VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMU #1248/01 3311741
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 271740Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY MANAGUA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0202
INFO RUEHMU/AMEMBASSY MANAGUA

UNCLAS MANAGUA 001248 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETTC KOMC NU
SUBJECT: NICARAGUA: BLUE LANTERN 050193786 
 
REF: STATE 110404 
 
¶1. On November 16, Econoff and ARSO met with Ligia Aleman, owner of Nuevo Impacto, at her store located on Camino Oriental in Managua. In response to reftel questions, Aleman told Econoff that she founded Nuevo Impacto in 2006 and began operations in 2007. Aleman had owned a business called Impacto for 15 years and had purchased arms for the Nicaraguan Army. She no longer works with the Army, although her husband is the Nicaraguan Chief of Defense, General Omar Halleslevens. Aleman told Emboffs that she has a U.S. citizen business partner and she buys from international gun vendors in various countries.
 
 
 
¶2. Nuevo Impacto is authorized by the Nicaraguan National Police to 
import and sell firearms.  There are only seven other regulated 
firearms retailers in the country, according to Aleman.  In 
addition to these retailers, to whom she occasionally sells 
wholesale, Aleman sells to private security companies.  She also 
sells to individuals who provide evidence that they are authorized 
by the Police to carry firearms.  Requirements include a 
psychological evaluation, background check, and weapons 
familiarization training.  Aleman stated that many of the 
individuals who purchase her guns work on farms or ranches and wish 
to have a gun not only for self-defense, but also to project the 
"cowboy" image.  She further reported interest in purchasing 
smaller pistols, such as the 9mm Cobras, for women, who are a 
growing customer base because of increasing crime in Nicaragua. 
She was able to produce electronic and paper records documenting 
her purchases and sales, including the order from Valor Corporation 
(reftel). 
 
 
 
¶3. Local media reports concerning straw purchases and illicit 
exports appear to have exaggerated the role of Nuevo Impacto. 
Police initially implicated Nuevo Impacto in the arrest of Perci 
Alvarado Villagran for arms smuggling.  Media reports indicated 
that Alvarado had ties to the Sinaloa drug cartel and was 
transporting the guns to narcotraffickers in Honduras.  After 
questioning Alvarado, the police arrested Roger Monge, who appeared 
to have facilitated the purchase of the seized weapons on behalf of 
Alvarado, an act that violated Nicaraguan law regulating gun 
ownership.  The press reported that Monge contacted individual 
buyers to make gun purchases and then purchased the guns from the 
buyers and passed them on to Alvarado. 
 
 
 
¶4. Police uncovered evidence that individuals hired by Monge 
presented fraudulently obtained permits at Nuevo Impacto to 
purchase guns.  Aleman told Econoff that she was attending a gun 
show in the United States when the buyers with fraudulent ID made 
their purchases, and she acknowledged that her employees did not 
recognize the pattern of suspicious purchases.  However, Aleman 
asserts that the purchases were made by buyers who had legal 
permits from the National Police.  Law 510 (2005) for the Control 
and Regulation of Arms, Munitions and Explosives states that the 
Police certify whether an individual can purchase firearms.  As the 
individuals buying weapons from Nuevo Impacto had the proper 
documentation, there was no legal reason to deny their purchases. 
She said that the fact that the purchasers were buying on behalf of 
an alleged arms dealer could not have reasonably been known to the 
employees of Nuevo Impacto; each had a valid gun permit issued by 
the Police.  Econoff spoke with Comisionado Horacio Sobalvarro, 
Chief of the Weapons Division of the National Police, and he 
confirmed that they had not found any wrongdoing on the part of 
Nuevo Impacto or any other gun stores. 
 
 
 
¶5. The store's physical security is inadequate, even in comparison 
with most other guns stores in Nicaragua.  The guns were displayed 
in glass cases which could be easily broken.  The storefront is 
glass, without any metal curtains, and there is no safe for 
overnight storage.  The employees claimed that there was a working 
alarm system but when pressed for details admitted that it did not 
work.  The store is protected by a roving guard who also monitors 
several other businesses near Nuevo Impacto. 
 
 
 
COMMENT 
 
 
 
¶6. We have found no evidence that Nuevo Impacto or its employees were complicit in the illegal transfer of arms. Aleman satisfactorily answered our questions about the incident, and neither ARSO nor Econoff believe that there was duplicity on her part. Post therefore does not believe that Nuevo Impacto was knowingly involved in gun smuggling. However, the lack of physical security at Nuevo Impacto is of major concern. Though most Nicaraguan gun stores that have been the subjects of Blue Lantern investigations have poor store security, Nuevo Impacto's security does not meet minimum standards. Post provided Nuevo Impacto with recommendations on how to improve physical security, such as the installation of a metal curtain, alarm system, and safe. Until the owner implements new security measures, post's assessment is that Nuevo Impacto is not a reliable recipient of United States Munitions List (USML) items.
CALLAHAN