US embassy cable - 04TEGUCIGALPA751

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEGUCIGALPA 000751 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR INL/LP AND WHA/CEN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/31/2014 
TAGS: SNAR, PGOV, KCRM, KJUS, SOCI, HO 
SUBJECT: HONDURAS SEIZES 700 MORE KILOS OF COCAINE; 2004 
TOTAL IS UP TO APPROXIMATELY 2,234 KILOS 
 
REF: A. TEGUCIGALPA 672 
 
     B. TEGUCIGALPA 665 
     C. TEGUCIGALPA 388 
     D. TEGUCIGALPA 265 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Francisco Palmieri; 
Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (U) On March 30, Honduran authorities confiscated 
approximately 700 kilos of cocaine and arrested six 
individuals in the vicinity of Santa Cruz de Yojoa, near 
Puerto Cortes on Honduras' Caribbean coast.  Police arrived 
in the area as the traffickers were in the process of 
preparing a false compartment in a Volvo van to transport the 
cocaine overland.  Apart from the some 125 kilos discovered 
in the van, a search of the property yielded another 
approximately 575 kilos. 
 
2. (C) Police were alerted to the situation through a 
confidential informant.  A high ranking official within the 
 
SIPDIS 
Ministry of Public Security speculated the cocaine may have 
come from the plane discovered March 18 burned and buried on 
the property of Miguel Facusse, a prominent Honduran 
businessman (ref A). 
 
3. (U) The names of the detained are: Darwin Ruben Diaz, 
Honduran, (25); Dennis Pineda Oriana, Honduran, (33); Pedro 
Guevara, Honduran (24); Sandy Suazo, Honduran, (24); Ruiz 
Rodriguez, Guatemalan, (34); and Pedro Ellias Sanchez, 
Guatemalan, (33).  The property is owned by Emilio Gama Liano 
Mejia and is rented to Darwin Ruben Diaz. 
 
4. (U) This seizure, combined with previous seizures (refs 
B-D) brings the total amount of cocaine seized in Honduras in 
2004 to approximately 2,234 kilos. 
PALMER