VZCZCXYZ0023
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAC #0588/01 2592215
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 162214Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY ASUNCION
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0041
INFO MERCOSUR COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS ASUNCION 000588 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
STATE FOR WHA/BSC MARY DASCHBACH 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV OREP PREL PA SNAR
SUBJECT: CODEL GRANGER IN PARAGUAY 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  House Appropriations Committee Member Kay 
Granger (R- Texas) led a delegation to Paraguay September 2-5. 
Codel Granger conveyed U.S. support for Paraguay's fight against 
corruption and drug trafficking.  Meeting with a variety of law 
enforcement and criminal justice partners throughout the visit, 
Congresswoman Granger expressed an interest in helping Paraguay 
overcome some of its greatest challenges.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
 
¶2. (U) Codel Granger also included Commerce, Justice and Science 
Appropriations Subcommittee staff John Blazey and Diana Simpson. 
Air Force liaison Lt. Col. William Doug Hall and DEA legislative 
relations staff members Mandy Lord and Sheldon Shoemaker also 
participated. 
 
 
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PARAGUAYAN COUNTERNARCOTICS EFFORTS: A WORK IN PROGRESS 
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¶3.  (U) Minister Cesar Aquino, the director of Paraguay's 
Anti-Narcotics Secretariat (SENAD) lead Congresswoman Granger on a 
tour of their headquarters in Asuncion.  The building complex is a 
small, underequipped facility that boards a few dozen SENAD agents. 
The Minister spoke of the challenges faced by SENAD.  With only 
approximately 140 agents to combat drug trafficking nationwide, 
SENAD suffers from a lack of personnel and resources.  The Minister 
claimed that SENAD was in line for a modest budgetary increase in 
the upcoming fiscal year, but commented on the importance of 
continued U.S. support. 
 
 
 
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BRINGING THE ACTORS TOGETHER 
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¶4.  (SBU)  Ambassador Liliana Ayalde hosted a small working 
reception for key Paraguayan and Embassy law enforcement contacts. 
Among the Paraguayans attending were representatives from SENAD, 
the Chief of the Paraguayan National Police, the Director of 
Paraguay's anti-money laundering secretariat (SEPRELAD) and the 
Director of Paraguay's intellectual property enforcement unit 
(UTE).  The Ambassador asked each participant to reflect on their 
major challenges.  Consistent themes included the need for 
additional specialized training and improved coordination between 
agencies.  Asked how many times the representatives of the 
Paraguayan agencies present had met to discuss common enforcement 
priorities, the answer was 'never'.  The Ambassador commented that 
it is not uncommon for the U.S. Embassy to be the catalyst for 
inter-agency coordination on a number of important topics. 
Congresswoman Granger's experience as the mayor of Fort Worth, 
Texas was useful as she shared lessons learned from tackling 
security issues in a city with roughly the population of Paraguay. 
 
 
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THE MINISTER OF INTERIOR AND THE TRI-BORDER 
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------------ 
 
 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Ambassador Ayalde joined the delegation for a breakfast 
with Paraguayan Interior Minister Rafael Filizzola and his chief of 
staff.  Filizzola articulately described the challenges facing the 
Paraguayan police.  Claiming a budgetary success his predecessors 
never had, Filizzola noted he was not waiting for assistance to 
begin the generational task of reforming the police.  Appreciative 
of the many training programs offered by the Embassy, Filizzola 
stated that more training would be of great value to an institution 
seeking to transform itself.  In addition, Filizzola added that the 
U.S. could offer more assistance procuring needed equipment, 
stating that Paraguay has the money to purchase equipment but not 
the wherewithal to know what to order and how to procure it. 
Filizzola said that, for example, in a case only days earlier, the 
police had been unable to locate a kidnapping victim who was being 
held in a home outside of Ciudad del Este.  Although the ransom 
negotiations took place over a matter of days and the victim never 
moved locations, the police had been unable to pinpoint his 
 
location because they do not have cellular direction finding 
equipment.  The 19-year old victim was murdered during a botched 
ransom handover.  Filizzola said that U.S. assistance procuring 
this type of equipment could have saved a life and improved the 
public perception of the police. 
 
 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The Congressional delegation also travelled to Ciudad del 
Este, Paraguay.  Best known as a hub for contraband smuggling, 
intellectual property violations and as a source of possible 
terrorism financing, Ciudad del Este sits on the border of 
Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.  After a quick lay of the land, 
Congresswoman Granger visited the dilapidated SENAD office in 
Ciudad del Este.  The office grounds contained a landfill-like pile 
of seized assets unable to be used or sold under Paraguay's arcane 
asset forfeiture laws.  Agents spoke to the Congresswoman of their 
successes, but also to being outmatched by the resources and 
strength of the drug traffickers.  Two counter-narcotics 
prosecutors joined the delegation for lunch.  Pointing fingers at 
Paraguay's inefficient and corrupt justice system, the prosecutors 
also spoke of their success working with DEA-sponsored SENAD vetted 
units. 
 
 
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LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CONGRESS 
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¶7. (SBU)  Over lunch with 12 Paraguayan senators and 
representatives that form the bulk of the legislature's 
counter-narcotics committee, the Congresswoman spoke of the need 
for Paraguay to speak with one voice on matters related to 
combating the illegal drug trade.  Many Paraguayan congressman 
noted progress combating marijuana cultivation would require a 
serious and sustained commitment to addressing the underlying 
social problems.  Noting that poor farmers can earn far more money 
growing marijuana than any other sustainable crop, the legislators 
lamented the lack of a national program offering alternatives. 
Other legislators added that the issue of demand needed to be 
addressed in addition to supply.  All agreed that focusing on 
better cross-border cooperation with the major destination 
countries of Brazil, Argentina and European countries would provide 
a better chance of denting the ever-growing drug problem. 
 
 
 
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MONEY LAUNDERING 
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¶8.  (U) Congresswoman Granger also met with the director of 
SEPRELAD Oscar Boidanich.  Director Boidanich noted that SEPRELAD 
is a relatively newly created entity made up of personnel on 
temporary detail from other agencies.  Lacking a consistent and 
well-trained staff, SEPRELAD is less effective than it otherwise 
might be.  Boidanich commented that he hopes the recently enacted 
money laundering legislation will be a catalyst for an increased 
focus on SEPRELAD's mission.  He plans to institute a 
fee-for-service system in which money remitters and banks pay 
transaction fees to SEPRELAD thereby obviating SEPRELAD's need for 
a piece of the national budget.  The Congresswoman stated that she 
saw much promise in SEPRELAD under Boidanich's leadership. 
 
 
 
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U.S. ENGAGEMENT CRITICAL 
 
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¶9.  (SBU) COMMENT:  Congresswoman Granger noted that U.S. 
assistance in Paraguay seems uniformly well received.  Given the 
fragile nature of Paraguay's newly re-created law enforcement 
institutions, any amount of U.S. assistance provides great impact. 
Congresswoman Granger encouraged a continuous and sustained 
commitment by the Embassy to assist Paraguay in overcoming some of 
its greatest challenges.  END COMMENT. 
 
 
Codel Granger did not have an opportunity to clear on this message. 
AYALDE