academy 
training consists of 24 weeks of basic police tactics, 
less-than-lethal tactics, community policing, weapons 
training, search and evidence gathering techniques, ethics, 
human rights, and gender and children,s issues. The report 
on the second year of the reform plan,s implementation 
released in October revealed  progress on training of both 
new and experienced officers, development of standard 
operating procedures, continued emphasis on vetting, and 
improved capacity in criminal investigative techniques among 
specialized units. Morale is high among HNP officers, as 
recent polls indicate that 58% of the population sees 
improvement in the HNP and 66% list the HNP as the most 
trusted Haitian government institution, major changes from 
surveys in past years.  MINUSTAH military troops, United 
Nations Police (UNPOL), MINUSTAH Formed Police Units, and HNP 
officers have made progress in dismantling gangs that support 
kidnapping in recent months, lowering the number of 
kidnappings that have taken place, and have been more 
aggressive in pursuing drug traffickers at the point of drug 
arrival in Haiti. 
 
In 2008 the USG-funded project to enhance the effectiveness 
of GOH anti-money laundering and anti-corruption efforts 
became fully operational and has scored some major successes 
in terms of investigations and reorganization of the judicial 
chain actors involved in such cases. The project provides 
mentoring on the investigation and prosecution of financial 
crimes by U.S. Treasury advisers and has helped restructure 
the GOH Central Financial Intelligence Unit (French acronym 
UCREF) by separating its investigative and intelligence 
gathering functions.  The HNP Financial Crimes Unit (French 
acronym BAFE) has been revitalized, moved into new offices 
shared with prosecutors and judges, and has referred several 
cases for prosecution for the first time in many years. 
 
Law Enforcement Efforts.  The Government of Haiti made modest 
advances in the fight against drug trafficking this year. 
President Prval continued to urge strong action against drug 
trafficking and did not back away from his support for 
bilateral operations to arrest DEA-wanted fugitives for 
removal to the United States, despite a failed attempt to 
arrest Guy Philippe that garnered significant publicity. 
President Preval continues to press for increased support to 
the HNP and calls for more joint operations to reduce the 
flow of drugs through Haiti. 
 
The HNP counternarcotics unit (French acronym BLTS), with 
support from the USG, worked to improve their response to air 
smuggling of cocaine.  This response included establishing 
roadblocks to contain traffickers near the scenes of reported 
clandestine landings and conducting follow-up investigations 
upon learning of successful cocaine offloads.  For example, 
in July 2008, the HNP arrested three defendants and seized 
two kilograms of cocaine shortly after a reported clandestine 
landing of a suspected smuggler. They continue to seek 
additional defendants in that investigation.  More 
significantly, the HNP established a roadblock near St Marc 
in August 2008 after learning of a clandestine landing in the 
Central Plateau.  This yielded the seizure of $689,000 US 
dollars and the arrest of ten defendants, including two 
Colombian nationals and two active duty HNP officers.  This 
seizure is linked to a major international trafficking 
organization under investigation in Colombia, the Dominican 
Republic, and the United States, as well as Haiti.  In May 
2008, the HNP followed up on a reported robbery of $340,000 
US dollars in Cap Haitien, which led to the search of a house 
in Port de Paix, resulting in four arrests and the seizure of 
30 kilograms of cocaine.  Information obtained during this 
operation was passed by the HNP, via their DEA counterparts, 
to the Bahamas, where in August 2008 a search warrant yielded 
$1.7 million in US currency. 
 
The BLTS also began to show improvement in its airport 
program, with cocaine seizures in May, July, and October, all 
from couriers attempting to smuggle cocaine aboard commercial 
airlines flights.  In September 2008, the HNP responded to a 
tip and seized 40 kilograms of compressed marijuana from an 
airfreight shipment destined for Martinique. 
 
The HNP Financial Crimes Unit, BAFE, has made great strides 
this year.  In September 2008, the BAFE obtained forfeiture 
orders and seized two houses, one of which belonged to Jean 
Nesly LUCIEN, a former Director General of the HNP who was 
convicted in the U.S. on money laundering charges, and the 
other belonging to Jean-Mary CELESTIN, who was also convicted 
in the U.S. on trafficking charges.  The BAFE is aggressively 
implementing a plan to use convictions in U.S. courts as the 
legal basis for asset forfeiture in Haiti. This overcomes the 
significant hurdle Haiti,s asset forfeiture law imposes when 
it requires conviction of the trafficker prior to forfeiture 
of his assets. The BAFE is currently working with DEA to 
document convictions and to identify assets linked to 
traffickers removed from Haiti and convicted in the United 
States.  This unit seized eight properties in October and 
anticipates seizing as many as 40 trafficker-owned houses as 
well as other assets valued at over 20 million USD by the end 
of 2008. 
 
From January - October 2008, 763.1 kilos of cocaine and 
marijuana were seized by the HNP.  The Special Investigative 
Unit (SIU), a partnership between DEA and the GOH, which 
became operational in 2007, continues to operate.  Selected 
HNP officers, graduates of a five-week course at the Drug 
Enforcement Academy in Quantico, Virginia, form the nucleus 
of the SIU and are charged with investigating Haitian drug 
organizations that have a nexus to the United States. The 
unit has conducted several joint interdiction operations with 
DEA/FBI/JIATF-S.  The SIU is a fully vetted unit within the 
HNP, as is the BAFE. 
 
The Haitian Coast Guard (HCG) conducted drug and migrant 
interdiction operations from its bases in Port-au-Prince and 
Cap Haitien during the year.  In FY08, the HCG assisted in 
repatriation of over 1000 Haitian migrants interdicted after 
their departure from the north coast. U.S. sponsored training 
programs also helped Haiti achieve compliance with 
International Ships and Port Security (ISPS) standards in 
three international ports, although several other ports have 
not yet met those standards.  Such certification bodes well 
for increased port screening and control of contraband.  Such 
US-funded programs were important for ensuring Haiti's 
territorial security.  Three national border security-related 
leaders participated in regional training programs.  The HCG 
supported MINUSTAH,s maritime security patrols in the Port 
au Prince area on nearly a daily basis, helping provide an 
increased maritime security presence in the capital area, 
including for such hot spot communities as Cite Soleil.  The 
HCG independently interdicted a migrant vessel bound for the 
US offshore of the northern city of Cap Haitien demonstrating 
the cumulative effect of training and operational support. 
However, the lack of funding and fuel shortages remain 
significant barriers to the ability of the HCG to conduct 
maritime operations. 
 
Corruption. As a matter of policy, the GOH does not encourage 
or facilitate the shipment of narcotics through Haiti, and 
does not discourage the investigation or prosecution of such 
acts.  Moreover, the GOH has demonstrated willingness to 
undertake law enforcement and legal measures to prevent, 
investigate, prosecute, and punish public corruption. 
President Preval has publicly identified the fights against 
corruption and drug trafficking as major priorities for his 
administration.  Vetting has taken place in some of the 
northern and southern areas and among certain ranks in 
Port-au-Prince and will be further expanded in the capital 
area, where the majority of police officers are assigned. In 
2007, the HNP Director General dismissed 700 officers for 
misconduct or being absent without leave, although many 
remain on the payroll.  The HNP Director of Administration 
and Director of Logistics were both removed from their 
positions in 2007 for suspected corruption and their 
replacements have taken positive steps in increasing 
accountability and transparency through the use of databases, 
more controlled authorization of expenditures and standard 
operating procedures for use of vehicles.  BAFE 
investigations continue to target government officials 
suspected of corruption and money laundering activities and 
to cooperate with U.S. officials on investigations into 
allegations of corruption under the previous administration. 
 
Agreements and Treaties.  Haiti is a party to the 1961 Single 
Convention as amended by the 1972 Protocol; the 1988 UN Drug 
Convention; the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption; 
and the Inter American Convention against Trafficking in 
illegal firearms. A U.S.-Haiti maritime counternarcotics 
agreement entered into force in 2002. Haiti has signed but 
not ratified the UN Convention against Corruption, the 
Caribbean Regional Maritime Agreement and the UN Convention 
against Transnational Organized Crime. Work, assisted by US 
legal experts, is on-going on a bilateral mutual legal 
assistance treaty between the U.S. and Haiti.  Requests for 
assistance historically have been made through letters 
rogatory and the first such request in years was made in 
2008, to which the GOH is responding. 
 
Extradition.  Haiti and the U.S. are parties to an 
extradition treaty that entered into force in 1905. Although 
the Haitian Constitution prohibits the extradition of its 
nationals, in the past Haitians under indictment in the U.S. 
have been returned to the U.S. by non-extradition means. The 
SIU has spearheaded efforts to transfer both Haitian and 
non-Haitian nationals wanted in the United States for drug 
trafficking to the U.S., in keeping with President Preval,s 
desire to stem drug trafficking through Haiti.  During 2008, 
the GOH arrested six defendants wanted in the United States 
on federal drug trafficking charges and transferred custody 
to the DEA for removal to the United States.  All of these 
defendants were transported to the United States and several 
have already been convicted at trial or have entered guilty 
pleas. 
 
Cultivation/Production.  There is evidence that cultivation 
of marijuana in Haiti continues to increase.  In July 2008, 
the HNP located two marijuana plots under cultivation in the 
vicinity of St Marc.  The BLTS seized and destroyed an 
estimated 30,000 plants.  The HNP are working to develop 
further intelligence relative to large-scale marijuana 
cultivation in the Artibonite valley, although this threat 
may have temporarily abated with the agricultural damage 
wrought by four successive hurricanes in the Artibonite area 
in fall 2008. 
 
Drug flow/transit.  In 2008, traffickers continued to use 
small aircraft to make offshore air drops of illegal drugs as 
well as land deliveries using clandestine airstrips. At least 
29 such landing strips have been identified.  Suspect drug 
flights from Venezuela increased at least 15 percent over the 
38 percent increase officially recorded in 2007.  However, 
the actual rate of increase may be much higher, with up to 
two-thirds of such flights going undetected.  Several new 
trends emerged, including more daylight air drops, flights 
following the Haitian-Dominican Republic border further north 
into Haiti before making drops, and some planes being 
abandoned and burnt once the drugs are offloaded rather than 
attempt to refuel and depart from Haiti.  In addition, part 
of the increase in Haiti-bound flights seems to have resulted 
in a corresponding drop in flights tracked to the Dominican 
Republic, a worrisome trend that is expected to continue and 
demonstrates the need for coordinated action against drug 
traffickers throughout Hispaniola to have maximum impact and 
preserve successes made in controlling trafficking in both 
countries.  Fast boats transporting cocaine from South 
America arrive at a number of locations on the southern coast 
of Haiti.  The cocaine is then transported overland to 
Port-au-Prince where it is frequently concealed on cargo and 
coastal freighters destined for the United States and Europe. 
 Marijuana is shipped via fast boats from Jamaica to waiting 
Haitian fishing vessels and cargo freighters to seaports 
along Haiti,s southern claw.  It is then shipped directly to 
the continental United States or transshipped through the 
Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico.  Seizures of very small 
quantities of crack for personal use also occurred in 2008. 
Pharmacies in Haiti are essentially unregulated, and some 
controlled medications are sold in quantities through those 
businesses. 
 
In 2008 the BLTS counternarcotics unit expressed increased 
concern about marijuana trafficking.  The concern stems from 
the fact that much of the low grade marijuana trafficked in 
Haiti is intended for the domestic market, and also from the 
violence that has been associated with the Jamaican marijuana 
trade on Haiti,s southern coast.   During this time period, 
Jamaican authorities expressed concern about the exchange of 
Jamaican marijuana for Haitian firearms (&guns for ganja8) 
and urged the GOH to take greater action in this area.  Law 
enforcement officials from Jamaica visited Haiti to discuss 
this and other issues and to lay the groundwork for increased 
intelligence and law enforcement cooperation between the two 
nations. 
 
Demand Reduction.  Drug abuse is a growing but largely 
unrecognized problem in Haiti.  Increased use of marijuana in 
schools has been reported, leading to increased levels of 
local production as reported above as well as increased 
smuggling of marijuana into Haiti for local use.  There are 
almost no formal demand reduction programs in place at this 
time. 
 
IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs 
Policy Initiatives.  The cornerstone of USG efforts to combat 
drug trafficking in Haiti continues to focus on reform of the 
HNP.  In cooperation with MINUSTAH, the USG provided 
substantial equipment and technical assistance in 2008, aimed 
at transforming the HNP into an effective law enforcement 
institution.  The Narcotics Affairs Section (NAS) of the U.S. 
Embassy coordinated the procurement of vehicles, radios, 
forensic lab and other technical equipment for the HNP, 
police academy and in-service training, support for 
specialized HNP units and material support to the HCG. The 
USG contributed 50 officers to MINUSTAH,s UNPOL contingent, 
many of whom are involved in training recruits at the HNP 
academy.  A USG-funded communication project continues 
installation of solar-powered radio base stations for the HNP 
throughout the country and assisted in repairs to such 
installations following the four hurricanes that impacted 
Haiti in 2008.  The USG also is contributing three 
corrections experts to form the nucleus of a sixteen-member 
UN team that works on improving the infrastructure and 
management of Haiti,s prison system.  In addition, the USG 
provides two advisers to help the HNP Director General 
implement anti-corruption and strategic planning measures. As 
part of a multi-year anti-money laundering and 
anti-corruption project, advisers from the U.S. Treasury,s 
Office of Technical Assistance (OTA) visited Haiti monthly in 
2008, to review cases of financial crimes with prosecutors 
and judges, mentor the HNP officers assigned to financial 
investigations as well as staff of the Financial Intelligence 
Unit and provide training for financial investigators, judges 
and prosecutors involved in money laundering and corruption 
cases. USCG Mobile Training Teams supported HCG operations 
with maritime law enforcement, port security, engineering, 
logistics and maintenance training in 2008, tripling the 
nuQof HCG trained and increasing Haitian capacity to 
carry out border protection activities.   The USCG, funded by 
INL, retrofitted four vessels (a 47-foot patrol boat and 
three &Eduardono8 fast boats) and brought the boats to 
Haiti in April 2008.  NAS also purchased two rigid hull 
inflatable boats for the HCG.  The addition of these assets 
will allow the HCG to respond better to future drug and 
migrant operations, particularly on the northern coast of 
Haiti. 
 
Road Ahead.  Haiti needs to continue theQrm and expansion 
of the HNP and step up the reform of its judicial system as 
prerequisites for effective counternarcotics operations 
throughout the country. The GOH must continue the steps taken 
this year in demonstrating the political will to fight 
corruption within state institutions and to overcome the 
under-resourcing and under-staffing of the HNP, problems 
which remain major impediments to sustained progress.  More 
importantly, the restoration of the rule of law, including 
reform of the judicial system, must receive greater support 
and be prioritized in order to prevent erosion of the gains 
of the HNP and to provide the security and stability Haiti 
needs to meet the economic, social and political development 
needs of the Haitian people. 
 
 
SANDERSON