VZCZCXRO9887
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHMV #0609/01 2361759
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 241759Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY MONROVIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1249
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 1500
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0059

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MONROVIA 000609 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/EPS, AF/W DS/IP/ITA AND CA/FPP 
 
E.O.12958:  N/A 
TAGS: ASEC EAIR ECON KFRD CPAS PREL PGOV KCRM EAID LI
SUBJECT:  ARREST OF PAKISTANI MALAFIDE PASSENGERS LAYS BARE WEAKNESS 
IN RIA SECURITY 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  The removal of two malafide Pakistanis from a 
Brussels Airlines August 12 flight to Brussels by airline officials, 
and the GOL's subsequent investigation, has brought to light a well 
developed smuggling operation using the Roberts International 
Airport (RIA) VIP Lounge as a way to avoid normal security screening 
checks.  The ring was recycling stolen U.S. passports to purchase 
the tickets.  Members of the Bureau of Immigration and 
Naturalization (BIN), the MFA Office of Protocol, an expeditor for 
Firestone Rubber Plantation, and one member of Brussels Airlines' 
local security company ESM are under investigation.  President 
Sirleaf has tasked Minister of Justice Christiana Tah to follow the 
investigation.  Also implicated is a local travel agency owned by 
Randolph Cooper, a former RIA managing director who is on the UN 
Travel Ban and Assets Freeze lists.  Five Pakistanis are now in 
custody, as well as several Liberians.  The VIP Lounge has often 
been seen as a weak link in RIA's security (including by Brussels 
Airlines), and it must be eliminated or its use must be severely 
curtailed in order to avoid a repeat.  Ambassador has prohibited 
Mission personnel or USG TDY personnel from using the VIP Lounge 
without the prior consent of the DCM.  If Brussels Airlines cannot 
be assured of quick improvements to airport security, it will 
consider suspending flights.  A TSA-ASSIST team is in town to help 
improve security at the airport.  End Summary. 
 
Smuggling Ring Operation 
------------------------ 
 
¶2. (SBU) The arrest of five Pakistani nationals and several 
Liberians has uncovered a ring to smuggle Pakistani and perhaps 
other nationals through RIA to Europe by means of Brussels Airlines 
that has been in operation for at least several months. 
Investigation resulting from the removal of the two Pakistani 
nationals indicates collusion between a local travel agency, 
immigration officials, employees of the VIP Lounge and at least one 
employee from a local security service.  It is not clear at this 
time whether the same procedures were used to board the malafide 
passengers on previous flights. 
 
¶3. (SBU) According to Brussels Airlines Country Manager Luc 
Metdepenningen, since January 1, 13 undocumented passengers have 
entered Brussels from flights originating from Monrovia or 
transiting Monrovia from Abidjan.  In investigating the pattern, he 
noticed the repeated occurrence the names of two AMCITS on the 
flight manifests during every occasion when Belgian immigration 
authorities detained the undocumented aliens.  According to 
electronic ticket records, though the two were purchasing round-trip 
tickets, the return legs were never used and no baggage was ever 
checked in under their names.  He provided Consul the electronic 
picture files of the passports of the two individuals: 
 
--  Samuel SCHROCK; DPOB:  25 FEB 1985, Washington (state);  US PPT 
(Regular) #160275997; DPOI: 31 MAR 2000, Washington, DC. 
--  Jason Donald KADLEC; DPOB: 19 FEB 1975, Nebraska;  US PPT 
(Regular) #112498570; DPOI: 22 FEB 2001, New York City. 
 
¶4. (SBU) On July 6, Metdepenningen asked for Consul's assistance in 
determining the validity of these U.S. passports as well as any 
other information that would contribute to mitigating the fraudulent 
use of U.S. travel documents through RIA.  Consul informed RSO of 
the request. 
 
¶5. (SBU) PIERS and CLASS records checks revealed that USPPT 
160275997 had, in fact, been issued to Sarah (not Samuel) Schrock, 
DPOB: 21 NOV 1975, Washington (state).  PIERS records show that this 
PPT was subsequently reported stolen by Sarah Schrock on August 14, 
2002 in Nairobi, Kenya.  She was a Peace Corps Volunteer at the time 
so the passport was valid for only five years.  The passport 
therefore appears to be both photosubbed and biodata altered.  A 
comparison of the PIERS record to the provided scan indicate that 
USPPT 112498570 has not been altered.  This passport, however, was 
reported lost by the bearer in NYC in 2003. 
 
Travel Agency, Other Involvement 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) In a subsequent conversation with ARSO, the Brussels 
Airlines Country Manager said that all tickets associated with this 
activity had been purchased no more than 24 hours in advance of 
departure (some on the day of the flight) through Liberia Travel 
Services (LTS).  LTS is owned by Randolph Cooper, who was Managing 
Director of RIA under ex-President Charles Taylor and is currently 
on the UN Travel Ban and Assets Freeze lists for being "instrumental 
in the various violations of the arms embargo."  Cooper is also the 
general sales associate for Virgin Nigeria Airlines in Liberia as 
well as the head of the Liberia Travel Agent Association. 
 
¶7. (SBU) The Country Manager and ARSO agreed that the most likely 
mechanism by which this fraud was being committed indicated the 
complicity of some, if not all, layers of the security screening 
process at RIA, as the passports bear the pictures of Caucasian 
males who are unlikely to resemble the South Asian individuals 
purporting to be the rightful bearers of these passports.  They also 
agreed that the investigation and research should remain 
confidential between Brussels Airlines and USG until such time as 
Liberian authorities could be briefed without presenting the 
possibility of an internal leak at RIA. 
 
¶8. (SBU) During a trip to Brussels in July, the Country Manager was 
asked by Brussels Airlines security to discuss the case with 
Director General of the Liberian Civil Aviation Authority (LCAA) 
Richelieu Williams to develop a protocol for the return of the 
malafide passengers to Liberia.  Belgian authorities had attempted 
to return one of the aliens to Liberia on July 15, but this 
individual was refused by Liberian immigration officers at RIA and 
returned on the same flight to Brussels. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Metdepenningen met with Williams on August 8 and apprised 
Williams that U.S. passports were likely being used to facilitate 
the trafficking operation and that Brussels Airlines had been in 
communication with the U.S. Embassy.  Williams told Metdepenningen 
that he wanted to "deploy a big operation" at the airport to set an 
example about security at RIA.  Later that day, Williams departed 
Liberia for Ghana, returning on 12 AUG 2009. 
 
Two Pakistanis Arrested 
----------------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) On August 11, Metdepenningen observed that LTS had booked 
a seat on the August 12 Monrovia-Brussels flight in Kadlec's name. 
He waited until the next day (day of the flight) to verify that the 
passenger was travelling (to be sure the ticket was actually 
purchased, not just the reservation made).  The ticket was purchased 
midday on August 12. 
 
¶11. (SBU) After confirming that a passenger posing as Kadlec had 
checked in, the Country Manager placed himself in the aircraft 
cockpit as the passengers were boarding.  He observed two vehicles 
moving from the VIP lounge to planeside, where the passports were 
checked by a local Liberian employee of Brussels Airlines' 
locally-contracted security handler ESM.  Two males appearing to be 
South Asian exited one of the vehicles at the aircraft and proceeded 
to board.  When all boarding was complete, Metdepenningen requested 
that the cabin crew check the travel documents of the two South 
Asian passengers.  When he was satisfied that the two individuals 
were not bearing proper documents, they were detained and 
Metdepenningen notified Williams.  The second individual was seated 
under a reservation for Dennis Derrick MOORE; DPOB: 26 FEB 1951, 
Texas; US PPT #133985070, which.  The passport was reported stolen 
in Indonesia in October 2002.  According to Brussels Airlines 
records, this was the only use of this passport in the past few 
months. 
 
¶12. (SBU) Metdepenningen could not confirm to us that the two 
passengers had the passports in question in their possession, but 
said that the two could provide no travel documents or 
identification.  Liberian Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization 
(BIN) has been unable and/or unwilling to provide the Embassy with 
location and status of any travel documents seized in this 
investigation. 
 
¶13. (SBU) According to BIN Commissioner Chris Massaquoi, the two 
individuals arrested at RIA were Pakistani nationals: 
 
Zahwer Abbas, DOB: 20 JUL 1987 
Address: Sherupura, Jica Tajvel Munaka Tharanarrang, Pakistan 
Father's Name: Abbas Ali Gursya 
Mother's Name: Saifa Bibi 
 
Ali Hasnain, DOB: 06 AUG 1990 
POB: Sialkot, Pakistan 
Father's Name: Mukhtar Ahmed Anjum 
Mother's Name: Maqsoda Bibi 
Address: No. 03 Sambrial Sialkot 
 
BIN Commissioner Massaquoi told Emboffs that as of August 24 BIN has 
five Pakistanis in custody. 
 
Arrests Make the Press 
---------------------- 
 
¶14. (SBU) Post was made aware of the August 12 arrests only on 
August 18 through an article in the local Heritage newspaper that 
claimed that a "sting operation" had been conducted by the LCAA, 
giving Williams full credit for busting the ring.  Metdepenningen 
has told Emboffs that the article was completely inaccurate, and 
that Williams learned of the events only after the two were removed 
from the plane by airline officials.  The article did, however, give 
the names and numbers of the U.S. passports.  Metdepenningen said he 
had tried to contact Consul (who has since departed post) and ARSO 
(who is on TDY) but did not attempt to contact anyone else.  Even 
though U.S. passports were used in the scam, GOL officials did not 
contact the Embassy. 
 
¶15. (SBU) During a meeting with the Minister of Justice on August 
21, Charge raised the arrest issue, noting that publicizing the 
arrests before the investigation was complete may have made finding 
the rest of the perpetrators more difficult, and expressed concern 
that the U.S. passports used in by the ring still have not been 
recovered.  Later that day, charge called on President Sirleaf.  The 
Minister of Justice, BIN Commissioner and LCAA Managing director 
were also present.  President Sirleaf admitted that the press 
release was ill-advised.  Massaquoi and Williams then provided the 
President their version of events, and Sirleaf instructed the 
Minister of Justice to determine the facts of the case. 
 
Next Steps 
---------- 
 
¶16. (SBU) The Embassy will continue to monitor the situation. 
Charge briefed the incoming TSA-ASSIST team on the events. 
Ambassador has prohibited all Mission personnel from use of the VIP 
Lounge without prior approval by the DCM.  Metdepenningen said that 
Brussels Airlines will send a high level team to Monrovia (arriving 
August 24) to assess the situation.  Embassy is organizing a meeting 
with TSA-ASSIST, the Brussels Airlines officials and UNMIL for 
August 26. 
 
¶17. (SBU) Comment:  Post believes this smuggling operation may have 
had high level support within the airport, as prior efforts by 
Brussels Airlines to tighten security resulted in little change.  It 
is conceivable that Williams' actions were motivated by a desire to 
demonstrate government resolve.  However, the unintended consequence 
was to make the activity public before the investigation could be 
completed.  RIA and Lockheed Martin, which has recently won a 
six-month contract to manage RIA (septel), must now find ways to 
eliminate this and other weaknesses in the airport's security.   It 
is clear that the GOL now understands that flights to the U.S. will 
not occur until the security situation improves, and President 
Sirleaf's personal interest in the matter and her entrusting the 
case to her Minister of Justice, whom she trusts, is positive.  The 
arrival of the TSA-ASSIST team, the takeover of RIA management by 
Lockheed Martin, and Brussels Airlines' desire to beef up security 
allow for a window of opportunity for real improvement to the 
airport, that the GOL must seize. 
 
ROBINSON