US embassy cable - 05TEGUCIGALPA2207

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 TEGUCIGALPA 002207 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
FROM CHARGE TO INL A/S POWELL AND WHA A/S SHANNON 
STATE FOR INL, WHA, S/CT, PM, EB, AND INR 
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAM 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR, PREL, KCRM, PTER, EFIN, MOPS, PGOV, PINR, HO 
SUBJECT: COUNTERNARCOTICS BATTLE IN HONDURAS: GOH POLITICAL 
WILL NEEDS USG RESOURCES TO SUSTAIN EFFECTIVE EFFORT 
 
1. (SBU) Summary:  Recent maritime interdictions, air radar 
tracks, and drug seizures, along with corroborated source 
information, indicate that Honduras has become a significant 
transit point for narcotics 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, including 
the FARC.  Honduran President Ricardo Maduro acknowledges 
that narcotraffickers control major sections of the remote 
Mosquitia region and northern coastal sectors.  All 
political parties and the media identify narco violence as a 
major threat to Honduras, and it has been an issue in the 
upcoming November 27 national elections.  President Maduro 
believes that youth gangs have taken over illegal drug 
distribution within the country.  Narco crime undermines 
progress being made against Honduras' most serious issue - 
corruption.  As the narco threat has intensified, Central 
American nations have engaged in unprecedented cooperation 
to jointly attack narcotrafficking.  DEA, the U.S. military 
(SOUTHCOM, JIATF-South, and TAT), DHS (Customs, Coast 
Guard), State/INL, and other U.S. agencies have successfully 
coordinated with Honduran anti-drug counterparts, but 
additional resources are needed to stem the drug flow.  Most 
importantly, the Country Team encourages additional maritime 
patrol aircraft, support for Honduran response capability, 
continued development of human intelligence, as well as 
sustained INL funding to strengthen collection of evidence, 
the role of the prosecutors, and money laundering 
investigations.  End Summary. 
 
The Drug Flow 
------------- 
 
2. (SBU) Every 72 hours, 1,500 kilos of cocaine departs 
South America destined to Honduras or through Honduran 
air/sea space.  In the first three quarters of CY05, JIATF- 
South received reliable information of 159 suspect boats 
transiting or landing in Honduras, carrying an estimated 188 
metric tons of cocaine.  However, only a few of these 
suspect boats were ever actually detected.  Sporadic 
stationing of DHS Customs CHET aircraft in northern Honduras 
has helped to monitor suspect aircraft located by JIATF- 
South in numerous air trackings, including the September 28 
spotting of a cocaine-laden aircraft which was successfully 
intercepted when it landed in Guatemala.  The Coast Guard 
has had several significant successes in international 
waters near Honduras, intercepting the Honduran flagged 
vessel Ocean Mistery netting 3,137 kilos of cocaine in June; 
the Sunset yielding 3,623 kilos of cocaine in August; and 
the Miss Yolani carrying 1,400 kilos of cocaine in 
September.  These are the boats that were intercepted; the 
vast majority escapes due to lack of detection capability 
(mainly maritime patrol aircraft) and/or sufficient 
resources to direct and sustain the interdiction capability 
(patrol boats/helicopters). 
 
3. (SBU) As Honduras comes to grips with gangs and common 
criminals, politicians note an explosion of drug-related 
crimes in its major cities, most notably Tegucigalpa and San 
Pedro Sula.  President Ricardo Maduro claimed in an 
Associate Press interview on September 15 that gangs had 
already taken over drug distribution in Honduras and that 
gang members had graduated from using small homemade weapons 
to employing high powered semi-automatic weapons.  The 
murder rate - one of the highest in the world - had been 
diminishing somewhat, but narco-related killings have 
definitely increased.  In a private discussion with the 
Charge, President Maduro mentioned his personal concern over 
death threats issued by narcos - perhaps including the 
escaped murderer of the president's son.  Senior GOH 
officials have also expressed concern over the illicit trade 
in "arms for drugs," with arms from these deals presumably 
destined for use by terrorist groups in Colombia, including 
the FARC.  Three Hondurans were arrested on March 20 
suspecting of aiding the FARC, and in April the GOH seized 
weapons believed to be destined for the FARC. 
 
U.S. Operations 
--------------- 
 
4. (SBU) Uniting Central American nations and Mexico in a 
common fight against narcotrafficking, DEA, the U.S. 
military, and other U.S. agencies conducted Operation All 
Inclusive from August 5 - October 8, 2005.  The massive 
land, air and sea effort resulted in the seizure of the 
following: 
 
Cocaine:  43.63 metric tons 
Heroin:    88.56 kilograms 
Marijuana:  27.69 metric tons 
Designer drugs:  approximately 1 million tablets 
Currency:  foreign currency equivalent to USD 7,551,687 
Weapons:  104 
Arrests:  346 
 
5. (SBU) Among the most significant achievements resulting 
from Operation All Inclusive: 
- largest cocaine seizure ever (2,376 kilos) in Belize, 
- largest currency seizure ever (USD 1.2 million) in 
Nicaragua, 
- culmination of the first judicially approved wire 
intercept in Honduras which provided intelligence on 
trafficker reactions and adaptations, 
- first successful suspect aircraft interdiction and seizure 
of 430 kilos of cocaine in Guatemala since September 2003, 
- significant currency and drug seizures in Panama - over 
USD 5,700,000 allegedly destined for Colombia and over 3.9 
metric tons of cocaine being stored in a warehouse for later 
transport north by go-fast vessels, and 
- 21 metric tons of marijuana seizure in a Mexico road 
interdiction operation. 
 
6. (SBU) As part of Operation All Inclusive, and a preview 
of the GOH's planned to attempt to "retake" the vast 
Mosquitia region of Honduras (rumored to be scheduled in the 
next several weeks), Honduran police and military units 
supported by U.S. agencies launched a coordinated land and 
sea operation in September.  There was some confusion 
between military and police elements, logistical shortfalls, 
and general inexperience.  However, the mission netted some 
arms, drugs, and property.  The exercise also demonstrated 
strong political will, a genuine desire to collaborate 
between Honduran and Nicaraguan military and law enforcement 
personnel, and the exercise forced traffickers to change 
their methods of operating.  The operation pinpointed narco 
strongholds, heavily defended by criminal elements.  A 
follow-up, better-organized operation has already been 
planned in the near term. 
 
7. (SBU) The above results, including the cooperation 
between Honduras and Nicaragua on the Mosquitia region and 
the tracking of a drug air shipment over Honduras and Belize 
and into Guatemala, demonstrate that the Central Americans 
are not only united under CAFTA, but they share a common 
interest in combating illegal narcotics.  Further evidence 
of this comes from the Honduran-proposed creation of a joint 
Central American strike force. 
 
8. (SBU) The Department of State's Bureau of International 
Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) program in 
Honduras amounts to roughly one million dollars annually, 
though the amount of funding is under stress due to budget 
constraints.  Under INL, the mission has been able to 
support the DEA vetted unit, provide training and equipment 
for various criminal investigations, develop strong 
organized crime and anti-corruption units, administer 
polygraph tests to various police and prosecutorial units, 
enhance money laundering institutions and personnel, provide 
logistical support (fuel, food, supplies) for units involved 
with the Mosquitia and other operations, and much more.  In 
a country where the judicial system has been fundamentally 
broken by corruption, INL and USAID have complemented each 
other in building a more effective judicial process. 
Notably, Honduras is the first country in Central America to 
allow bilateral use of judicially approved telephone 
intercepts.  This is a milestone because the evidence that 
is obtained from these intercepts can be used in U.S. 
courts. 
 
9. (SBU) DEA, TAT, MILGP, and U.S. military elements - Joint 
Task Force-Bravo (JTF-B) - based at Soto Cano Air Base near 
Comayagua, Honduras, have provided badly needed training, 
planning, and logistical support in numerous anti-drug 
operations.  Although Honduras has political will, it lacks 
basic air transport and basic intelligence.  SOUTHCOM assets 
have effectively inserted Honduran personnel into 
operational areas and DEA has provided necessary intel to 
Honduran operatives to effect arrests.  This effort, 
however, is jeopardized by budget constraints in all 
agencies. 
 
10. (SBU) MILGP has secured SOUTHCOM end of year funding to 
purchase a 6,000 gallon mobile refueling system for the 
Mosquitia.  The Bryant Fuel System will be transported using 
U.S. sealift assets earmarked to move New Horizon Exercise 
equipment from Jacksonville, Florida to La Ceiba on 
Honduras' Caribbean coast in January 2006.  MILGP has 
conducted preliminary coordination with JTF-B to sling load 
the refueling system via CH-47 helicopter from La Ceiba to 
Mocoron in the Mosquitia.  A Forward Air Refueling Point 
(FARP) capability in Mocoron will significantly enhance 
future counternarcotics operations in the Mosquitia and 
reduce Honduran Air Force dependency on U.S. airlift assets. 
However, there is no current USG assistance available for 
purchasing fuel for the FARP, and absent USG fuel purchases, 
the GOH will struggle greatly to find resources to buy fuel. 
 
Honduran Political Will 
----------------------- 
 
11. (SBU) In meetings with the Embassy, the key campaign 
leaders for both presidential candidates in the November 27 
elections have made it clear that they want to continue the 
fight against drugs and corruption and that they will look 
to the U.S. for the technical assistance to get the job 
done.  The current President, Ricardo Maduro, tells us that 
he fears the loss of the Mosquitia and wants to engage the 
narcos head-on.  In various meetings with the leading press 
- from all political spectrums - there is widespread fear 
that narco violence is gripping the country and effective 
measures need to be taken.  The ruling National Party has 
already told us that popular - and iron-fisted - Minister of 
Public Security Oscar Alvarez will remain as Minister if the 
Nationals win the presidential election. 
 
12. (SBU) In a meeting with the Charge on October 17, highly 
respected Roman Catholic Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez expressed 
dismay over the growing narco-trafficking threat to 
Honduras.  Practically rising out of his chair, the Cardinal 
proclaimed narcotics as the most serious problem in 
Honduras.  The Cardinal said that narco cartels had 
established a grip over parts of the second largest city of 
San Pedro Sula and were dominating the entire Mosquitia 
region.  He stated that a Honduran drug cartel had ordered a 
hit against a Honduran in Colombia last year.  Two years 
ago, the Cardinal visited the Mosquitia and received 
warnings from a congregation to refrain from speaking out 
against the narcos.  He spoke out anyway and received 
numerous threats.  The phone lines had to be changed where 
the Cardinal was residing.  Cardinal Rodriquez noted 
numerous narco mansions in the area, relayed the fears of 
parishioners, and referred to narco flights and boat 
movements in the region.  The Cardinal also attributed an 
explosion in street crime in San Pedro Sula to 
narcotrafficking and requested U.S. assistance in fighting 
drugs.  The Cardinal maintained that the country has the 
will to combat narco traffickers, but seriously lacks the 
resources to be effective. 
 
The Way Ahead 
------------- 
 
13. (SBU) Honduras needs maritime patrol aircraft to spot 
fast-boats transiting, refueling, or landing on its shores. 
Through JIATF-South, U.S. Customs, and the U.S. military 
have provided occasional maritime patrol aircraft, but they 
are not enough.  If the GOH had better detection and 
monitoring assets to locate suspect drug boats, Honduras 
could more effectively use its limited naval capacity to 
intercept such maritime traffic.  Further, Honduras needs 
the continued support of INL in its investigations, judicial 
reform, anti-money laundering training, and other law 
enforcement programs.  The INL program could easily be 
expanded to include culture of lawfulness training and other 
programs in an anti-corruption effort.  DEA's role remains 
critical and the resources to support its vetted unit, phone 
intercept program, and human intelligence efforts must 
continue.  There is a new threat to Central America and its 
leaders have received the message that they must collaborate 
to control narcotrafficking - or narcotrafficking will 
control them.  If they succeed, America benefits. 
 
14. (SBU) The Country Team notes that continued cooperation 
among U.S. agencies as described above is required. 
Furthermore, Post emphasizes again that additional INL 
funding is required in order for the GOH to sustain and 
strengthen the ability to attack and dismantle the ever 
present Colombian and Mexican drug trafficking organizations 
that are utilizing Honduras as a transshipment point in 
furtherance of their criminal enterprise with the U.S. as 
the endgame.  Assistance to the Public Ministry's Organized 
Crime Unit and the Frontier Police to investigate and 
prosecute those narcotrafficking cartels, including for 
money laundering, is a critical part of this strategy. 
 
15. (SBU) Post believes that INL's immediate support is 
needed in order to bolster the GOH ability's to quickly 
react to actionable information that is generated by USG 
assets.  Post encourages additional U.S. maritime and air 
interdiction in conjunction with the support for the 
Honduran response capability, including La Ceiba on the 
Caribbean coast as an informal counternarcotics forward 
staging area.  This support should include, but not be 
limited to, fuel and other assistance for the Honduran Navy 
and Air Force response, rations (MREs), and marine band 
communications equipment for response teams comprised of 
combined Honduran law enforcement and military entities. 
Additionally, the Country Team recognizes that continued 
development of the GOH's ability to conduct proactive and 
multi-facet criminal investigations must be focused not only 
on attacking the structure of the counternarcotics 
organizations, but also on stripping the illicit assets 
gained as a result of the criminal activities. 
 
Williard