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DE RUEHPU #0600/01 1741752
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 231752Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0081
INFO RUEHZH/HAITI COLLECTIVE
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 2346
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 0402
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 2071
RUEHQU/AMCONSUL QUEBEC 1443
RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHDC
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J2 MIAMI FL
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1895
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEAHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT AU PRINCE 000600 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/EX AND WHA/CAR 
INL FOR KEVIN BROWN, HEATHER WILD AND MEAGAN MCBRIDE 
S/CRS 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR 
INR/IAA 
WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR PGOV PREL KCRM HA
SUBJECT: HAITI: MAY 2009 NAS MONTHLY REPORT 
 
REF: A) PAP 520 B) KINGSTON 374 
 
PORT AU PR 00000600  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  The following summarizes Post's INL/NAS and 
counternarcotics activities in May 2009. 
 
¶2.   Trilateral Conference a Big Success: 
On May 5-7, law enforcement, national security policy makers 
and prosecutors from Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican 
Republic as well as U.S. officials met in Florida at a 
conference on issues related to transnational gangs, guns and 
drugs.  The meeting was funded and hosted by the NASs in the 
DR, Haiti and Jamaica.  Over 50 participants, including the 
three governments' representatives, NAS staff, U.S. local, 
state and federal law enforcement and gang experts met for 
three days to explore these issues and how to obtain 
technical support for the development of their comprehensive 
gang reduction strategies.  It was the first time that the 
three Caribbean countries senior law enforcement and security 
policy makers had come together to explore security issues. 
Among other recommendations, each country agreed to conduct a 
gang threat assessment, to increase interregional secure 
communication capabilities, and to conduct joint task force 
and maritime operations.  They also agreed to meet again in 
September to continue the dialogue, and NAS Port au Prince 
offered to host that event (see ref B for a fuller report on 
the meeting). 
 
¶3.  Meetings: 
Ambassador Sanderson and NAS Director met with the Minister 
of Justice (MOJ) on May 27 to discuss his priorities for the 
justice sector, including the judicial system, corrections 
and the police (ref A).  The MOJ listed, among his top 
priorities, reform of the court system and criminal code, 
elimination of lengthy pretrial detention, additional prison 
capacity, an HNP maintenance garage and improvement of rural 
police stations to reach minimally acceptable working and 
living conditions.  Following up on his promise to provide 
the needed land for the women's prison and HNP maintenance 
garage, NAS staff subsequently joined the MOJ at the proposed 
site in Tabarre (in the area of the Embassy) to begin the 
planning process.  The site is a large tract of land with a 
partially completed four-story structure that has been seized 
from a drug trafficker and seems more than adequate for these 
purposes. 
 
The second coordination meeting of the two donor police 
sector groups - the G10 chaired by the NAS Director, and the 
OAS ABC group - took place at the US Embassy on May 27.  The 
Latin American countries continue to move forward on plans to 
provide more support to the HNP, a welcome initiative, but 
are doing so without sufficient transparency with the other 
donors including the U.S.  Both groups agreed to continue to 
meet and to request a meeting with the MOJ for late June to 
continue the dialogue begun in April about the HNP Academy 
curriculum and other issues. The NAS Director also 
participated in a G10 review of the success of the sectoral 
group format, which was estbalished one year ago.  The need 
to involve all donors, avoid duplication and to have 
administrative support available to the chair and the 
sectoral groups were all emphasized. 
 
¶4.  Briefings: 
On May 12, NAS Director and Sr. Police Advisor represented 
the U.S. in a briefing for the visiting UN delegation of the 
Military and Police Advisors evaluating the progress made in 
MINUSTAH to date.  The US emphasized the considerable 
progress made by the HNP with the assistance of MINUSTAH and 
the donors, particularly the USG, and highlighted some of the 
areas, such as the number of police, where progress is still 
needed.  The discussion also covered the future of MINUSTAH 
and the shift in numbers and skills to include more civilian 
policing experts that will be needed in the future.  NAS 
staff also met with the USUN delegate on that team separately 
to update him on USG security programs in Haiti and the 
 
PORT AU PR 00000600  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
status of our interaction with MINUSTAH forces. 
 
NAS director, along with DEA, briefed Codel Capps about 
security and drug trafficking issues, as part of a larger 
country team briefing.  A DOD team also interviewed both the 
NAS Director and NAS Contracting Officer Representative on 
the Cite Soleil HSI police projects as part of an analysis of 
lessons learned under that important DOD 1207 funds program. 
 
¶5.  Counternarcotics: 
On May 13 the HNP Financial Crimes Unit (BAFE) arrested 
Fourel Celestin, former Director General of the HNP and 
former President of the Haitian Senate, on money laundering 
charges upon his deportation to Haiti after completing his 
money laundering sentence in the U.S (five years with time 
off for good behavior).  A Haitian judge subsequently 
released him.  The Minister of Justice ordered him rearrested 
and he subsequently was taken into custody again.  BAFE is 
also seeking a warrant for Celestin's wife. 
 
The Counternarcotics Unit (BLTS) continued its presence in 
Pestel (in the southern claw), seeking to locate and arrest 
DEA fugitive Guy Philippe.  They augmented this effort with 
an HNP team that joined a task force of DEA and other USG 
elements to run a series of operations in Bernagousse and 
Jean-Bellune, during which Philippe again narrowly escaped 
capture by fleeing on foot into the hills. 
 
On May 26 BLTS requested DEA assistance in securing U.S. 
prosecution of Pagane Alexandre and support for an asset 
forfeiture investigation by the BAFE of Alexandre's 
substantial real estate holdings, including a house rented to 
the US Embassy.  In October 2008 BLTS had arrested Pagane 
Alexandre, a former HNP officer with experience working at 
the Port au Prince airport and who is accused of running a 
smuggling operation recruiting couriers to carry cocaine 
aboard American Airlines flights to JFK Airport.  He 
alledgedly had been working with the complicity of an airline 
employee in Miami, who also was arrested at that time. 
 
BLTS and the Joint Center for Coordinated Information (CICC), 
the drug intelligence office in the Ministry of Interior, are 
also investigating the May 26 crash of a small airplane of 
Venezuelan registry in Northern Haiti.  The aircraft was 
burned after the cocaine was offloaded and transported to the 
Dominican Republic. 
 
On May 28 the HNP in Cap Haitien, acting on a DEA/BLTS tip, 
arrested two individuals and seized 2.27 kilos of cocaine, 
the first such seizure in that area in many months. 
 
A US UNPOL working with the Uruguayan boats partroling the 
southern coast has established good linkages with the 
Jamaican UNPOLs which is improving criminal intelligence 
sharing regarding the drug-gun trade between Haiti and 
Jamaica.  At the end of May the Jamaicans seized two boats of 
Haitian origin with drugs and/or guns on board. 
 
¶6.  NAS Project Updates: 
The isolation ward in the Men's Penitentiary was completed 
and the sick prisoners have been temporarily transferred 
there while renovations of the infirmary are being done.  The 
NGO Health Through Walls, based in FL, will be sending 
donated medical equipment to furnish the new infirmary. 
NAS-funded kitchen equipment, including a freezer, cooking 
racks and utensils, were delivered to the prison as well. 
 
The HNP Academy construction of three instructors barracks 
and accompanying road work is proceeding well.  The third 
floor modification to the original project is nearing 
completion and the official handover ceremony for the 
buildings is planned for early August. 
 
TIGHE