US embassy cable - 03TEGUCIGALPA1792

S E C R E T TEGUCIGALPA 001792 
 
SIPDIS 
 
C O R R E C T E D  COPY ////ADDRESSEED Bogota ADDED//// 
 
STATE FOR INL/LP, WHA, WHA/CEN, WHA/PPC 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/30/2013 
TAGS: SNAR, PGOV, KCRM, KJUS, ASEC, CO, HO 
SUBJECT: HONDURAN AUTHORITIES SEIZE APPROXIMATELY 525 KILOS 
OF COCAINE 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Roger D. Pierce; 
Reasons 1.5(b) and (d). 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY:  On July 28 Honduran authorities seized 
approximately 525 kilos of cocaine from a Colombian go-fast 
boat that was forced to beach near the remote northern 
coastal region of Limon, Colon.  The vessel was first 
interdicted by the Honduran Navy at approximately 17:45, some 
nine nautical miles off the Honduran coast.  Preliminary 
reports indicate that as the Colombian vessel attempted to 
escape, crew members opened fire on the Honduran Navy. 
Honduran Navy personnel returned fire, apparently mortally 
wounding one Honduran crew member.  The Honduran Navy pursued 
the vessel to the shore where they were able to arrest two 
other Colombian crew members while two other unidentified 
individuals escaped.  END SUMMARY 
 
2. (S) On July 28 Honduran authorities seized approximately 
525 kilos of cocaine from a Colombian go-fast boat that was 
forced to beach near the remote northern coastal region of 
Limon, Colon.  The vessel originally departed Colombia's 
Caribbean coast on July 27 and was tracked to Honduras by USG 
assets.  On July 28 JIATF-S provided TAT Honduras information 
regarding the location of the vessel; TAT Honduras then 
relayed the information to Honduran authorities. 
 
3. (C) Government of Honduras (GOH) authorities then deployed 
all of their navy assets from Puerto Castilla, Colon in an 
effort to interdict the vessel.  A Honduran Navy patrol boat 
made contact with the vessel at approximately 17:45, some 
nine nautical miles off the coast, at which point it 
apparently instructed the intruding go-fast to surrender for 
boarding.  In an effort to escape, the vessel's crew then 
reportedly opened fire on the Honduran patrol boat.  Honduran 
Navy personal returned fire and pursued the go-fast, 
eventually forcing the vessel to beach. 
 
4. (C) The go-fast reportedly had a crew of five.  Of those: 
one was mortally wounded in the fire-fight; two were brought 
into custody; and two unidentified individuals escaped after 
the vessel beached.  Initial reports named the deceased as 
Tito Montes, a Honduran national and possible brother or son 
of well-known Honduran drug trafficker Carlos Montes who was 
recently released from a Honduran jail.  The two other 
individuals taken into custody were Manuel Salvador Guzman 
Miranda and Blas Guzman Miranda, both Colombian nationals. 
 
5. (S) TAT Honduras reports that this particular load was 
possibly owned by Rodrigo Cadena, a high-ranking AUC 
Colombian paramilitary officer.  Apparently when the vessel 
departed Colombia it was believed to be carrying 
approximately 1,600 kilos of cocaine.  It is thought that the 
missing kilos may have already been off-loaded (in a possible 
drugs-for-arms deal) before the go-fast returned to sea for 
refueling. 
 
6. (U) This latest seizure brings the total amount of cocaine 
seized this year in Honduras to approximately 4,500 kilos. 
This is more than double what has been seized in the last 
three years combined. 
Pierce