VZCZCXYZ0013
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHGT #0049 0161204
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 161204Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY GUATEMALA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 6803

UNCLAS GUATEMALA 000049 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR PM/DTCC - BLUE LANTERN COORDINATOR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETTC KMOC GT
SUBJECT: GUATEMALA: BLUE LANTERN PRE-LICENSE CHECK, 
050137875 
 
REF: STATE 133162 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  In response to reftel, PolMil Officer 
researched the bona fides of the arms import company 
Comercial Agricola Bolanos (CAB).  The research included an 
on-site inspection of CAB, an interview with the company's 
owner, and records checks of both the company and the owner 
with the Guatemala's Arms and Municions Control Department 
(DECAM).  As a result of the investigation, Post recommends 
approval of reftel license.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On January 8, Emboffs conducted an on-site 
inspection of CAB located at Calzada San Juan 4-34, Zona 3 
Mixco, Guatemala City and interviewed the company's owner, 
Jose Eduardo Bolanos.  Bolanos was fully cooperative during 
the interview, offered complete access to his records, and a 
tour of the facility.  CAB is located on the bottom floor of 
a commercial retail location and includes a well-secured 
storefront with good signage, security bars and a security 
guard protecting the immediate area surrounding the store and 
parking lot.  The store has a small retail area and a weapons 
counter.  In the back of the store is a second room where 
there is one clerical desk and a weapons storage room with 
the owner's office located up one flight of stairs.  Overall, 
the retail, office and weapons storage room were 
satisfactory; however, upon inspection, the Emboffs 
discovered that a large quantity of weapons and ammunition 
were placed outside the weapons storage room in the clerical 
area and upstairs in the office, due to a lack of sufficient 
space in the weapons storage room.  The weapons storage room 
itself is very secure with all of the necessary protective 
measures needed including infrared motion detectors in the 
walls and ceiling.  The room is made of four solid cinder 
block walls with one reinforced steel-grated wall.  Bolanos 
has plans to expand his business to increase the size of his 
weapons storage room, which should be completed before large 
volume orders are approved. 
 
¶3. (SBU) According to Bolanos, he has been in the arms 
industry for 14 years, starting in 1995.  He is the sole 
owner of this company and has a prior business history in the 
agriculture industry.  Bolanos imported about 100 weapons 
from the U.S. in 2008, and stated that he would like to 
import more from the U.S. (mostly .38 caliber), but he has 
found that smaller orders (50 weapons or less) are more 
likely to be approved than larger orders.  (Comment: 
Limiting the number of weapons granted under import licenses 
may serve as a deterrent to the practice of arms wholesaling. 
 End Comment.)  According to Bolanos, the recent reftel 
license purchase of .38 and .22 caliber revolvers will be 
sold in small amounts (five or six per sale) to distributors 
throughout the city.  In addition to the U.S. imports, 
Bolanos imports most of his pistols from Argentina, with 
additional imported rifles and ammunition from Bulgaria, 
Italy, Turkey and The Philippines. 
 
¶4. (SBU) CAB books and DECAM registries were well maintained, 
and indicated that while CAB does sell some of the weapons 
imported from the U.S. to other arms dealers, the company 
also sells a substantial number of the weapons to private 
citizens. 
 
¶5. (SBU) CAB has a clean record with DECAM and has passed all 
routine inspections without incident.  According to DECAM's 
Director, Colonel Hector Del Cid, CAB is a large-scale but 
well managed weapons store that has always operated within 
local laws and regulations.  Based on the results of the 
on-site inspection, interviews and a records check with 
DECAM, Post recommends approval of the reftel license. 
 
McFarland