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DE RUEHBO #0244/01 0222134
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 222132Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
TO RHMFIUU/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF STATE AIR WING PATRICK AFB FL
RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2187
INFO RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION
RUEHBE/AMEMBASSY BELMOPAN 0005
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS
RUEHDG/AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO
RUEHKG/AMEMBASSY KINGSTON
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO
RUEHSJ/AMEMBASSY SAN JOSE
RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA

UNCLAS BOGOTA 000244 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
DEPT FOR INL/LP AND INL/RM 
DEPT FOR WHA/AND 
WHITE HOUSE PASS DIR ONDCP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR SENV KCRM PTER CO
SUBJECT: NAS MONTHLY REPORT FOR DECEMBER 2009 
 
REF: 09 BOGOTA 3604 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  The aerial eradication team reached its CY-2009 
goal of 100,000 hectares (ha) of coca sprayed, with a total True 
Ground Area Coverage of 101,573 ha for the year.  Manual 
eradication of coca for 2009 totaled approximately 61,000 ha, short 
of the goal of 70,000 ha; total eradication for 2009 was 162,500 
ha, a decline of 29 percent from 2008's 229,000 ha (see reftel). 
In 2009, the Colombian National Police (CNP) seized 127.07 metric 
tons of cocaine/cocaine base, 460.93 metric tons of coca leaf, 
180.35 metric tons of marijuana and 732 kgs of heroin.  Total 
interdiction numbers for all GOC efforts will follow septel when 
results are complete.  In December, the CNP Jungla International 
Course graduated 57 students, including 44 international students 
from Panama, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, 
Belize, Peru, Argentina, and Brazil; students from Argentina, 
Jamaica, and Peru also completed the Jungla Explosives and 
Demolitions Course.  Illegal flights detected decreased 95 percent 
from 2003 to 2009, and the Air Bridge Denial (ABD) Program was 
nationalized on December 31.  The Government of Colombia (GOC) 
demonstrated its political will to fight against domestic drug 
consumption when it passed a bill ending legal possession of a 
minimum dose of drugs for personal use.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
 
¶I.       Program Notes 
 
II.      Aerial Eradication Program 
 
III.     Manual Eradication Program 
 
IV.      Plan Colombia Helicopter Program (PCHP) 
 
¶V.       Colombia National Police Air Service Support (ARAVI) 
 
VI.      Interdiction Program 
 
VII.     Base Security/Road Interdiction/NVD Program 
 
VIII.    Maritime Interdiction Program 
 
IX.      Communications/Weapons Program 
 
¶X.       Port Security Program (PSP) 
 
XI.      Reestablish Police Presence Program (Carabineros) 
 
XII.     Air Bridge Denial (ABD) Program 
 
XIII.    Environmental Program 
 
XIV.     Individual Demobilization Program 
 
XV.      Drug Demand Prevention (DDP) Program 
 
--------------------------------------- 
 
 
¶I.                    PROGRAM NOTES 
 
 
--------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶2. (SBU) NAS Director and Deputy CNP Commander, Major General 
Parra, discussed how to improve NAS support mechanisms for the CNP. 
Both agreed that CNP leadership would assist NAS by providing CNP 
priority assistance projects and programs, with the major focus on 
 
Embassy Colombia Strategic Development Initiative (CSDI) priority 
zones.  In a December 29 meeting with Vice Minister of Defense 
Alejandro Arbalaez, NAS Director discussed CSDI, eradication, 
nationalization, and aircraft insurance issues.  Arbalaez noted his 
desire to approach manual eradication more strategically in 2010 
and suggested future meetings between Accion Social, the Ministry 
of Defense, NAS and other Embassy partners to develop a more 
comprehensive 2010 manual eradication plan and to better integrate 
Embassy CSDI planning.  Vice Minister Arbalaez agreed that the 
Colombian police and military should continue to increasingly 
absorb the majority of operational costs for its units, and 
promised to assist the USG in prioritizing security-force 
assistance more along the lines of institutional capacity building. 
He agreed to pursue development of a longer-term nationalization 
plan to follow after the existing agreement for the GOC to assume 
title and financial responsibility for numerous INL-funded elements 
between now and 2012. 
 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) NAS Director, along with USAID and MILGP representatives, 
visited former FARC strongholds Cano Amarillo and Vista Hermosa, 
communities in transition under the GOC's Macarena Consolidation 
Plan (PCIM).  While these areas have made notable progress under 
PCIM, NAS Director assessed the overall situation as tenuous, a 
view shared by regional consolidation leaders (to be reported 
septel).  Local residents and leaders raised concerns about 
challenges facing development initiatives at a community meeting in 
Cano Amarillo, citing severe difficulty in eking out a living due 
to: clarification of land ownership, inferior infrastructure 
(particularly roads/bridges), technical expertise, and lack of 
adequate credit and resources.  In a separate PCIM meeting GOC 
officials noted the void created in the wake of military clearing 
operations, the shortfall of police in the area and the military's 
constitutional inability to carry out civilian law enforcement, and 
their perception of a lack of clear, sustained political will at 
the national level to ensure effective participation of responsible 
line ministries and other resource drivers.  As the PCIM has been 
presented as a consolidation model for other areas and its 
implications may well transfer to other CSDI efforts, NAS is 
working with USAID and MILGP to further explore the stated 
concerns. 
 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) NAS Director and Major General Pinilla, Chief of 
operations for Colombia's Air Force (COLAF), discussed the 
possibility of COLAF providing airlift assistance to NAS 
eradication logistics efforts.  The Narcotics Aviation Unit (NAU) 
and COLAF staff agreed to investigate options and payment 
possibilities to determine viability.  Brigadier General Rey, 
Commander of the Colombian Army's (COLAR) Aviation Brigade, briefed 
NAS Director on COLAR's strategic aviation plan.  BG Rey noted a 
need for infrastructure assistance to improve COLAR aviation's 
agility and ability to adequately cover some problematic regions, 
and agreed to develop priorities for economical, quickly completed 
projects for NAS consideration.  Rey also advocated strongly for 
continued NAS advisor support after the Plan Colombia Helicopter 
Program (PCHP) is fully nationalized in 2012. 
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
 
II.                  AERIAL ERADICATION PROGRAM 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
¶5. (SBU) The aerial eradication team reached its CY-2009 goal of 
100,000 hectares (ha) of coca sprayed on December 4, with a total 
True Ground Area Coverage of 101,573 ha for the year, down from 
133,500 ha in 2008 as a result of the decrease from 3 to 2 spray 
bases.  Manual eradication of coca for 2009 totaled approximately 
61,000 ha, short of the goal of 70,000 ha and well below 2008's 
almost 96,000 ha.  Total eradication for 2009 was 162,500 ha, a 
decline of 29 percent over 2008's 229,000 ha, due in large part to 
resource constraints (see reftel).  Aircraft based in Forward 
Operating Locations (FOLs) in Tumaco, Barrancabermeja, and San Jose 
del Guaviare sprayed a total of 7,120 hectares (ha) in December.  A 
total of 4,644 ha were sprayed out of Tumaco, 1,442 out of 
Barrancabermeja, and 1,034 out of San Jose del Guaviare.  During 
December, eradication aircraft experienced no hostile fire 
incidents.  In 2009 there were 40 hostile fire incidents and 74 
impacts; no deaths or injuries were sustained as a result of these 
incidents. 
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
 
III.                MANUAL ERADICATION PROGRAM 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The GOC's 2009 manual eradication campaign finished on 
December 20.  Antinarcotics police units, with support from NAS, 
continued eradicating coca through December 30 per an order from 
the Director General of the CNP, eradicating approximately 1,500 ha 
without civilian eradicator support.  Total manual eradication of 
coca for 2009 totaled approximately 61,000 ha, short of the 70,000 
ha goal, and some 35,000 ha less than in 2008.  The departments 
with significant manual eradication operations were Narino (16,524 
ha), Antioquia (7,179), Meta (4,900), Putumayo (4,668), Vichada 
(4,758) and Caqueta (4,021).  (NOTE: The official totals for manual 
eradication will be available in late January after the United 
Nations verifies manual eradication data.)  Reduced funding for 
manual eradication, an overall drop in coca cultivation resulting 
in more dispersed coca, and an increase in attacks against manual 
eradicators all contributed to the slower pace of eradication in 
¶2009. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Separate from the GOC's manual eradication campaign (GME), 
COLAR and the CNP conducted manual eradication as part of their 
normal operations.  In 2009, COLAR eradicated a total of 5,803 ha 
of coca and the CNP 5,510 ha (these numbers are included in the 
FY-2009 61,000 ha total).  Poppy eradication in 2009, carried out 
mainly by the police in Cauca and Narino, totaled an estimated 
550-600 ha, an increase from the 2008 total of 361 ha.  Manual 
eradication of marijuana totaled some 170 ha in 2009.  In 2009, 
approximately 40 people were killed during manual eradication 
operations (25 security personnel, 14 civilian eradicators, and one 
United Nations-hired topographer embedded within a manual 
eradication group).  (NOTE: The number of reported fatalities is 
based on records held by the CNP, COLAR, Accion Social, reports 
from the field and press reports.  Final reporting of fatalities 
during manual eradication is not yet available.)  In all of 2008, 
26 security personnel and civilian eradicators were killed in 
manual eradication operations. 
 
 
 
¶8. (SBU) The GOC's 2010 manual eradication program, with a goal of 
70,000 ha, is expected to kick off on February 20, although some 
groups will begin eradicating in late January.  In addition to 
fielding manual eradication groups across the country in 2010, the 
GOC is planning a pilot program in northern Antioquia and southern 
 
Cordoba to create a coca-free zone in this strategic area in 
northern Colombia.  The program integrates forced manual 
eradication with food subsidies and alternative development 
opportunities for coca farmers.  The Embassy will be following this 
pilot closely to monitor its success and the extent to which it 
integrates into the GOC's consolidation plans for the northern 
Antioquia region.  Other priorities for manual eradication in 2010 
include the PCIM zone and development of a mechanism to eliminate 
low density, remnant coca in areas after GME and aerial eradication 
operations. 
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------------- 
----------- 
 
IV.                PLAN COLOMBIA HELICOPTER PROGRAM (PCHP) 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------------- 
----------- 
 
 
 
¶9. (SBU) PCHP aircraft flew a total of 436 hours in December 2009, 
operating from bases in Tumaco, San Jose, Barrancabermeja, and 
Tolemaida.  PCHP aircraft provided air assaults, air movements, 
reconnaissance, medical evacuations, and support missions for the 
Counter-Drug (CD) Brigade and other vetted COLAR units.  The CD 
Brigade discovered one cocaine (HCl) laboratory with connections to 
a commercial oil pipeline and refining equipment with the 
capability of producing precursor chemicals, and another HCl 
laboratory with a seed-bed nursery of more than 60,000 coca plants. 
PCHP supported a GOC request to augment a high value target (HVT) 
operation in Meta.  Operations were executed on December 30 and 31 
near La Macarena against a FARC New Year's gathering comprised of 
elements of three FARC fronts, believed to include up to 100 
guerillas.  The GOC announced that FARC's 43rd Front leaders Miller 
Ospina Correa, alias "El Abuelo," and Eliseo Caicedo Garzon, alias 
"El Pitufo," were killed, along with 22 others, in the air raid and 
ground combat operations.  13 guerillas were captured during the 
raid, five others self demobilized, and armament, communication 
equipment and logistical supplies were seized.  During this 
operation three PCHP helicopters experienced anomalies, but all 
aircraft were safely recovered without injuries to COLAR aircrews. 
PCHP helicopters flew 78 hours supporting 23 medical evacuation 
operations transporting a total of 77 patients. 
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------------- 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶V.                  COLOMBIAN NATIONAL POLICE (CNP) AIR SERVICE 
(ARAVI) SUPPORT 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------------- 
------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶10. (SBU) ARAVI's NAS-supported fleet flew 2,169 mission hours in 
December.  The seven UH-60 Black Hawks closed out the month with 
179 flight hours and an operational readiness (OR) rate of 71 
percent.  One UH-60 is undergoing depot maintenance for structural 
repair due to hostile fire.  The 10 Bell 212s flew 288 mission 
hours with an OR rate of 62 percent.  One Bell 212 has yet to be 
inducted to the Service Life Extension Program (SLEP)/Rewire, and 
another Bell 212 is currently in depot for SLEP maintenance.  The 
CNP is conducting this SLEP without USG contractor support.  The 
Huey II section's OR rate was 60 percent while flying 1,040 hours. 
 
Eight Huey II's are in depot maintenance, seven for structural 
repairs, and one for power train inspection.  The four DC-3s flew 
306 hours in December with an OR rate of 56 percent.  The last of 
three C-26 Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance Aerial 
Platforms (ISRAP) arrived and final acceptance has been completed. 
 
 
 
---------------------------------- 
 
VI.                INTERDICTION 
 
---------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶11. (SBU) During December, the CNP seized 5.98 metric tons of 
cocaine hydrochloride (HCl) and cocaine base, 14.84 metric tons of 
coca leaf, 15.57 metric tons of marijuana, 159 kgs of heroin, and 
470 metric tons of precursor chemicals.  The CNP also destroyed 11 
cocaine HCl laboratories and 131 coca base laboratories.  In 2009 
(through December 31), the CNP seized 127.07 metric tons of 
cocaine/cocaine base, 460.93 metric tons of coca leaf, 180.35 
metric tons of marijuana and 732 kgs of heroin.  In the same time 
period, the CNP destroyed 188 cocaine HCl laboratories and 1,550 
coca base laboratories, and seized 25,105 metric tons of precursor 
chemicals. 
 
 
 
¶12. (SBU) On December 11, the CNP captured Mart????n Farf????n 
D????az, 
alias "Pijarbey," the number two man of the Pedro Oliverio 
Guerrero, alias "Cuchillo," criminal organization "Banda" in 
eastern Colombia.  As the CNP conducted an airmobile assault on his 
farmhouse hideout 27 miles northwest of San Jose de Guaviare, 
"Pijarbey" fled on his motorcycle into the thick jungle.  The CNP 
cordoned off a ten kilometer area, and after six hours of search 
patrols located and captured "Pijarbey." 
 
 
 
¶13. (SBU) The Facatativa Ammunition Bunker, funded by NAS and built 
by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was completed on November 15 
and the ribbon cutting ceremony conducted on December 7.  The 
storage facility will service the Facatativa Junglas, the DIRAN 
National Ammunition Section, and the Carabineros School.  NAS 
Bogota's Engineering Section is supervising the construction of a 
small arms range for the Junglas at Facatativa Police Base.  The 
expected completion date is March 2010. 
 
 
 
¶14. (SBU) Six U.S. Army Special Forces trainers completed their 
four-week course at the Pijaos Training Center on December 4 for 
the Jungla Special Recon unit on rural and urban operations. The 
U.S. Army 7th Special Forces Group Pijaos training team departed 
Colombia on December 18 and was replaced by another team in early 
January.  On December 11, the Jungla International Course graduated 
57 students, including 44 international students from Panama, Costa 
Rica, Paraguay, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Belize, Peru, 
Argentina, and Brazil.  The Paraguayan Ambassador to Colombia, 
commander of the Panama Border Force, and several international 
police attaches attended the training.  On December 17, the 
eight-week Jungla Explosives and Demolitions Course graduated 48 
students, including one Argentine, one Jamaican, and two Peruvians. 
56 Colombian policemen graduated from the eight-week Jungla 
Advanced Land Navigation Course, and 35 students graduated from the 
23-week Jungla Combat Medic course on December 28. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------------- 
----------------- 
 
VII.              BASE SECURITY/ROAD INTERDICTION/NVD PROGRAM 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------------- 
----------------- 
 
 
 
¶15. (SBU) The next Base Security courses, to be conducted in 
Necocli (Phase II) and Tumaco, are in the planning phases and will 
run simultaneously beginning in February.  The goal for the Necocli 
course is to continue the efforts at the new DIRAN Northwest Zone 
base with personnel from the DIRAN Company assigned to Necocli and 
additional DIRAN personnel from the Department of Antioquia.  The 
goal of the Tumaco course is to address the security requirements 
at the CNP stations in Guayacana, Llorente, Espriella, and Chilvi. 
The course's students will include police assigned to the various 
stations and troops from the Colombian Marine Corps and the 1st 
Battalion of the CD Brigade located in Tumaco. 
 
 
 
¶16. (SBU) Phase II of the Miraflores Indefinite Design Indefinite 
Quantity (IDIQ) project was completed on December 17.  The Phase I 
IDIQ project at Necocli was completed and included the installation 
of 250 meters of 2.4 meter high perimeter security walls and two 9 
meter ballistic towers.  The construction of an additional 315 
meters of bastion walls is scheduled to be completed in January. 
 
 
 
¶17. (SBU) Night Vision Device (NVD) program coordinator will begin 
training the COLAR CD Brigades located in Tumaco and Larandia on 
January 18.  The annual accounting and inspection program continued 
throughout the country at CNP bases and units in El Dorado, 
Guaymaral, Facatativa, Espinal, Pijaos, Cespo, Mariquita, Larandia, 
Santa Marta, Tulua and the Transportation Directorate (DITRA). 
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
VIII.            MARITIME INTERDICTION 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
 
 
¶18. (SBU) NAS personnel traveled to Bahia Solano and met with the 
Colombian Coast Guard's Pacific Coast Commander and visited a new 
pier that was funded by the Colombian Navy.  The new pier will 
allow the deployment of Midnight Express interceptors and other 
Colombian Coast Guard vessels in this critical area.  NAS will 
support the GOC in Bahia Solano with billeting, office space, and a 
fuel storage system. 
 
 
 
¶19. (SBU) On December 20, the Colombian Coast Guard seized 1,018 
kilograms of marijuana during a routine patrol in Maguipi in the 
vicinity of Buenaventura.  A joint Colombian Navy and Fiscalia 
(CTI) operation in the departments of Magdalena, Santander, Cesar, 
Antioquia, and Bolivar resulted in the arrests of 13 members of a 
drug trafficking organization, including key leadership and support 
personnel and active members of the Department of Administrative 
Security (DAS), CNP, and COLAR. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
IX.                COMMUNICATIONS/WEAPONS 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
 
 
¶20. (SBU) NAS advisor coordinated instruction for DIRAN, DICAR, and 
Colombian Coast Guard in support of the activation of SPOT personal 
satellite emergency communications devices.  NAS and CNP identified 
requirements to support a national data expansion project that will 
allow remote anti-narcotics bases access to the CNP's secure data 
infrastructure.  NAS coordinated with Motorola Colombia to deliver 
306 push to talk button radios to the CD Brigade.  CNP's 
antinarcotics data team traveled to every seaport/airport to train 
DIRAN personnel on a new database that will track import/export 
information.  The team also conducted a complete inventory of all 
information technology equipment at each location and submitted to 
NAS a list of recommended equipment for 2010.  NAS recommended 
final destinations for 131 desktop computers that DIRAN received 
from CNP in December, and NAS is working with DIRAN to identify all 
computer-related requirements for 2010. 
 
 
 
¶21. (SBU) NAS and DIRAN coordinated the transfer of explosives from 
Sibate to the new Facatativa Ammunition Bunker.  NAS and DIRAN's 
police weapons section completed a study of weapons, ammunition, 
and explosives requirements for 2010. 
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
¶X.                  PORT SECURITY PROGRAM (PSP) 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
 
 
¶22. (SBU) DIRAN's Ports and Airports Area (ARPAE) units seized more 
than 2 metric tons of cocaine, 130 kgs of heroin and arrested 44 
people at Colombia's air and seaports during December.  At the 
Bogota airport, 426.5 kgs of cocaine and 0.1 kgs of heroin were 
seized and 30 people arrested.  At the Pereira airport, 10.2 kgs of 
cocaine were seized and one person was arrested.  At Cali's Palmira 
airport, 17.1 kgs of cocaine, 1.3 kgs of heroin and five people 
arrested.  At Medellin's Rionegro airport, 2.07 kgs of cocaine were 
seized and one person was arrested.  At Cartagena's airport, 1.7 
kgs of cocaine and 1 kg of heroin were seized, and three people 
arrested.  In Buenaventura's port, 927 kgs of cocaine and one 
metric ton of marijuana were seized.  In Cartagena's port, 185 kgs 
of cocaine were seized.  In Santa Marta's port, 14 kgs of cocaine 
were seized.  In Uraba's port area, 358.7 kgs of cocaine were 
seized and in Barranquilla's port 130 kgs of cocaine and 127 kgs of 
heroin were seized.  Canine antidrug units participated in four 
cases including one at Colombia's southern border in Ipiales, where 
DIRAN units seized 10 kgs of heroin. 
 
 
 
¶23. (SBU) ICE polygraph examiner conducted polygraph exams on 80 
members of DIRAN's interdiction, intelligence, ports and airports 
units.  45 passed the exam, 33 failed, and 2 exams had inconclusive 
results.  The DIRAN Polygraph Unit also supported DIRAN Internal 
Affairs Group with investigations against air and seaport 
 
personnel. 
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------------- 
------------------------- 
 
XI.                REESTABLISH POLICE PRESENCE PROGRAM 
(CARABINEROS) 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------------- 
------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶24. (SBU) The squadrons spent much of December deployed throughout 
the country to bolster security for increased travel during the 
holiday season.  In response to the kidnapping of Caqueta's 
governor, the CNP deployed 212 Carabineros policemen from Flandes 
airfield in Tolima to Florencia, Caqueta.  176 were new graduates 
of the basic course and 36 were members of Carabineros Mobile 
Squadron (EMCAR) 48, a national squadron.  During December the 
Carabineros captured 137 people, 6 FARC/ELN, 28 criminal bands 
members, 6 narcotraffickers, 97 common criminals and 80 weapons. 
The squadrons also seized 289 gallons of liquid precursors, 485 kgs 
of solid precursors and destroyed 11 labs. 
 
 
 
¶25. (SBU) The school at Pijaos graduated countermining, designated 
marksman, basic medic, and rural-operations courses in December. 
The school also continued training a new rural interdiction group 
in airmobile and water operations. 
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
XII.              AIR BRIDGE DENIAL (ABD) 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
 
 
¶26. (SBU) Out of 1,644 tracks over Colombia, four aircraft were 
declared Unknown, Assumed Suspect (UAS).  The Colombian Air Force 
and CNP located one of the aircraft shortly after landing, although 
the crew set the aircraft on fire and escaped the area.  Of the 
other three, one exited Colombian airspace before it was 
intercepted, the GOC did not respond to one because it was outside 
their range when it was detected, and one was never located.  On 
December 31, 2009, the ABD program was nationalized.  All ABD 
assets were transferred to the GOC and the Colombian Air Force 
assumed responsibility for maintenance, logistics, and program 
operations.  MILGP will now assume Embassy administration of the 
ABD program, with NAS assisting during the transition over the next 
few months.  Illegal flights detected decreased from 657 in 2003, 
the first year of the ABD program, to 32 in all of 2009, a 95 
percent reduction. 
 
 
 
-------------------------------------- 
 
XIII.            ENVIRONMENTAL 
 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶27. (SBU) In December, the antinarcotics police received 601 
complaints, closed 141 cases, compensated 8 complainants 
approximately $3,829 USD, and initiated payments to 47 farmers in 
Arauca, Putumayo and Narino. 
 
 
 
¶28. (SBU) Chris Kraul's article, "Top Guns of Tumaco Keep Coca 
Crops in Check," was published on December 16 in the LA Times.  The 
full article can be found online at: 
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/ la-fg-coca-pilot16-200 
9dec16,0,3303324.story?page=1. 
 
 
 
¶29. (SBU) On December 1, NAS' environmental scientist spoke to 
approximately 100 students from the Colegio Liceo Boston school in 
northern Bogota to explain the environmental damages caused by 
illicit crop production.  This new outreach activity complements 
our current efforts by focusing on students who may not have 
knowledge of the detrimental environmental effects caused by drug 
production. 
 
 
 
¶30. (SBU) NAS and a Colombian delegation consisting of the CNP, 
National Institute of Livestock and Rural Development (ICA), the 
Minister of Interior, of Environment, and the Dangerous Drugs 
Directorate (DNE), traveled to Villavicencio, Meta to conduct 
consultations with Arara Bacati-Lagos de Jamaicuru community 
leaders from Vaupes.  This was the first meeting of a 2-part 
process, where the police and DNE explained the aerial eradication 
program and the consultation process.  At first, the indigenous 
community was skeptical to spray because of the alleged 
environmental harms caused by glyphosate, however, ICA thoroughly 
explained glyphosate, its use, and studies concluding glyphosate 
caused minimal harm to human health.  The delegation will return to 
Meta in January to finish the consultation process. 
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------------- 
-- 
 
XIV.            INDIVIDUAL DEMOBILIZATION PROGRAM 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------------- 
-- 
 
 
 
¶31. (SBU) The Ministry of Defense's (MOD) Humanitarian Attention 
Program for the Demobilized (PAHD) has received 20,555 combatants 
since 2002, including 157 insurgents in December and 2,638 total in 
2009 as compared to 3,461 in 2008.  2,128 FARC members demobilized 
in 2009, down almost 30 percent from 3,027 in 2008.  Although ELN 
demobilization slowed in the second half of 2009, a record 492 
demobilizations was reached, 20 percent more than 2008. 
 
 
 
¶32. (SBU) The PAHD launched two major holiday events designed to 
spur demobilization and hamper recruitment by illegal groups in the 
communities of La Macarena, Meta Department and Tibu, Norte de 
Santander Department.  The community of Tibu, just 6 kilometers 
from the Venezuelan border, was thrilled by a Vallenato concert by 
multi-Latin Grammy winner Peter Manjares who performed his biggest 
hits and alluded to themes of peace and demobilization.  The 
anti-illegal recruitment message was conveyed during both events by 
humorists Justo Franco and Camilo Cifuentes from the popular 
 
Colombian television show "S????bados Felices."  Micro-soccer 
tournaments and peace parades by local school children were also 
prominent aspects of the events. 
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------------------ 
 
XV.               DRUG DEMAND PREVENTION (DDP) 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------------------ 
 
 
 
¶33. (SBU) After five failed attempts to prohibit the possession and 
use of a minimum dose of drugs, on December 9 President Uribe 
succeeded in passing a bill through the Colombian Congress amending 
the Constitution and repealing a 1994 Constitutional Court judgment 
that permitted possession of a minimum dose for personal 
consumption (septel to follow).  President Uribe is touting the 
amendment as a significant step forward in the GOC's fight against 
the growing problem of "micro-trafficking" and drug consumption in 
Colombia. 
 
 
 
¶34. (SBU) NAS coordinated with DIRAN personnel to establish Drug 
Abuse Resistance Training (DARE) programs in the CSDI zone of 
Tumaco.  The outreach is aimed at fostering stronger relations 
between the CNP and local communities and will be integrated with 
NAS' Base Security course in Tumaco which commences in February. 
NICHOLS