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RUEHDG/AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO
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RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA

UNCLAS BOGOTA 003670 
 
SIPDIS 
DEPT FOR INL/LP CRAIG LANG 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR
SUBJECT: 2009-2010 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY REPORT 
(INCSR) PART 1 
 
Colombia 
 
 
 
¶I. Summary 
 
 
 
The Government of the Republic of Colombia (GOC) has made 
significant progress in its vigorous fight against the production 
and trafficking of illicit drugs.  Citing record coca eradication 
in 2008, the USG and United Nations reported significant declines 
in cocaine production potential and coca cultivation in Colombia in 
¶2008.  The USG recently reported that cultivation in 2008 was down 
29 percent compared to 2007, from 167,000 to 119,000 hectares.  The 
USG, crediting sustained aerial eradication operations in 2008, 
also reported a decline in pure cocaine production potential of 39 
percent, from 485 metric tons (MT) in 2007 to 295 MT in 2008.  The 
United Nations (UN) reported an 18 percent drop in cultivation in 
2008, down to 81,000 hectares, and a 28 percent fall in cocaine 
production potential to 430 MT.  Nevertheless, Colombia remains a 
major drug producing country and Colombia's National Consolidation 
Plan, supported by the Embassy's Colombia Strategic Development 
Initiative (CSDI), seeks to integrate security, interdiction, 
eradication, alternative development and justice programs in 
targeted zones to reduce violence and consolidate security and 
state presence in rural areas.  In 2009, the GOC continued its 
aggressive interdiction and eradication programs and maintained a 
strong extradition record for persons charged with crimes in the 
U.S.  As of October 2009, Colombia has seized over 175 metric tons 
(MT) of cocaine and cocaine base and eradicated over 130,000 
hectares of illicit coca crops (the Colombian National Police (CNP) 
Anti-Narcotics Directorate (DIRAN) aerially eradicated 85,000 
hectares and increasingly dangerous manual eradication efforts 
eliminated approximately 45,000 hectares).  Colombia is a party to 
the 1988 UN Drug Convention.  The GOC has also begun to address 
increasing domestic drug consumption and has raised the profile of 
drug prevention and treatment efforts. 
 
 
 
II. Status of Country 
 
 
 
Despite aggressive interdiction and eradication efforts, Colombia 
remains the world's principal cocaine supplier, a leading market 
for precursor chemicals and the focus of significant money 
laundering activity.  The majority of the cocaine goes to the U.S. 
via Mexico and other transit countries, but a growing percentage is 
now destined for Europe and Brazil.  Almost 90 percent of the 
cocaine seized in the U.S. is Colombian.  Colombia continues to be 
a primary source for U.S. heroin users as well.  Narco-traffickers 
exploit Colombia's geography and well-developed infrastructure, 
including seaports, multiple international airports, a growing 
highway system, extensive rivers, and its long, inaccessible 
Pacific and Atlantic coastlines for their operations. 
 
 
 
While illegal drugs are still primarily exported, domestic 
consumption is on the rise. With the completion of the first 
National Household Drug Consumption Study since 1996 and the launch 
of the National Drug Consumption Reduction Plan, the GOC has 
established a baseline to measure changes in drug consumption and 
devised a nationwide policy to be implemented throughout the 
regions.  Embassy Bogota's Narcotics Affairs Section (NAS) 
continues to provide support for GOC and civil society initiatives 
that strengthen drug demand prevention programs in Colombia. 
 
 
 
The U.S. has designated three illegal armed groups as Foreign 
Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) in Colombia.  The Revolutionary 
Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and, to a lesser degree, the 
National Liberation Army (ELN) exercise considerable influence over 
areas with high concentrations of coca and opium poppy cultivation. 
Their involvement in narcotics fuels armed conflict, insecurity, 
and generates internal displacement of rural populations.  The 
third FTO, the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), 
 
 
 
officially demobilized in 2006 although a significant number of 
former mid-level AUC commanders continue their involvement in the 
drug trade, while others have joined emerging criminal bands 
(BACRIM) in areas of former AUC influence. 
 
 
 
III. Country Actions against Drugs in 2009 
 
 
 
Policy Initiatives: The GOC continues to improve its criminal 
justice institutions to increase its capability to investigate and 
prosecute criminals and criminal organizations, particularly those 
involved in drug trafficking.  On January 1, 2008, Colombia 
completed a nationwide transition to an accusatorial system of 
criminal justice with the implementation of a new Criminal 
Procedure Code.  While crimes committed before the new Criminal 
Procedure Code came into force are still be adjudicated under the 
old system, crimes committed after the implementation of the new 
Code are prosecuted and tried in the new system, in which cases are 
resolved in months instead of years.  Conviction rates have risen 
from less than three percent to over sixty percent under the new 
system. 
 
 
 
After manually eradicating a record 96,000 hectares of illicit 
crops in 2008, the manual eradication goal for 2009 was reduced to 
70,000 hectares due to funding limitations.  The Colombian National 
Police (CNP), Colombian Army (COLAR) and, to a lesser extent, the 
Colombian Marines (COLMAR) manually eradicate illicit crops and 
continue to make significant contributions to provide security and 
aviation resources for manual eradication operations.  Drug 
traffickers and terrorist organizations continued to attack manual 
eradicators.  As of October 2009, over 40 civilian eradicators, 
security personnel and a UN topographer have been reported killed 
during manual eradication operations, in comparison to 26 for all 
of 2008.  In addition, mines and hostile fire have injured dozens 
of eradication personnel thus far in 2009. 
 
 
 
The Colombian Anti-Narcotics Police (DIRAN) supports a special 
judicial police unit, established in 2006, which gathers evidence 
for asset forfeiture proceedings against property owners 
cultivating or processing illegal crops.  In 2009, the unit 
continued to develop and investigate cases for the Prosecutor 
General's Office and, according to some estimates, the value of 
illicitly obtained assets seized in 2009 may exceed $600 million 
USD.  This asset seizure initiative is an important step towards 
better deterrence of cultivation and replanting after eradication. 
While the management of these seizures has grown in complexity, 
more legislative and regulatory changes are needed to improve the 
GOC's ability to handle criminal assets and to benefit from their 
forfeiture.  The GOC is also working to increase community support 
for law enforcement in traditionally lawless areas, for example by 
increasing police representation from these areas. 
 
 
 
Law Enforcement Efforts:  Through October 2009, the GOC's Drug 
Observatory (DNE) reported that Colombian security forces seized a 
total of 175 metric tons (MT) of cocaine and cocaine base, 161.9 MT 
of marijuana, 567 kg of heroin, over one million gallons and two 
million kg of precursor chemicals, while destroying 246 cocaine 
hydrochloride (HCL) labs and 2,327 coca base labs. 
 
 
 
The CNP's Mobile Rural Police Squadrons (Carabineros), the units 
which expand and maintain police presence in rural and conflict 
areas throughout Colombia, captured over 6.4 MT of cocaine, 1,121 
weapons, over 50,000 rounds of ammunition, 1,205 kgs of explosives 
and destroyed over 160 base labs.  In addition, Carabineros 
captured 1,554 persons, 51 FARC/ELN, 228 emerging criminal bands 
(BACRIM), 64 narco-traffickers and 729 common criminals.  There are 
currently 20 Carabinero units providing security for manual 
eradication.  The CNP's main interdiction force, the DIRAN's Jungle 
Commandos (Junglas), or airmobile units, are largely responsible 
 
 
for the significant number of HCL and coca base labs destroyed in 
¶2009. 
 
 
 
DIRAN maintained its strong commitment to working with 
international partners in 2009.  Under the Colombia-Mexico Police 
Cooperation Program, the GOC provided counternarcotics and criminal 
investigative training as part of the Mexican Secretariat of Public 
Security (SSP) police reform initiative.  Over 40 Colombian 
National Police instructors contributed to an international effort 
to train 10,000 Mexican federal police in San Luis de Potosi.  In 
September, 61 Mexican senior law enforcement executives completed 3 
weeks training at the Bogota CNP Academy.  In early November, an 
additional 240 mid-level SSP officers received specialized training 
from CNP instructors in Mexico.  Colombia also provided state-level 
CNP training in Jalisco, Mexico, with an abbreviated Jungla course 
on drug interdiction operations; the CNP trained Mexican state 
police in anti-kidnapping and investigative techniques in Ciudad 
Juarez; and eight CNP Junglas provided two months' training to 
local police in Guadalajara.  Two Mexican federal police officers 
were among 44 international students who participated in the 
18-week "Jungla Commando International Course" conducted at the CNP 
Rural Training Center in Tolima in September.  USG-NAS-DOJ funding 
enabled 15 Colombian prosecutors to prepare Mexican police to give 
courtroom testimony.  The CNP DIRAN Heroin Task Force completed 
many bilateral priority target heroin investigations resulting in 
124 arrests (18 for extradition to the U.S).  Total DIRAN 2009 
seizures to date include: 281.45 kgs of heroin, 1756.2 kg of 
cocaine HCl, 5.4 kg of morphine, 68.9 kg of opium, and assets 
valued at USD 3,640,000. 
 
 
 
Port Security: Significant drug seizures in Colombia's ports were 
the result of improvements in port security by the GOC and private 
seaport operators, aided in part by the USG.  In 2009, DIRAN seized 
almost 11 MT of cocaine, two kg of heroin, and 881 kg of marijuana 
in the ports.  At Colombia's international airports, DIRAN units 
confiscated 39 kg of heroin, almost two MT  of cocaine, more than 
120 kg of marijuana, and made over 293 drug-related arrests. 
 
 
 
High-Value Targets (HVTs): Because of its leading role in the drug 
trade, since 2005, over 60 FARC leaders have been indicted in the 
U.S. for conspiring to traffic cocaine into the U.S.  The GOC has 
achieved notable successes against a number of high-level FARC 
commanders in 2009.  The FARC is attempting to recover from the 
serious blows inflicted by the GOC against the senior FARC 
leadership in 2008, most notably the July 2008 rescue of fifteen 
hostages including three American contractors and former Colombian 
presidential candidate, Ingrid Betancourt.  Also in 2008, senior 
FARC commander Luis Edgar Devia-Silva, aka "Raul Reyes," was killed 
during a Colombian Government operation; FARC Commander Manuel 
Munoz-Ortiz, aka "Ivan Rios" was killed at the hands of his own 
chief of security; and FARC founding member Pedro Antonio Mar????n 
Mar????n aka Manuel Marulanda-Velez or "Tirofijo," died.  In 2009, 
the 
GOC prevented the FARC from regaining territory near Bogota and, in 
"Operation Fuerte," Colombian forces killed the commander and 
captured the deputy commander of the FARC'S "Antonio Narino" urban 
front.  On May 30, Colombian police captured Adela Perez, a senior 
FARC leader who participated in the 1994 car bomb assassination of 
a Colombian general and a 2001 assassination attempt against 
current Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.  Other commanders killed 
were "Camilo Tabaco" "Gaitan," "Negro Arturo" and the Company 
commander of the Teofilo Ferrero mobile column and a major FARC 
finance chief, "Pata Mala." 
 
 
 
In 2009, the CNP captured BACRIM leader Daniel Rendon Herrera, aka 
"Don Mario," Colombia's Most-Wanted narco-trafficker.  Don Mario's 
capture resulted from the April 9-15 CNP Directorate of Criminal 
Intelligence (DIJIN) directed operation that included DIRAN Junglas 
and multiple Police Aviation assets.  The Junglas captured Don 
Mario near Uraba, Antioquia, on the northwest Caribbean coast.  On 
October 1, the Junglas captured Marco Fidel Barba Galarcio, aka 
"Mateo," the AUC paramilitary leader who led the remnants of Don 
 
 
Mario's narcotrafficking organization.  "Mateo" was a member of the 
demobilized paramilitary AUC Northern Bloc.  On October 10, the 
DIRAN Judicial Police captured Ramon Majona in Covenas.  Majona was 
the north coast's major trafficker responsible for setting up 
cocaine lab networks in northern Colombia and was wanted for 
extradition to the U.S.  Majona entered the AUC demobilization 
process in 2005, but shortly thereafter he returned to 
narco-trafficking. 
 
 
 
On September 26, 2009 the CNP Intelligence Directorate (DIPOL) 
captured Juan Carlos Ruiz Rivera, known in Colombia as "Zero-Six," 
who was the head of the North Valle Cartel.  He reportedly 
took-over this organization after assassinating his former boss, 
then Cartel leader Wilber Varela in January 2008.  Ruiz Rivera was 
a designated kingpin and fugitive from the United States. 
 
 
 
On October 25, the CNP conducted an airmobile assault on the FARC's 
Teofilo Forero Mobile Column command post in Caqueta, killing three 
FARC combatants.  One of the dead was one of Colombia's most wanted 
criminals, Herier Triana, aka Comandante "Pata Mala."  In addition 
to being wanted for extradition to the U.S., "Pata Mala" was one of 
the FARC leaders most closely associated with narco-trafficking 
activities.  According to the CNP, he was responsible for the Club 
Nogal bombing (February 7, 2003), the execution of the Turbay Cote 
family (December 29, 2000), and the kidnapping and murder of 
ex-President Gaviria Trujillo's sister, Liliana Gaviria Trujillo 
(April 2007).  "Pata Mala" was also reportedly the author of the 
frustrated plan to kidnap U.S. Embassy personnel in Melgar, Tolima 
in June 2007.  Most recently, he developed the failed plan to kill 
ex-Minister of Defense Manuel Santos and his family in April 2009, 
according to the GOC. 
 
 
 
Demobilization: To facilitate the dismantling of the FTOs and help 
reintegrate former guerillas and paramilitaries into civilian life, 
Colombia developed collective and individual programs for 
demobilization.  Under the Colombian legal framework for 
disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of illegal armed 
groups, the High Commission for Peace overseas peace negotiations 
with illegal armed groups and the subsequent collective 
demobilizations.  While available to all FTOs, collective 
demobilizations have been applied only to the AUC to date.  The 
Ministry of Defense manages the individual demobilization or 
deserter program applicable to FTOs and any other illegal armed 
group in Colombia.  Since 2006, the Office of the Presidential 
Advisor for Reintegration has directed the GOC Reintegration 
Program for demobilized combatants from illegal armed groups. 
Between 2002 and 2008, the GOC reports more than 51,000 persons 
demobilized - approximately 20,000 under the individual 
demobilization program and over 31,000 under the collective 
process, and in 2008 a record 3,461 guerrilla fighters deserted 
their organizations.  Overall demobilization rates slowed in 2009; 
however, a spike in ELN desertions combined with hundreds of 
guerilla demobilizations from prison under Decree 1059 should lead 
to solid progress by the year's end.  Beginning in 2007, the GOC 
withdrew the opportunity for AUC members to demobilize collectively 
or individually.  Following this decision, AUC members who turn 
themselves in will be investigated and prosecuted under normal 
Colombian law, no longer benefiting from alternative sentencing 
available through Justice and Peace Law 975 of 2005.  While the 
Justice and Peace process has yet to produce a conviction, 1,926 
confessions of demobilized paramilitary members have been taken; 
32,909 crimes confessed - the vast majority murders; 2,666 victim 
remains exhumed, and 257,089 victims registered.  The USG has 
provided assistance to the Colombian Prosecutor General's Office to 
carry out the investigation/confessions of demobilized paramilitary 
members, including those extradited to the United States. 
 
 
 
Corruption: The GOC does not, as a matter of government policy, 
encourage or facilitate the illicit production or distribution of 
narcotic or psychotropic drugs or other controlled substances, or 
the laundering of proceeds from illegal drug transactions.  While 
criminal organizations are greatly weakened, concerns remain over 
 
 
their corrupting influences. In September 2008, two CNP generals, 
Antonio Gomez Mendez and Marco Pedreros, were fired as a result of 
alleged ties to narco-paramilitary leader Daniel "El Loco" Barrera. 
In 2008 and 2009, Colombian Navy (COLNAV) Rear Admiral, retired, 
Gabriel Arango Bacci stood trial for allegedly taking bribes to use 
his official position to facilitate narcotics shipments, but was 
ultimately acquitted.  Separately, several members of the GOC were 
found to have supported right-wing paramilitary groups.  A total of 
87 members of the 2006-2010 Congress, 15 current and former 
governors, and 34 mayors have been investigated in the 
"para-political" scandal, with 34 congressmen, 11 governors, and 24 
mayors jailed as a result of the investigations.  Both the Supreme 
Court and a special unit within the Prosecutor General's office are 
continuing their investigations of alleged paramilitary ties to 
politicians and other sectors of society.  After the November 2008 
resignation of Army General Mario Montoya, the Ministry of Defense 
has cooperated with the Attorney General's (Fiscalia) Office and 
transferred evidence discovered in Initial Investigation of the 
Soacha case. 
 
 
 
The Prosecutor General's office investigated 48 military members 
for collaborating with criminal organizations to dupe and murder 
civilians in order to pass them off as members of the FARC or other 
illegal armed groups killed in combat.  The murders came to be 
known as "false positives."  It is now in the process of bringing 
formal charges against those involved.  The Ministry of Defense has 
implemented effective measures to remove those responsible from the 
Armed Forces, refer them to the Prosecutor General's office, as 
well as changing policies that may have encouraged the practice. 
Particularly important was the explicit elimination of body count 
(or the interpretation of it) as a measure of success.  During the 
first quarter of 2009 there have been 2 reported claims of false 
positives compared to the 106 cases reported in 2008.  Colombia is 
party to both the Inter-American Convention against Corruption and 
the UN Convention against Corruption. 
 
 
 
Agreements and Treaties: The GOC is a party to the 1988 UN Drug 
Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and 
Psychotropic Substances, the OAS Convention on Mutual Legal 
Assistance, the UN Convention against Transnational Organized 
Crime, and the Protocol on Trafficking in Persons.  Colombia signed 
a multilateral counternarcotics agreement in 2008 as part of the 
Regional Summit on the World Drug Problem, Security, and 
Cooperation held in Cartagena.  This agreement primarily focuses on 
information sharing, but could include training and technical 
assistance.  In addition, Colombia and Mexico formed a tri-party 
group with the U.S. that consists of the DEA Administrator, the 
Colombian Minister of Defense, and the Mexican Attorney General. 
This group meets at least twice a year to discuss counternarcotics 
and other issues of mutual interest.  The GOC's 2003 National 
Security Strategy (Plan de Seguridad Democratica) meets the 
strategic requirements of the UN Drug Convention and the GOC is 
generally in line with its other requirements. 
 
 
 
A Maritime Ship Boarding Agreement signed in 1997 continued to be 
successfully used by the GOC and USG.  This agreement facilitates 
faster approval to board Colombian-flagged ships in international 
waters and has improved counternarcotics cooperation between the 
COLNAV and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG).  Since 2006, semiannual 
meetings have been held to iron out problems and strengthen 
operating procedures.  In 2007, the meeting was expanded to include 
Ecuador, and in 2008 both Panama and Mexico participated.  Given 
the importance of this Agreement, in 2009 COLNAV participated with 
four officers at the meeting in November in Miami. 
 
 
 
The 1999 Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement (CMAA) provides a 
basis for the exchange of information to prevent, investigate, and 
repress any offense against the customs laws of the U.S. or 
Colombia.  As a result of CMAA and the strong relationship with 
Colombian Customs (DIAN), in 2005 ICE formed a Trade Based Money 
laundering Unit which analyzes, identifies and investigates money 
laundering utilizing trade between Colombia and the U.S. 
 
 
In 2004, Colombia and the U.S. signed a revised agreement 
establishing the Bilateral Narcotics Control Program, which 
provides the framework for specific counternarcotics project 
agreements with the various Colombian implementing agencies.  This 
agreement has been amended annually and is the vehicle for the bulk 
of U.S. counternarcotics assistance. 
 
 
 
Extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance: There is no bilateral 
Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) in force between the U.S. and 
Colombia, but the two countries cooperate extensively via 
multilateral agreements and conventions, including the OAS 
Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance and the 1988 UN Drug 
Convention.  Since December 1997, when Colombia revised its 
domestic law to permit the extradition of Colombian nationals, 
1,017 individuals have been extradited to the United States, 
including 951 since President Uribe assumed office in 2002, and a 
record 208 defendants in 2008. 
 
 
 
Despite several extradition denials by the Colombian Supreme Court 
since late 2008 (16 denials; more than 75 percent of total denials 
since 1991), the U.S. continues to extradite record number of 
individuals from Colombia.  As of October 31st there have been 169 
extraditions to the United States.  The Colombian Office of the 
Prosecutor General, along with other GOC agencies, continues to 
assist the USG with high-profile prosecutions and trials.  Examples 
include:  Diego Fernando Murillo Bejarano (alias "Don Berna") one 
of the former leaders of the AUC extradited in May 2008;  Hernando 
Gomez Bustamante (alias "Rasguno"), a leader of the Norte del Valle 
drug cartel extradited in July 2007;  Diego Montoya Sanchez, alias 
"Don Diego," a former FBI top-ten most wanted fugitive and 
principal leader of the Norte del Valle Cartel extradited in 
December 2008 and FARC member Gerardo Antonio Aguilar Ramirez 
(alias "Cesar") extradited in July 2009. 
 
Cultivation/Production:  Citing record coca eradication in 2008, 
the USG and United Nations reported significant declines in 
Colombian cocaine production potential and coca cultivation in 
Colombia last year.  The USG recently reported that cultivation in 
2008 was down 29 percent compared to 2007, from 167,000 to 119,000 
hectares - the largest ever reported decline in cultivation by the 
USG and the first reported drop since 2002.  The USG, crediting 
sustained aerial eradication operations in 2008, also reported a 
decline in pure cocaine production potential of 39 percent, from 
485 metric tons (MT) in 2007 to 295 MT in 2008.  The United Nations 
(UN) reported an 18 percent drop in cultivation in 2008, down to 
81,000 hectares, and a 28 percent fall in cocaine production 
potential to 430 MT. 
 
The ONDCP and the UNODC numbers represent different methodologies, 
but the trends reported have generally been consistent.  This 
reduction verifies reports from program managers, spray pilots, and 
Colombian antinarcotics authorities who report less coca 
cultivation.  Reporting indicates existing coca is less healthy, 
less dense, and in smaller fields.  As the estimated area under 
cultivation has diminished, cocaine productivity from Colombian 
fields is dropping.  Nevertheless, illicit cultivation continues to 
be a problem in Colombia's national parks, indigenous reserves, and 
along the border with Ecuador and Venezuela, where aerial 
eradication is not utilized.  The GOC does not conduct aerial 
spraying within 10 kilometers of international borders due to 
objections from neighboring countries.  Manual eradication does 
occur in border areas, yet it is a slow and dangerous process, due 
to the often rugged and isolated terrain, as well as the strategic 
importance of the border and certain parklands to the FARC. 
 
Poppy cultivation in Colombia decreased substantially from 2004 to 
2009, according to CNP/SIMCI statistics.  In FY2009, DEA-sponsored 
units in Colombia seized 598 kilograms of heroin.  In FY2007 and 
FY2008, DEA-sponsored units in Colombia seized slightly less than 
400 kilograms of heroin each year.  Through September 2009, 
Colombia manually eradicated 234 hectares of poppy, compared to 714 
hectares in 2007 and 394 hectares in 2008.  A reported 90 percent 
of the Colombian heroin that is imported into the U.S. goes to the 
 
 
east coast (Miami to Boston). 
 
Environmental Safeguards:  Since the beginning of the complaint 
resolution program in 2001, DIRAN has received a total of 12,288 
complaints.  From July through September 2009, DIRAN received over 
3,000 crop damage complaints from Nari????o, the southwest department 
where large-scale eradication efforts have been focused.  This 
unusually large number of complaints within a short time period 
accounted for 86 percent of the total amount of complaints being 
processed.  The influx is likely an organized effort to jam the 
system by eradication opponents and coca producers.  In 2008, crop 
damage complaint forms were found on laptops confiscated from the 
FARC.  The majority of complaints arrived incomplete, thus 
burdening DIRAN, which determines each complaint's validity.  DIRAN 
is working aggressively to address the backlog of complaints which, 
as of September 2009, was 2,284 cases.  An estimated 1,000 cases 
will be closed by November 2009.  The CNP recently acquired a 
high-resolution camera that is expected to enhance verification and 
complaint missions, and should also assist with the speedy closure 
of the Nari????o cases. 
 
The aerial eradication program follows strict GOC laws and 
regulations, verified twice a year by an inter-institutional 
complaints committee to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness 
of the environmental measures.  Soil and water samples are taken 
prior to the commencement of spray operations and afterwards to 
measure the level of chemical residue.  Analysis shows that residue 
levels have never fallen outside of the established norms, thus 
causing no significant harm to the environment. 
 
To address the concerns of human and environmental risks, in 2005 
the Organization of American States (OAS) published a study noting 
that "the chemicals used to aerially eradicate coca did not pose 
significant risks to humans or most wildlife."  Several outstanding 
questions were addressed in the OAS' August 2009 published report, 
which concluded that "overall the risks to sensitive wildlife and 
human health from the use of glyphosate in the control of coca 
production are small to negligible."  One study assessed the amount 
of drift that occurs during spray operations, and the effects on 
amphibians, a particularly sensitive part of the ecosystem.  The 
study concluded that "most of the spray safely deposits within the 
target area or a few hundreds of meters downwind of the 
application.  An appropriate no-spray buffer to protect sensitive 
plants from spray drift exposure would be 50 to 120 m." 
Additionally, experiments demonstrated that amphibians in their 
natural habitat are not at risk when in shallow pools of water, 
within five meters of spray operations, when natural sediments are 
present.  In previous studies it was determined that the chemical 
mixture "was a negligible health risk to humans, and therefore 
exposure to spray drift presents even smaller risks."  The GOC 
continues to investigate all claims of harm to human health 
allegedly caused by aerial spraying; however, the Colombian 
National Institute of Health has not verified a single case of 
adverse human health effects linked to aerial eradication. 
 
Drug Flow/Transit:  Shipments of cocaine and heroin are transported 
by road, river, and small civilian aircraft from the Colombian 
source zone, principally in the southern regions of the country, to 
the transit zone north and west of the Andes Mountains.  Lax 
antinarcotics enforcement and a permissive and corrupt environment 
in other countries in the region have prompted traffickers to 
increasingly use these more permissive environments to stage 
shipments of illicit drugs originating in Colombia for onward 
shipment to Mexico, the Caribbean, the U.S., Europe, and Africa. 
 
Underdeveloped and remote areas of the Pacific coast of Colombia 
are also increasingly utilized by traffickers seeking to evade 
interdiction forces.  It is estimated that up to 40 percent of the 
cocaine leaving Colombia goes through the complex river network in 
the south-central region to the southwestern coastal shore, mainly 
in shallow draft boats.  There, the narcotics are readied for bulk 
maritime shipment in go-fast boats and self-propelled, 
semi-submersibles (SPSS).  Commercial fishing vessels, formerly a 
popular conveyance, have fallen out of favor since the GOC began 
requiring such vessels to be equipped with vessel monitoring 
systems.  Traffickers have increasingly turned to SPSS to move 
multi-ton loads of cocaine.  These vessels are constructed of 
fiberglass or steel and are anywhere from 45 to 82 feet in length. 
They have a range of 2,000 miles and can carry three to four crew 
members and an average of five MT of cocaine.  In 2009, 20 SPSSs 
 
 
were interdicted or scuttled with more than 70 MT of cocaine 
estimated to be on board. 
 
Small aircraft from clandestine airstrips in eastern and 
southeastern Colombia are also used to transit drugs to neighboring 
countries, where it is either consumed or transferred to airplanes 
and maritime vessels for onward shipment.  As of October 1, 2009, 
there have been less than 30 illegal flights in Colombia.  The 
reduced number of illegal flights in Colombia has allowed Air 
Bridge Denial assets to perform maritime patrols, resulting in 
eight vessels impounded and one SPSS scuttled in 2009. 
 
The majority of Colombian heroin originates from the highland areas 
of Nari????o and Cauca.  Current investigative intelligence indicates 
that larger heroin shipments (5-20 kg) from Nari????o are being 
transported via vehicle to Quito and Guayaquil, Ecuador, and 
shipped to the U.S. via multiple couriers.  Other smuggling routes 
include via vehicle to the North Pacific coast and transported to 
Central America via fast boats and sent by postal courier services 
to the U.S. via Central America.  The shipments that make it to 
Central America are predominately reaching the U.S. via Mexico.  In 
addition, smaller amounts of heroin (less than five kg) are 
transported via human couriers in clothing, luggage or ingestion. 
 
Domestic Programs/Demand Reduction:  The GOC, under the leadership 
of the Ministry of Social Protection and with UNODC support, made 
substantial gains in implementing the National Drug Consumption 
Reduction Plan's drug demand and addiction prevention goals in 
¶2009.  With no FY2008 funds and working with previous years' 
funding, NAS's Drug Demand Prevention (DDP) office helped the GOC 
strengthen civil society and implement the National Drug 
Consumption Reduction Plan, support initiatives by international 
organizations, and conduct research that will provide a baseline 
for drug demand prevention policies in Colombia.  These efforts 
included securing INL support to establish self-sustaining 
community drug demand prevention coalitions in Colombia using 
U.S.-based Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) 
trainers and employing three NAS-supported NGOs: "Mentor" in 
Bogota, "Surgir" in Medellin, and "Lions Club International" in 
Barranquilla.  NAS provided a grant to "Lions Club International" 
to support an agreement with CADCA that will allow it to expand its 
community-based efforts. 
 
NAS has supported the Colombian National Police Drug Abuse 
Resistance Education (DARE) program since its inception in Colombia 
in 1997.  NAS helped DARE expand throughout all 32 departments 
where CNP officers provide security in vulnerable communities, 
arrest narco-traffickers, and improve the overall image of the 
police.  In 2009, NAS financed the expansion of the program to high 
schools and parents and provided support for the national poster 
contest, the interactive drug demand prevention bus, and the new 
DARE office in Tumaco, Narino. 
 
NAS supported a national youth contest to implement the National 
Drug Consumption Reduction Plan's drug demand and addiction 
prevention goals throughout Colombia via youth projects.  NAS 
provided funding for the third phase of the OAS Nursing School 
Project that has so far provided training to more than 30,000 
health professionals from around the country to prevent drug 
consumption, treat addiction, and provide rehabilitation options. 
NAS continues to support research and academic efforts that provide 
valuable indicators for policy creation.  NAS provided financial 
and technical support for the first National Household Drug 
Consumption Survey to take place since 1996.  Published in 2009, it 
became the most representative survey in Latin America with almost 
30,000 surveys completed.  The Survey's results were discussed 
during the June 25-26 International Day against Drug Abuse and 
Illicit Trafficking attended by 300 academics, police officers, 
local government leaders, and NGO members from 27 departments.  NAS 
has also provided funding and technical expertise for a nation-wide 
Ministry of Social Protection/National Directorate of Dangerous 
Drugs/Ministry of Education study of drug consumption in schools by 
12-17 year-olds. 
 
Twenty three departments have drug addiction treatment centers.  In 
areas of high consumption of drugs such as the Nari????o, Caldas, 
Quind????o, Cauca and Boyac???? departments, a corresponding increase 
in 
treatment centers or diversity of treatment has not yet occurred. 
Treatment services are mainly provided by private entities and 
 
 
NGOs, mostly using the therapeutic community and the residential 
models. 
 
IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs 
 
 
 
Bilateral Cooperation:  The adoption of new tactics by 
narco-traffickers, including shifting coca cultivation and cocaine 
production to new areas, and expanding cultivation into areas 
off-limits to the spray program such as national parks, indigenous 
reserves and the area along the Ecuador border, has enabled them to 
continue to produce and export cocaine to the United States and 
Europe.  In response, Colombia has adjusted its approach to focus 
on establishing a sustainable government presence and integrated 
rural development in major coca growing and FARC-controlled 
regions.  As Colombia increases its capacity to take and hold its 
territory from criminal groups and narco-terrorists, NAS will 
continue to support the GOC with airlift capacity to ensure 
security and support interdiction, manual eradication, and 
humanitarian missions. 
 
 
 
Aerial and manual eradication operations are closely coordinated to 
complement each other and optimize capabilities.  Aerial 
eradication still remains essential to eliminate coca in remote 
regions and in FARC-controlled areas that are too dangerous for 
manual eradication operations. 
 
 
 
Sustainable nationalization, or the transfer of skills and funding 
responsibility as well as operational and managerial control for 
counternarcotics programs from the USG to the GOC, continued at a 
rapid pace in 2009.  The USG removed 18 UH-1N helicopters from the 
COLAR Aviation contract and extended the loan/lease program until 
December 2009.  The GOC formally requested these aircraft in April 
2009 and title transfer is scheduled at the end of the year.  Due 
to budget constraints in the Aerial Eradication Program, the last 
USG-funded contractor helicopter package was de-scoped from the 
program contract and the Colombian National Police will assume this 
mission.  The five UH-1N aircraft flown in the program are being 
loaned to the COLAR Aviation in November of 2009 with the intent to 
transfer title in early 2010.  Current nationalization plans call 
for 5 [BAN1] UH-60 Blackhawks to be turned over to COLAR Aviation 
in October, 2010. 
 
 
 
In the Air Bridge Denial program, the USG trained COLAF SR-26 
maintenance technicians so they were able to assume maintenance 
duties in January 2009.  SR-560 maintenance technicians have been 
trained to assume maintenance duties in January 2010, and the 
mission avionics system has been upgraded in all five SR-560s. 
 
 
 
In October 2008, the GOC took over responsibility for paying for 
aviation fuel used by the police and military for eradication and 
interdiction operations.  Nationalization also extends to fleet 
rationalization, which involves consolidating available types of 
aircraft and maintenance functions to simplify operations.  In 
early 2008, three additional AT-802 aircraft were delivered, 
allowing the USG to retire two other models of aircraft, leaving 
one model for the GOC to support for aerial eradication.  The 
Colombian National Police assumed maintenance for 13 GOC-titled 
aircraft in March 2008 and aviation fuel for ARAVI and Aerial 
Eradication aircraft in October 2008, which resulted in a total 
program cost reduction of over $15 million USD. 
 
 
 
U.S. and in-country training continues to increase capabilities of 
pilots and mechanics, resulting in USG contractor support 
reductions averaging ten percent a year.  Additionally, the USG's 
social assistance programs, ranging from alternative development to 
vulnerable populations to governance, have made strides in turning 
programming over to the GOC, and plans call for a substantial and 
strategic shift in the GOC's management and funding of the 
 
 
initiatives in the coming years. 
 
 
 
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) training activities 
in 2009 included a three-week International Task Force Agent 
Training (ITAT) course for 14 CNP DIJIN investigators at the 
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia, with a 
concentration on money laundering investigations.  ICE Bogota does 
asset forfeiture to attack the root of transnational criminal 
organizations and continues to support the DIJIN money laundering 
investigative group that performs financial analysis on targets of 
interest to ICE, DEA, FBI, USSC, and IRS. 
 
 
 
To date in 2009, Colombia seized over $130 million USD in assets 
from criminal organizations.  In September 2009, ICE Bogota 
coordinated an investigation into a multi-national criminal 
organization dedicated to smuggling bulk cash.  This joint effort 
ultimately resulted in the seizure of $41 million USD at the 
seaport of Buenaventura, Colombia.  Additionally ICE Bogota 
coordinated efforts with ICE Mexico resulting in additional 
seizures totaling $11 million USD at the seaport of Manzanillo, 
Mexico. 
 
 
 
ICE's Border Enforcement Security Taskforce (BEST) teams are 
multi-agency teams developed as a comprehensive approach to 
identifying, disrupting and dismantling criminal organizations 
posing significant threats to border security.  BEST teams 
incorporate personnel from ICE, U.S. Customs and Border Protection 
(CBP), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, 
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 
U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Attorney's Office along with other 
key federal, state, local and foreign law enforcement agencies, to 
include Mexico, Canada, Colombia and Argentina.  ICE will post 
three Colombian National Police Officers in the BEST units in San 
Diego, New York, and Miami.  The CNP Officers will participate for 
two years.  ICE strongly believes that the BEST program will 
tremendously help in the fight against multi-national criminal 
organizations. 
 
 
 
Alternative Development: By mid-2009, Joint USG and GOC alternative 
development programs had supported the cultivation of over 634,684 
hectares of agricultural, forestry plantation and/or natural forest 
management activities and had completed approximately 1,261 social 
and productive infrastructure projects over the last seven years 
with communities that agree to remain illicit crop free.  More than 
416,421 families in 18 departments have benefited from these 
programs.  In addition, to ensure that Colombians are provided with 
alternatives, these projects have leveraged over $738 million USD 
in private and public sector funding for alternative development 
initiatives.  In the future, USAID-assisted alternative development 
("livelihoods") programming will be aligned in large part with the 
GOC's National Consolidation Plan, which identifies an integrated 
and geographically targeted approach as the most effective way to 
consolidate security and development gains, reduce coca cultivation 
and the efficacy of illegally armed groups, and bring state 
services in targeted conflict regions throughout the country. 
USAID's programs will include activities under the Mission's 
traditional alternative development, governance, vulnerable 
populations, and demobilization and reintegration portfolios, but 
with a significant change: implementation under this new phase will 
be fully integrated as opposed to separate, stove-piped 
initiatives, concentrating on a regional focus and expertise, 
rather than sectoral foci.  GOC efforts will be supported by, not 
led by, USG programs. 
 
 
 
Support for Democracy and Judicial Reform: The USG is providing 
extensive assistance to reform and strengthen the criminal justice 
system and the rule of law in Colombia.  The transition to an oral 
accusatory criminal justice system was fully implemented throughout 
Colombia on January 1, 2008, although the old criminal procedure 
code remains in effect alongside the new code with the date of the 
 
 
criminal offense determining which code applies.  The USG has 
provided training and technical assistance to support the new roles 
of judges, prosecutors, forensic scientists, public defenders, and 
police investigators in a conceptual and practical understanding of 
the new accusatory system.  This assistance focuses on practical 
"hands on" training, including crime scene management, evidence, 
investigation and prosecution strategy, interviewing witnesses, 
courtroom proceedings including crime scene, witness interview and 
courtroom simulations.  The program has provided training to more 
than 60,000 prosecutors, judges, public defenders, criminal 
investigators, and forensic experts. 
 
 
 
Specialized training and assistance has been provided to prosecutor 
and investigator units focusing on criminal cases in the areas of 
human rights, murder, sex crimes, money laundering, narcotics, 
corruption, intellectual property, and organized crime.  Extensive 
forensic assistance has been provided in the areas of DNA, 
ballistics, fingerprints and false documents, including training, 
report writing and courtroom testimony, equipment and enhancement 
of forensic laboratories.  Particular emphasis has been made on the 
development of exhumation teams to properly exhume mass grave sites 
connected to investigations and confessions of paramilitary and 
guerilla organizations, as well as to enhance DNA identification of 
victim remains.  Extensive assistance has also been provided in the 
areas of witness protection, prosecutor and judge protection and 
court security. 
 
 
 
Additionally, the USG has helped to refurbish or build 45 physical 
court rooms in urban areas and 14 virtual court rooms in rural 
zones, and have either refurbished or equipped 22 public defender 
offices.  Finally, the USG has assisted the GOC to construct 59 
justice houses throughout Colombia that have provided formal and 
informal justice sector services to over eight million Colombians. 
 
 
 
Military Justice:  With USG funding, the GOC trained 48 Judges and 
prosecutors in their Military Penal Justice Corps in 2009.  This 
included a one-year course for eight Magistrates and ten 
certification exams for Military Tribunal Court Justices.  The goal 
of this effort was to build capability for Magistrates and 
Prosecutors to convene military courts to adjudicate legal 
violations.  The Rules of Engagement and Rules for the Use of Force 
(ROE/RUF) Initiative was a crucial part of USG/GOC engagement. 
 
 
 
An International Conference was held April 16-17, 2009, to identify 
Military Justice and Human Rights issues of concern for the 
Colombian Military and civilian leadership.  This effort enhanced 
the development of a new Colombian Operations Manual to be 
published in November 2009, which includes newly established 
ROEs/RUFs for all Colombian ground forces as published in two 
directives signed by the Minister of Defense in May and October 
¶2009.  The USG supported a Ministry of Defense $453,000 USD ROE/RUF 
Colombian Military training program, which began on September 1, 
¶2009.  By the end of 2010, all Colombian ground troops and 
commanders will have received new training and support materials, 
reducing risk of human rights violations associated with military 
operations. 
 
 
 
The Colombian Military's investigative capabilities are carried out 
by the Inspector General.  USG funding provided for the training of 
90 Inspectors General (IGs) throughout the country.  There has been 
extensive support to Military Justice and Human Rights in the 
Colombian Military over the years.  All USG engagement incorporates 
principles of Respect for Human Rights and International 
Humanitarian Law. 
 
 
 
The Road Ahead: In 2010, the GOC will continue to dismantle the 
DTOs, FTOs and illegal armed groups that control the drug trade in 
Colombia, hoping to build on the success of the many HVTs captured 
 
 
and extradited to the U.S.  As these groups are defeated, a 
challenge remains in finding and derailing smaller and 
less-organized successor criminal groups.  Nationalizing 
counternarcotics funding and operations currently supported by the 
USG, while maintaining successful operational results, will remain 
a top priority, especially in the area of aviation and social 
assistance programming, which are critical to all counternarcotics 
efforts in Colombia. 
 
 
 
Other challenges for 2010 include articulating and promoting human 
rights issues in Colombia; advancing operational aspects of the 
Embassy's Colombia Strategic Development Initiative in conjunction 
with Colombia's National Consolidation Plan; addressing the need 
for more police as the country transitions to a post-conflict 
environment; maintaining the substantial decrease in coca 
cultivation by successfully coordinating aerial and manual 
eradication efforts and alternative development programs to inhibit 
the rapid replanting of coca and increased illicit cultivation in 
no-spray zones; and encouraging the rule of law and good governance 
practices to confront corruption.  To consolidate the progress from 
2009 and prior years, the GOC will need to continue to strengthen 
government presence in conflict areas while improving institutional 
capacity to provide services and economic opportunities, using the 
Macarena Coordination Center for Integrated Action as a template 
for this effort.  However, much remains to be done in Macarena and 
in other parts of the country to replicate the process.  The GOC 
still must make efforts to gain control of the vast Pacific coastal 
zones and border areas, demobilize and reintegrate ex-combatants, 
and advance the reconciliation and victim reparations processes. 
 
¶V. Statistical Tables 
 
COLOMBIA STATISTICS (1998-2008) 
 
 
 
 
 
2009 
 
2008 
 
2007 
 
2006 
 
2005 
 
2004 
 
2003 
 
2002 
 
2001 
 
2000 
 
1999 
 
Coca 
 
 
Net Cultivation1(ha) 
 
 
 
119,000 
 
167,000 
 
157,200 
 
144,000 
 
114,000 
 
113,850 
 
144,450 
 
169,800 
 
136,200 
 
122,500 
 
Aerial Eradication1(ha) 
 
 
 
133,496 
 
153,133 
 
171,613 
 
138,775 
 
136,555 
 
132,817 
 
122,695 
 
84,251 
 
47,371 
 
43,246 
 
Manual Eradication (ha) 
 
 
 
95,732 
 
66,396 
 
42,111 
 
31,258 
 
10,991 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
HC1(cocaine): Potential 1.2(mt) 
 
 
295 
 
485(adj) 
 
550 
 
525 
 
415 
 
445 
 
585 
 
700 
 
530 
 
530 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Opium Poppy 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net Cultivation1 (ha) 
 
 
 
 
 
1,0003 
 
2,300 
 
 
N/A4 
 
2,100 
 
4,400 
 
4,900 
 
6,540 
 
5,010 
 
5,000 
 
Aerial Eradication(ha)5 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
232 
 
1,624 
 
3,060 
 
2,994 
 
3,371 
 
2,583 
 
9,254 
 
 
 
Manual Eradication (ha) 
 
 
 
381 
 
375 
 
1929 
 
497 
 
1,497 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Heroin:Potential1 (mt) 
 
 
 
 
 
1.9 
 
4.6 
 
 
 
3.8 
 
7.8 
 
8.5 
 
 
11.4 
 
8.7 
 
11.6 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Seizures 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Coca Base/Paste (mt) 
 
 
 
41 
 
60.6 
 
48.1 
 
43.8 
 
28.3 
 
31.1 
 
30.0 
 
26.7 
 
0.0 
 
9.0 
 
Cocaine HC1(mt) 
 
 
182.8 
 
130.7 
 
130.2 
 
179.0 
 
138.6 
 
114.0 
 
94.0 
 
57.3 
 
69.0 
 
22.7 
 
Combined HC1 & Base (mt) 
 
 
 
223.8 
 
191.3 
 
178.3 
 
222.8 
 
166.9 
 
145.1 
 
124.0 
 
84.0 
 
69.0 
 
31.7 
 
Heroin 
 
 
 
0.64 
 
0.6 
 
0.5 
 
0.7 
 
0.7 
 
0.5 
 
0.8 
 
0.8 
 
0.6 
 
0.5 
 
 
Arrests/Detentions 
 
 
 
54,041 
 
59,652 
 
64,123 
 
82,236 
 
63,791 
 
 
 
15,868 
 
15,367 
 
8,600 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Labs Destroyed 
 
 
 
Cocaine HC1 
 
 
 
301 
 
240 
 
205 
 
137 
 
150 
 
83 
 
129 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Base 
 
 
 
3,238 
 
2,875 
 
1,952 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Heroin 
 
 
 
4 
 
1 
 
9 
 
6 
 
8 
 
3 
 
3 
 
6 
 
13 
 
10 
 
 
VI. Chemical Control 
 
The Colombian National Police Chemical Sensitive Intelligence Unit 
(SIU) was formed in June of 1998.  The unit's primary mission was 
to confirm the existence of companies bringing in chemicals from 
other countries including the United States.  They were also 
charged with inspecting the companies to confirm that they were 
conducting a legal business.  The primary mission of the group 
changed near the end of 2000 when the focus shifted to 
investigative work as opposed to solely regulatory inspections. 
 
 
 
In 2007, the regulatory function of the SIU was transferred to its 
own unit and the SIU maintained its investigative focus.  The SIU 
unit is currently comprised of 40 members, while the Regulatory 
Unit is comprised of 20 members.  The SIU is spread out over four 
cities in Colombia (Bogota, Medellin, Villavicencio, and Cali), and 
the Regulatory Unit is based in Bogota but travels as needed to 
other cities within Colombia. 
 
 
 
Chemical trafficking is a serious problem in Colombia.  Unlike 
illicit drugs, chemicals have a legitimate use.  The onus is on the 
police to prove that the chemicals are intended for illicit drug 
production.  The primary mission of the SIU is to target and 
dismantle large-scale chemical trafficking organizations that 
provide chemicals to cocaine, heroin and synthetic drug producing 
organizations within Colombia and Mexico.  The SIU and Regulatory 
Unit are also responsible for spearheading the multi-national 
chemical targeting operation Six Frontiers ("Seis Fronteras").  The 
SIU coordinates all operations within Colombia in which 
participants include the Colombian Military, DAS, CTI, Colombian 
Prosecutors office, Colombian Customs, and various other agencies. 
This operation has resulted in huge, multi-hundred ton quantities 
of chemicals being seized by participating countries (with Colombia 
as the lead).  By October 2009, the SIU had arrested 108 people and 
seized 2,203 gallons of hydrochloric acid, 2,197 kg of calcium 
chloride, 76,781 kg of sulfuric acid, 260 kg of active carbon, 3.2 
kg of acetic anhydride, 145 kg of potassium permanganate, 1,400 kg 
of sodium carbonate, 2,350 kg of urea, 38,732 kg of cement, 1,630 
gallons of methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), 325 kg of sodium 
metabisulfite, 478 gallons of gasoline, 371 gallons of diesel fuel, 
16,284 kg of solvent #1A, 5,644 kg of isopropyl alcohol, 47,400 kg 
of thinner, 8,150 kg of potassium chloride, 70 kg of lime, 500 kg 
of caustic soda, 9,550 gallons of N-propyl acetate, 60 gallons of 
acetone, and 19 kg of ephedrine. 
 
 
 
Ephedrine seizures in Colombia increased slightly in 2009. 
Although Colombian drug trafficking organizations do profit from 
the illicit trafficking of ephedrine, a key ingredient in 
decongestant medication, there is little evidence that the 
traffickers are using the substance as a chemical precursor in 
large-scale methamphetamine production.  There have been minor 
seizures of ecstasy in Colombia, but no indication of significant 
production or export.  The GOC has held a number of seminars and 
training sessions on this emerging threat. 
 
 
 
BROWNFIELD 
 
 
 
________________________________ 
 
 [BAN1]Either spell out or use Arabic numerals consistently for 
numbers ten and under. 
BROWNFIELD