US embassy cable - 04BOGOTA9117

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BOGOTA 009117 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
 
DEPT FOR INL/RM, INL/LP 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/AND 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR, KCRM, PTER, CO 
SUBJECT: 13 THOUSAND HECTARES SPRAYED IN COLOMBIA:  NAS 
Monthly Report, August 2004: 
 
1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  Eradication aircraft sprayed a total of 
12,959 hectares of coca and 658 hectares of poppy in August. 
Anti-Narcotics Police units captured and/or destroyed over 
67 metric tons of cocaine, 1.2 metric tons of cocaine base, 
10 tons of pressed marijuana, and 24 kilograms of heroin 
this month. 
 
Eradication and Interdiction 
---------------------------- 
 
2. (SBU) Eradication:  During the month of August, aircraft 
operating from San Jose del Guaviare sprayed approximately 
6,389 hectares and operations in Santander and Norte de 
Santander Departments sprayed approximately 6,568 hectares 
of coca.  Spray operations in Cauca and Huila Departments 
eradicated 658 hectares of poppy.  This combined effort 
resulted in the eradication of a total of approximately 
12,959 hectares of coca and 658 hectares of poppy. 
 
3. (SBU) Eradication and COLAR aircraft were involved in 14 
hostile fire incidents, resulting in 19 impacts.  Both the 
number of incidents and impacts remain well below comparable 
levels from last year. 
 
4. (SBU) Anti-Narcotics Police (DIRAN):  In August, DIRAN 
broke interdiction records.  Three Airmobile Interdiction 
(Jungla) Companies of DIRAN destroyed more than 58 metric 
tons of HCl and coca base, while the DIRAN Interdiction 
Group captured 9.3 metric tons of cocaine, 1.2 metric tons 
of cocaine base, 10 tons of pressed marijuana, and 24 
kilograms of heroin this month.  The DIRAN Interdiction 
Group also destroyed one potassium permanganate lab and the 
first two heroin labs of the year. 
 
5. (SBU) DIRAN Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance 
(ISR) Project:  The C-26B ISR aircraft continues to provide 
excellent intelligence collection, with the DIRAN Air 
Intelligence and Analysis Center producing quality reports. 
Since the project started in late 2000, the ISRs have flown 
nearly 800 missions in support of eradication and 
interdiction operations, as well as joint DIRAN and military 
operations. 
 
6. (SBU) DEA coordinated a joint operation conducted by the 
DIRAN Interdiction Group, the Colombian Navy, Marines, Coast 
Guard, and Air Force.  The operation, conducted on 
Colombia's Pacific Coast, resulted in the destruction of one 
cocaine HCL lab. 
 
Air Bridge Denial (ABD) 
----------------------- 
 
7. (SBU) In August, 2004, 3,583 tracks were identified over 
Colombia, of which 32 were declared Unidentified, Assumed 
Suspect (UAS) aircraft. Phase I was conducted on two tracks. 
One track was identified as friendly and one resulted in the 
CNP arresting the pilot and impounding the aircraft. Two 
Phase III events were conducted, on August 8 and 24.  Both 
aircraft were destroyed on the ground. 
 
CNP Aviation (ARAVI) 
-------------------- 
 
8. (SBU) In August, the three largest components of ARAVI's 
fleet clocked 1,365 mission hours.  The UH-1 helicopters 
flew 895 mission hours with an operational readiness rate of 
75 percent, Bell 212 helicopters flew 302 mission hours with 
an operational readiness rate of 78 percent, and UH-60 
helicopters flew 168 mission hours with an operational rate 
of 61 percent.  ARAVI also participated in highly successful 
interdiction missions with several other CNP units and 
national security forces in southwestern Colombia.  ARAVI 
helped brief Staffdel Mackey in Bogot and at the ARAVI 
training academy in Mariquita on August 27. 
 
Colombian Army (COLAR) Aviation 
------------------------------- 
 
9. (SBU) During the month of August, the third battalion of 
the Counternarcotics (CD) Brigade was dedicated to 
operations conducted under Plan Patriota while COLAR Plan 
Colombia helicopters continued to support CD Brigade troops, 
Plan Patriota, and eradication operations, as well as 
conducting training operations in Tolemaida.  Plan Colombia 
helicopters flew over 2,113 hours, accounting for more than 
1,062 sorties.   They transported 3,487 passengers and 
258,720 pounds of cargo.  Over 17 flight hours were 
dedicated to medical evacuation missions, resulting in the 
evacuation of eight patients. 
 
10. (SBU) Plan Colombia helicopter assets conducted an air 
assault and inserted 125 CD Brigade troops near 
Barrancabermeja, Santander Department.  During ground 
combat, Pastor Alapi, a senior FARC figure, was seen in the 
area by both ground forces and non-combatants.  During this 
incident, 275 Colombian Army personnel engaged an estimated 
125 FARC, which resulted in 15 guerillas killed and one 
Colombian Army soldier wounded. 
11. (SBU) During a night fire training exercise a GAU-17 
mini-gun suffered a malfunction caused by cartridge case 
head separation. The gunnery instructor and student received 
minor injuries. 
 
Law Enforcement/Public Security 
------------------------------- 
 
12. (SBU) A total of 450 police officers, composing three 
Carabineros Mobil Squadrons (EMCAR), graduated from a 
specialized training course in Espinal.  One of these 
Squadrons will relieve the DIRAN Junglas that now occupy the 
town of Penas Coloradas, which was taken as part of Plan 
Patriota. 
 
13. (SBU) EMCAR Carabineros captured four extraditable 
narcoterrorists, 38 other narcotraffickers, and 243 
guerrillas.  They seized 140 weapons.  Over four tons of 
coca base were destroyed and nine hectares of poppy and 159 
hectares of coca were manually eradicated. Additionally, CD 
Brigade forces captured 76 kilograms of cocaine base. 
 
Demobilization program: 
----------------------- 
 
14. (SBU) During the first two years of the Uribe 
administration a total of 5,163 members of terrorist groups 
(FARC, ELN, AUC) have renounced terrorism and joined the 
GOC's Demobilization/Reinsertion program.  The MOD has 
organized intelligence collection and analysis elements into 
a centralized database.  The database will permit sharing 
information among various Colombian security agencies.  The 
intelligence derived from the program has contributed to 
over 50 percent of the successful operations by the 
military, police, and prosecutor's office.  Vice-Minister of 
Defense Peate briefed the operational success of the 
program to about 50 Ambassadors and stressed his need for 
assistance in the employment of this information. 
 
Environmental 
------------- 
 
15. (U) The NAS continued to engage NGO's opposed to the 
spray program and sent volunteer doctors into areas 
previously controlled by insurgent forces to provide free 
medical assistance.  This provides a check of public health 
conditions in areas previously sprayed by the aerial 
aspersion program.  In August, DIRAN notified the NAS of its 
intention to create an experimental coca field on a police 
base in Guaviare Department to conduct chemical and manual 
eradication studies.