US embassy cable - 04TEGUCIGALPA2795

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TEGUCIGALPA 002795 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR INL AND INL/LP 
STATE FOR WHA/CEN AND WHA/PPC 
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CEN 
JUSTICE FOR OIA, AFMLS, AND NDDS 
TREASURY FOR FINCEN 
DEA FOR OILS AND OFFICE OF DIVERSION CONTROL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR, HO 
SUBJECT:  HONDURAS 2005 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL 
STRATEGY REPORT PART I 
 
REF:  SECSTATE 249035 
 
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Summary 
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1. The transshipment of cocaine through Honduras by air, 
land, and maritime routes continued in 2004.  While seizures 
were slightly down in 2004 compared to last year's record 
levels, Honduran authorities did successfully disrupt one of 
the most active trafficking organizations in the country, 
dealing a significant setback to organized crime in the 
region.  Corruption within the police, Public Ministry (PM), 
and the judiciary, however, continues to hamper law 
enforcement efforts. 
2. Limited resources remain the largest obstacle to 
Honduras' ability to implement its national counternarcotics 
policy, yet the Government of Honduras (GOH) remains 
committed to stemming the flow of illegal narcotics 
transiting its territory.  Both the police and military take 
an active part in Honduras' counternarcotics strategy, with 
the Honduran Navy responding particularly well given its 
limited resources.  While many arrests are made, the PM has 
had little success in prosecuting these individuals.  Drug 
abuse in Honduras appears to be on the rise, with 
availability and usage up in 2004.  Honduras is a party to 
the 1988 UN Drug Convention. 
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STATUS OF COUNTRY 
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3. Due to Honduras' geographic location and the GOH's 
limited interdiction resources, the transshipment of drugs, 
primarily cocaine, through Honduras continues at a 
persistent rate.  Transshipment is facilitated by direct air 
and maritime links to U.S. cities and the Pan-American 
Highway, which crosses southern Honduras.  While the police 
and military lack sufficient assets to comprehensively 
attack drug trafficking in Honduras, there were nonetheless 
significant drug seizures this year.  Honduras is not a 
significant producer of drugs or precursor chemicals. 
 
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COUNTRY ACTIONS AGAINST DRUGS IN 2004 
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4. Policy Initiatives: The GOH continued a joint police and 
military counternarcotics initiative launched in April 2003 
to discourage traffickers from using Honduras as a transit 
point.  This initiative includes the use of the Honduran Air 
Force to interdict illicit flights entering Honduran 
airspace.   A Honduran Frontier Police presence at Honduras' 
Pan-American Highway checkpoint also provides a deterrent to 
the flow of narcotics into Honduras from its southern border 
with Nicaragua. 
5. A new draft counternarcotics law under review in the 
National Congress would significantly expand the authority 
of law enforcement agencies to initiate undercover 
operations.  Current law prohibits law enforcement agencies 
from using these types of operations to conduct 
investigations, mandating in fact, that anyone participating 
in the purchase and/or sale of narcotics, including police 
participating in sting operations, be arrested. 
6. Honduras is also in the process of considering revisions 
to its Criminal Procedures Code that took effect on February 
20, 2002.  Proposed revisions include increased penalties 
for crimes related to drug trafficking and/or possession. 
7. Accomplishments: As of December 1, 2004, Honduran 
authorities have seized 3,866 kilograms of cocaine, 1,611 
pounds of marijuana, one kilogram of heroin, and destroyed 
approximately 71,152 marijuana plants during the year.  The 
GOH seized USD 2,058,803 in cash (setting a new national 
record) plus numerous other assets, including property, 
aircraft, go-fast boats, and vehicles worth well over USD 
2,000,000.  Honduran authorities also made 751 narcotics- 
related arrests. 
8. The Honduran Frontier Police have been largely 
responsible for these successes, drawing on intensive 
counternarcotics training, and U.S. technical assistance and 
equipment.  In 2004, cooperation among all elements of the 
police, military, and other special investigative units 
increased.  The Honduran Navy participated in a number of 
regional counternarcotics efforts that led to large seizures 
in international waters. 
9. On July 14, Pedro Garcia Montes was killed in Cartagena, 
Colombia.  Montes, a Honduran citizen, was considered to be 
the head of a major trafficking organization in Honduras. 
Upon Montes' death, police raided numerous properties 
belonging to him, resulting in seizures of weapons, cash, 
and other contraband.  They also arrested Ethalson Mejia 
Hoy, a key Montes associate.  Montes' death effectively 
decapitated his organization and was a significant blow to 
organized crime in the region. 
10. Law Enforcement Efforts: Counternarcotics law 
enforcement is a priority for the Maduro Government, 
although limited resources, corruption, and inexperienced 
personnel hinder GOH efforts to stop traffickers using 
Honduras as a transit country.  Police, constrained by lack 
of adequate transportation, rarely patrol some areas of the 
country, particularly in the isolated northeast.  Despite 
these constraints, Honduran law enforcement agencies made 
many drug-related arrests.  The Honduran judicial system, 
however, has a poor track record of turning these arrests 
into convictions. 
11. Corruption: Endemic corruption continues to impede 
effective counternarcotics law enforcement in Honduras. 
Corruption within the judicial system particularly has been 
problematic (a judge released Mejia on bail after police had 
arrested him on a valid INTERPOL notice).  In 2004, Honduras 
amended its constitution to strip immunity from prosecution 
from high-level government officials.  To date, the National 
Congress has not passed implementing legislation that many 
GOH officials believe is necessary, and there have been no 
prosecutions of formerly immune individuals.  Honduras is a 
signatory to the Inter-American Convention Against 
Corruption, but has fallen short of fully implementing the 
Convention's recommendations. 
12. Agreements and Treaties: Honduras has counternarcotics 
agreements with the United States, Belize, Colombia, 
Jamaica, Mexico, Venezuela, and Spain and is a party to the 
1988 UN Drug Convention.  Honduras recently certified its 
major public maritime ports in compliance with International 
Ship and Port Facility Security codes and is an active 
member of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission 
(CICAD).  In 2004, Honduras signed the UN Convention Against 
Corruption, but it has yet to be approved by the National 
Congress.  A U.S.-Honduras maritime counternarcotics 
agreement entered into force in 2001 and a bilateral 
extradition exists between the U.S. and Honduras.  Honduras 
is one of ten nations to sign the Caribbean Maritime 
Counterdrug Agreement, but has not yet ratified it. 
13. Cultivation/Production: Cannabis is the only illegal 
drug known to be cultivated in Honduras.  The GOH does not 
permit the use of aerial eradication; however upon 
detection, marijuana plants are cut down and destroyed. 
14. Drug Flow/Transit:  In 2004, there was a noticeable 
increase in the number of detected suspect maritime vessels 
transiting through Honduran territorial waters en route to 
southern Mexico and the United States.  Suspect air-tracks, 
however, decreased.  Cocaine and heroin are smuggled 
overland by commercial and private vehicles.  Approximately 
90 percent of all drugs transiting Honduras are destined for 
the United States.  There is evidence of the existence of an 
illicit trade in "arms for drugs," with arms from these 
deals presumably destined for use by terrorist groups in 
Colombia. 
15. Domestic Programs/Demand Reduction: Drug abuse in 
Honduras appears to be on the rise and illegal drugs are 
becoming increasingly available, particularly along the 
Caribbean coast.  The Maduro Administration launched a pilot 
program directed at Honduran youth to fight drug abuse and 
the National Anti-Narcotics Council is making demand 
reduction a major part of Honduran counternarcotics efforts. 
This effort reflects the government's appreciation that drug 
trafficking through Honduras is not only a national security 
threat, but a major public policy problem as well. 
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U.S. POLICY INITIATIVES AND PROGRAMS 
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16. U.S. counternarcotics assistance to Honduras is intended 
to augment GOH efforts to strengthen the rule of law, 
increase police, judicial, and investigative efficiency, 
reduce corruption, and build strong counternarcotics 
institutions.  In 2004, assistance was primarily directed to 
the Frontier Police, Ministry of Public Security, and the 
Public Ministry, although the U.S. also provided limited 
funds to assist Honduras in demand reduction efforts.  The 
GOH has made a firm commitment to combat drug trafficking 
and the U.S. will continue to assist Honduras in its fight 
to reduce narcotics trafficking in the region and associated 
corruption. 
#Palmer