US embassy cable - 03THEHAGUE3199

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 THE HAGUE 003199 
 
SIPDIS 
 
INFO DIRONDCP WASHDC 
DEA HQS WASHDC 
DOJ WASHDC 
FBI WASHDC 
US CUSTOMS SERVICE WASHDC 
AMCONGEN CURACAO 
AMCONSUL AMSTERDAM 
AMEMBASSY CARACAS 
AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO 
AMEMBASSY PARIS 
AMEMBASSY LONDON 
AMEMBASY BERLIN 
AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 
AMEMBASSY LUXEMBOURG 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR G, INL, INL/T, EUR/UBI, EUR/ERA 
ONDCP FOR CSISSON 
DEA FOR OFE 
DOJ FOR OIA/FRIEDMAN 
BRUSSELS FOR USEU, LEGATT 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR, KCRM, PREL, NL 
SUBJECT: NEW DUTCH MEASURES AGAINST COCAINE TRAFFICKING AT 
SCHIPHOL AIRPORT GO INTO EFFECT 
 
REF: (A) STATE 298019; (B) THE HAGUE 2527 
 
1. (U) SUMMARY: Following mid-December approval by the Dutch 
Parliament, Justice Minister Donner instituted a crackdown 
on drug trafficking through Schiphol airport from the 
Netherlands Antilles and Aruba.  Initial results (120 
arrests/400+ passengers turned away or failed to show up) 
indicate more the scope of the problem than signs of 
successful interdiction.  There is considerable skepticism, 
including our own, whether the measures will solve the 
problem.  The Minister's efforts are complicated by recent 
allegations by an Aruban drug dealer that members of Dutch 
Customs and ground personnel at Schiphol Airport are 
involved in the drug trade.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2. (U) On December 10, the Dutch Parliament approved Justice 
Minister Donner's plan to "close down" Amsterdam's Schiphol 
airport to cocaine smuggling from the Caribbean.  An 
estimated 20,000-40,000 kilos of cocaine, destined primarily 
for the European market, are smuggled annually through 
Schiphol.  Donner hopes to achieve 100% interdiction of the 
drugs coming into Schiphol on targeted "high-risk" flights 
from the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba.  The new measures 
(reftel B) subject all passengers on such flights to 
lengthy, time consuming and intrusive procedures.  Smugglers 
carrying a "small amount" of drugs will not be prosecuted, 
but will be returned to their place of origin.  (Press 
speculation suggests the "small amount" is three kilos, but 
the Justice Ministry refuses to confirm this for reasons of 
"investigation and prosecution.")  Airlines have agreed to 
ban those caught in possession of drugs from returning to 
the Netherlands on future flights from the Netherlands 
Antilles and Aruba. 
 
3.  (U) The plan went into effect on December 11 and the 
Justice Ministry (MOJ) has released the results for the 
first five days.  120 drug couriers were arrested. 
Following the seizure of drugs, 31 smugglers were released 
without a summons and returned.  The remaining 89 cases are 
being investigated or prosecuted.  In addition, 104 
potential passengers were turned away by the airlines and 
375 passengers did not show up for their flights. 
 
4. (U) Minister Donner told the Second Chamber during its 
consideration of his plan that Customs and military police 
(Royal Marechaussee) at Schiphol would be expanded by 260 
persons for an indefinite period of time.  The government 
also plans to expand the Schiphol CargoHarc Intervention 
team and to monitor information from the Disclosure Office 
on Unusual Transactions (MOT) for money transfers between 
the Netherlands and countries where drugs are produced or 
trafficked. 
 
5. (SBU) MOJ officials confirmed to Global/Narcotics 
Coordinator there was no time limit for these "experimental" 
steps.  They will continue until the goal of stopping drug 
smuggling from the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba is 
achieved - or "until the problem becomes more manageable." 
They will also be applied continuously instead of 
sporadically as initially planned. 
 
6. (SBU) These officials also acknowledged that if the 
measures are successful, drug traffickers will likely search 
for other routes to get the cocaine into their Amsterdam 
distribution systems (using Schiphol flights originating 
from airports in other Caribbean or South American 
countries) or will bypass the Netherlands entirely - 
creating a problem for the Netherlands' European neighbors. 
They shared with post a draft letter Minister Donner is 
preparing to send to his EU colleagues, which states "the 
tightened-up policy in the Netherlands may have relocation 
effects and lead to the use of different routes."  In a year 
end/farewell interview (he is retiring), Royal Marechaussee 
commander-in-chief Major General Neisingh defended Donner's 
efforts even as he admitted drug traffickers will divert 
their deliveries to other European airports if Donner's 
efforts are successful.  He said a Europe-wide approach to 
the problem is needed. 
 
7. (U) Although Parliament approved the plan (with the 
support of the main opposition PdvA), many politicians 
remain opposed.  The LPF and VVD parties believe Donner's 
plan is not strict enough because it will let certain drug 
couriers go free.  The press is also voicing criticism.  The 
Algemeen Dagblad argued that "the Cabinet is facing what 
seems to be an unsolvable problem.  By imprisoning the 
traffickers you do not hurt the criminals whom the 
traffickers work for.  While it makes sense to thoroughly 
check every passenger and seize the drugs they carry, it 
does not make sense that traffickers at Schiphol are not 
prosecuted while those in other parts of the country are." 
De Telegraaf claimed the new policy will lead to drug 
smugglers switching to flights from South America since 
these will not be subject to such scrutiny.  Donner, 
however, claims that checks can be transferred to other 
routes on short notice. 
 
8. (SBU) The Justice Ministry recognizes that simply 
attacking the courier problem at Schiphol is not sufficient 
by itself.  Arie Ijzerman, MOJ Deputy Director General for 
International Criminal Affairs and Drugs Policy, told DEA, 
State and DoJ officials in Washington during a late November 
2003 visit the Dutch government was considering efforts at 
stopping drugs at the source - in Colombia and in the 
Caribbean.  According to the Ministry's "Fifth Progress 
Report on Drug Trafficking through Schiphol," which provided 
background in support of Donner's new measures, the Dutch 
government plans to raise investments in expanding the law 
enforcement capacity in the Antilles and to intensify 
cooperation with local authorities there.  The Dutch plan to 
commit additional funds to improve Coast Guard operations 
there.  Minister Donner will be in the Antilles the first 
week of January to discuss these measures.  He said he wants 
to start similar consultations with the Surinamese 
government as well. 
 
9. (SBU) COMMENT: The Dutch developed the Schiphol Action 
Plan at the beginning of 2002 in response to heavy criticism 
of a previous Justice Minister's decision to let drug 
couriers caught with small amounts of drugs in Schiphol go 
free.  The Dutch government poured 90 million Euros annually 
into the Plan which increased the number of customs and 
military police personnel at Schiphol, set up a special 
court at the airport, expanded judicial staffing to handle 
the increased work load and increased prison capacity to 
deal with drug couriers.  This led to increased drug 
seizures and prosecutions.  These new steps by Minister 
Donner indicate the government recognizes that even the 
considerable previous efforts have not been adequate to stop 
the flow of cocaine through Schiphol. 
 
10. (SBU) COMMENT CONT'D: As the Ambassador indicated to 
Minister Donner (reftel B), post has concerns about the long- 
term viability of Donner's new steps.  They require 
significant manpower resources and are expensive.  Failing 
to prosecute drug couriers sends the wrong message and 
avoids the problem; it does not solve it.  In addition, the 
Dutch continue to refuse to revise their prohibition on the 
use of informants in drug investigations.  They also use 
asset forfeiture rules only sparingly, limiting their 
ability to harm the drug trade.  While we wish the Dutch 
success, we are skeptical the new plan will achieve its goal 
of 100% interdiction.  The plan, however, is now 
operational.  We will monitor its effectiveness, paying 
particular attention (1) how the remaining 89 cases from the 
first 5 days are investigated and prosecuted; (2) the 
success of Donner's efforts to take the fight to the 
Caribbean; and (3) whether drug smugglers start switching to 
using less-scrutinized South American routes. 
 
11. (U) COMMENT CONT'D: Donner's efforts to stop drugs going 
through Schiphol are now complicated by recent assertions by 
an Aruban drug dealer claiming certain Dutch Customs, Royal 
Marechaussee and ground crew personnel at Schiphol are 
involved in the drug trade.  General Neisingh said he would 
investigate the allegations concerning the military police 
and the Royal Marechaussee acknowledged to the media on 
December 29 that an internal investigation into operations 
at Schiphol had already been underway for several months. 
MOJ contacts refused to comment and said the official 
responsible for the matter was away for the holidays.  Post 
will continue to follow this matter and report on 
developments.  END COMMENT. 
 
Russel