Tim W Hayes  05/27/2009 11:22:08 AM  From  DB/Inbox:  Tim W Hayes

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UNCLAS        SOFIA 00252
CXsofia:
    ACTION: POLEC
    INFO:   FAS LEG POLM RSO AID DCM FCS DAO PAO AMB

DISSEMINATION: POLE
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: AMB:NMCELDOWNEY
DRAFTED: POLEC:JMACKWILSON
CLEARED: DCM: AKARAGIANNIS, POLEC: JBIGUS, DEA:RCASSITAS

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OO RUEHC RUEABND RHMCSUU RUEAWJA RUEAHLC RUEHIT
DE RUEHSF #0252 1460943
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 260943Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY SOFIA
TO RUEABND/DEA WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RHMCSUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE 0256
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEAHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6023
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 0530

UNCLAS SOFIA 000252 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KCOR KCRCM BU
SUBJECT: BULGARIA: THE CASE FOR A PERMANENT DEA OFFICE 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  A permanent DEA presence in Sofia makes 
strategic, policy and budgetary sense.  Heroin from Afghanistan 
transits Bulgaria and other Balkan/Black Sea countries and poses a 
major policy and law enforcement concern to the United States and 
our European partners.  Heroin trafficking routes are exploited for 
smuggling people, contraband and weapons - a confluence of security 
threats.  Profits from drug trafficking help fuel corruption in 
Bulgaria, further weakening this strategic ally already beset by 
rule of law problems.  The new government that emerges after the 
July 5 election will be anxious to establish credibility with us and 
international partners on the rule of law.  The Embassy has 
available space and the cost of operating in Bulgaria is 
significantly lower than in other European countries.  A permanent 
in-country DEA office at this critical time will push our anti-drug 
agenda in the region as well as within Bulgaria.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Afghan heroin transiting through the Black Sea littoral 
poses significant security, law enforcement and rule of law 
challenges to a vulnerable region.  Strategically situated on Balkan 
transit routes, Bulgaria is awash in illegal flows of drugs, people, 
contraband, and money.  Drug trafficking profits help fuel domestic 
corruption and organized crime, undercutting U.S. efforts to develop 
democratic institutions and rule of law programs. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Once Bulgaria gets past its July parliamentary election, 
the new government will be anxious to establish credibility with the 
international community and the Bulgarian public on rule of law.  A 
permanent DEA presence will have lasting impact by: 
 
-- Establishing strategic depth in interdiction chokepoints, 
critical for operational effectiveness in the overall USG 
counter-narcotics strategy in the region. 
 
-- Enhancing and strengthening the capacity of DEA's Bulgarian 
counterparts and trusted partners.  Armed with strong 
extra-territorial legislation, DEA is uniquely positioned with a 
global mandate to combat drug trafficking.  DEA's skills and 
expertise, when applied via a permanent presence, will provide 
continuity and oversight to joint operations and develop Bulgaria's 
national capacity.  Its key planning, investigative, 
intelligence-gathering and training component will bring DEA's 
superior skills, expertise and tactics to bear. 
 
-- Accelerating Bulgarian progress on establishing a Vetted Unit of 
investigators and operatives, a key USG policy goal.  We will help 
the Bulgarians create a larger cadre of trustworthy officers and 
staff. 
 
¶4. (SBU) U.S. Embassy Sofia is home to over a dozen foreign affairs 
agencies, many with regional responsibilities.  We have significant 
available space within a new chancery complex, and the costs of 
operating here are substantially lower than elsewhere in Europe.  At 
the same time, direct air flights to capitals throughout the region 
(both east and west) are readily available. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Comment: DEA's intermittent TDY presence has helped, but is 
insufficient.  A strong, consistent and permanent DEA presence is 
essential to achieve our counter-narcotics goals here.  It will help 
Bulgaria be a stronger and more capable partner, while also enabling 
DEA to mount additional joint operations.  The strategic benefits 
are clear, the budgetary impact small, and the operational impact 
high. 
 
MCELDOWNEY