Belize, part of the major transit zone for narcotics moving towards the U.S., was removed from the Majors list in 1999. At the time, declining seizure rates and lack of hard evidence that drugs were transiting through Belizean waters and air space supported this decision. New evidence that Belize is a regular transshipment point continues to emerge.

The Government of Belize (GOB) recognizes that the transit of cocaine and other drugs is a serious matter, but provides little financial assistance to support police units tasked with narcotics investigations. The GOB continues to work closely with the United States on international crime issues and has been extremely helpful in the extradition of U.S. fugitives over the last year. The Belize Police Department (BPD) was recently praised by the Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security at the International Chief of Police Conference in Los Angeles for being one of the countries with the highest rates of return for U.S. fugitives. Although the Police Department continues to process classes of new recruits into the Belize Police Department (BPD), the force has not grown; because of internal corruption and reprimands, the number of officers remains steady (slightly less than 1000, nationwide). The BPD, the Belize Defence Force (BDF), and the International Airport Security Division continue to provide counternarcotics efforts. The Police Department successfully seized a plane packed with 700 kilograms of cocaine and a variety of automatic weapons in 2004. The BPD has participated in two gun battles involving transshipment of cocaine this past year as well. The recent U.S. Southern Command deployment of a Counter Narcotics Electronic Intelligence Surveillance (CNEIS) System to Belize has provided data necessary to track and interdict suspicious airplanes within Belize’s airspace. Belize participated in a regional collaborative effort to track and interdict a suspicious airplane, ending in successful seizure across the Guatemalan border. Since 1996, Belize has been a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention.

Belize is a potentially significant transshipment point for illicit drugs between Colombia and Mexico. It continues to cultivate a small amount of marijuana, primarily for local consumption. The BDF and the BPD have led successful eradication efforts over the past few years. Contiguous borders with Guatemala and Mexico, large tracts of unpopulated jungles and forested areas, a lengthy unprotected coastline, hundreds of small cayes (islands), and numerous navigable inland waterways, combined with the country’s rudimentary infrastructure, add to its appeal for drug trafficking. Officials continue to find a number of abandoned suspect boats and airplanes in Belizean waters and in clandestine areas.

Policy Initiatives. The Anti-Drug Unit (ADU), part of the BPD, has decreased in size over the past year and currently consists of 33 officers designated to do counternarcotics work both on land and at sea. Presently, 12 officers are stationed in the ADU office in Belmopan and 21 are stationed in the Belize City Office.

The new civilian Crime Scene Unit was successfully established. Thirty-three Crime Scene Technicians participated in a two-month internship, in cooperation with the Panamanian Police, focusing on latent fingerprinting and evidence collection. All 33 technicians successfully completed the course at the end of October 2004. Arlington County (Virginia) Police Department will be providing a specialized two-week training course covering evidence collection skills and chain of custody issues in early 2005. The FBI is planning an advanced fingerprint course to follow up the Panamanian internship program.

Accomplishments. The Ministry of Home Affairs was tasked in 2004 with the establishment of a Belize National Coast Guard. The Coast Guard Legislation passed both the House and the Senate in December 2004, and the Ministry expects to begin staffing the Coast Guard in April of 2005. Thirty-four individuals will be assigned to the new Coast Guard Unit. Candidates will be recruited from the Belize Defence Force (BDF) Maritime Wing, and vacancy announcements will be published for outside recruits. The current BDF Commandant has been named the Commandant for the Coast Guard. The U.S. Coast Guard will conduct a site survey in January of 2005 and a full evaluation in February to assist the fledgling Belize Coast Guard Unit, which will be tasked with all law enforcement efforts at sea.

The Belize Police Department has successfully begun a Wide Area Network project, which will include computerization of all records including police reports, fingerprints, and drivers’ licenses.

The GOB fully cooperated in one joint GOB/USG counternarcotics operation in July 2004 utilizing Joint Task Force Bravo assets.

Illicit Cultivation/Production. The GOB successfully carried out many independent marijuana eradication missions in 2004. By October 2004, 53,203 marijuana plants had been eradicated. Illicit cultivation continues to occur at reduced levels from the widespread cultivation of a decade ago. Belize has a dense rainforest canopy, and farmers often grow crops in remote areas. Marijuana remains the most popular drug crop grown in Belize, but there is no evidence that it has any significant effect on the U.S. The BDF and BPD conduct manual marijuana eradication missions on a regular basis using their own aerial reconnaissance program.

Precursor Chemical Control. Although Belize has had very limited signs of precursor chemical production, the GOB, in keeping with the goals and objectives of the 1988 UN Drug Convention, has an existing precursor chemical program. The Medical Department at Karl Heusner Hospital keeps track of all statistics on precursor chemicals. Legislation for precursor chemical control was written, but is still in draft form with no specific date for presentation to the House. The legislation covers a variety of aspects including control, enforcement and registration of all precursor chemicals.

Domestic Programs/Demand Reduction. GOB demand reduction efforts are coordinated by the National Drug Abuse Control Council (NDACC), which provides drug abuse education, information, counseling, rehabilitation and outreach. NDACC also operates a public commercial campaign, complete with radio advertisements and billboards, designed to dissuade youths from using drugs.

Law Enforcement Efforts. Authorities seized 734.5 kilograms of cocaine in 2004. Authorities also seized 198 kilograms of cannabis, 9 kilograms of cannabis seed, 183 grams of crack cocaine, and 500,000 synthetic drug tablets. The Anti-Drug Unit has been solely dedicated to handling narcotics cases and counternarcotics operations throughout the year. To this end, 525 arrests were made on drug-related charges stemming from possession of or trafficking in marijuana, cocaine, crack cocaine, and heroin. Additionally, 15 go-fast boats originating from Colombia and six aircraft were seized. Finally, the Belize police arrested two local high-level narcotics traffickers, one of whom has been successfully prosecuted in the U.S. and is awaiting sentencing.

The GOB’s most serious internal drug problem in Belize is rooted in drug-associated criminality. Obtaining convictions remains difficult, since the Office of the Public Prosecutor remains under-trained and under-paid. The GOB has refurbished its fingerprinting program with the assistance of the Panamanian government and the FBI. The program is expected to be the key factor in obtaining convictions in the future. The Government also exceeded expectations by funding 33 civilian Crime Scene Technicians rather than the 14 originally planned.

Corruption. There is no evidence of specifically narcotics-related corruption within the GOB. However, there are allegations of general corruption within some government agencies. There were a number of police officers dismissed for wrongdoing in 2004 by the Internal Affairs Division. Police officers were banned from the Free Trade Zone in the Corozal District because of corruption-related issues. There is increasing evidence and information suggesting that the GOB suffers from serious corruption problems at all levels. Belize is a party to the Inter-American Convention on Corruption.

Agreements and Treaties. Belize has been a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention since 1996. Belize completed a stolen vehicles treaty with the U.S. that entered into force in September of 2004. Although many vehicles have been identified as stolen, no vehicles were returned under this treaty in 2004. In September 1997, the GOB signed the National Crime Information Center Pilot Project Assessment Agreement, which allows for sharing of information and data between the U.S. and Belize. In 1992, Belize set the standard for maritime counternarcotics cooperation in the region by signing the first Maritime Counter Drug Agreement with the U.S. The GOB and the U.S. signed an Over-flight Protocol to the 1992 Maritime Agreement in April 2000, and requested more joint operations under the Sea Rider Agreement in June 2003, one of which is finally being planned for 2005. The U.S. and Belize have an extradition treaty and an MLAT in force. One kidnapped child was returned, and 20 U.S. fugitives were detained and sent back to the U.S. by extradition or deportation. Belize is a party to the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and its protocol on trafficking in persons.

Drug Flow/Transit. Maritime routes along Belize’s lengthy coastline, remote border crossings, and navigable inland waterways are the suspected means for trafficking narcotics through Belize to Mexico, Guatemala, and the U.S. The major narcotics threat in Belize is cocaine transshipment through its territorial waters for onward shipment to the U.S. Armed Mexicans and Colombians protect shipments of cocaine and are considered extremely dangerous. These circumstances, coupled with the lack of visibility at night and the dense vegetation in the mangroves, makes sea duty hazardous. The primary means for smuggling drugs are go-fast boats transiting the reef system; traffickers can operate in relative safety due to numerous hiding spots and shallow water. Often the drugs are off-loaded on the ocean side near the barrier reef to smaller vessels. These vessels freely transit inside Belize waters due to the lack of adequate host nation resources and interdiction capabilities, including equipment, vessels, personnel, and other items, as well as a lack of critical information, such as locations and times of delivery.

Once cocaine is delivered to Belize, it moves northward—often along the northern highway. This highway leads to the Corozal commercial free zone as well as the Santa Elena Belize/Mexico border crossing. Trafficker exploitation of several unguarded remote border crossings and lax customs enforcement contribute to cross-border operations.

Six deserted airplanes suspected of hauling large drug shipments were found over the past year. One twin engine King Air was seized after a lengthy gunfight in a village near Orange Walk. Police seized 700 kilograms of cocaine and confiscated several automatic weapons. These incidents signal that air trafficking has continued to increase in Belizean airspace. Although there is little evidence, officials suspect that river "wet drops" also have increased over the past year.

Intelligence suggests that the Colombian drug cartels have established partnerships with Mexican drug cartels, leading to increased Mexican drug trafficking in Belize. These Mexican cartels have been masterminding clandestine aircraft and sea vessel drug operations within Belize. The local Belizean drug trafficker merely provides resources and assists in the transit of drugs through Belizean territory into Mexico, while the Mexicans are fully in charge and responsible for the operation’s success.

U.S. Policy Initiatives and Bilateral Cooperation. The U.S. strategy in Belize continues to focus on assisting the GOB in developing a sustainable infrastructure to combat its drug problems effectively. In 2004, USG support included counternarcotics and law enforcement assistance, providing the host nation with equipment and training for the Belize Defense Force as well as the Belize Police Department’s Anti-Drug Unit, canine branch, and other branches. Additional training was provided for the Department of Immigration, the Customs and Excise Department, the Magistrate Courts, the Supreme Court, and the Director of Public Prosecution’s Office. The USG also funded all training initiatives for the new Civilian Crime Scene Unit. The U.S. Southern Command, including Joint Interagency Task Force South, among others, has responded to GOB requests for training and logistics support for counternarcotics activities.

The Road Ahead. Given frequent changes in trafficking routes, and Belize’s lack of maritime and air assets, the potential remains for Belize to become a point for ever-increasing transshipment of cocaine. Local marijuana cultivation necessitates continual monitoring and periodic eradication. After six years in power, the People’s United Party continues to advocate combating drug trafficking and associated crime as a top priority, but has avoided providing resources to the appropriate units. U.S. Mission support should continue to focus on assisting police counternarcotics units and all units involved with crime scene investigation, and on improving Belize’s Rule of Law infrastructure. Projects should include developing basic communication and technology infrastructure and providing training for all law enforcement branches. Improvements in communications, collection of crime scene evidence and forensic examination, and increased training within the Prosecution Office are currently being pursued, and seem to point the way toward a stronger criminal justice system in Belize.

Canada

I. Summary

Costa Rica

Costa Rica serves as a transshipment point for narcotics from South America to the United States and Europe. The bilateral Maritime Counterdrug Cooperation Agreement, which entered into force in late 1999, continues to improve the overall maritime security of Costa Rica and serves as an impetus for the professional development of the Costa Rican Coast Guard. Costa Rican law enforcement officials continue to demonstrate growing professionalism and reliability as USG partners in combating narcotics trafficking and dealing with ever-changing drug smuggling methods. The volume of illicit narcotics seized in Costa Rica increased dramatically in 2004 after almost doubling in 2003. In Costa Rica’s Eastern Pacific waters alone, 4,700 kilograms of cocaine were seized in 2004. Heroin seizures, which had doubled every year since 1999, were substantially lower with 68 kilograms seized in 2004 compared to 146 in 2003. The Government of Costa Rica (GOCR) continued to implement a 2002 narcotics control law that criminalized money laundering. The Counternarcotics Institute, created in 2003, enhanced its coordination efforts in the areas of intelligence, demand reduction, asset seizure, and precursor chemical licensing. Costa Rica is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention.

Costa Rica’s location astride the Central American isthmus makes the country an attractive transshipment area for South American-produced cocaine and heroin destined primarily for the United States. The difficulty of maritime interdiction in Costa Rican waters is exacerbated by a total maritime jurisdiction that is more than eleven times the size of Costa Rica’s land mass. These territorial waters are used for the transshipment of illegal drugs in small go-fast boats refueled by larger vessels posing as fishing vessels. Traffickers along northbound maritime routes continued to use routes through Costa Rica’s Pacific Exclusive Economic Zone and those further out to sea in the Eastern Pacific. For the first time, and as a result of joint maritime operations, the Costa Rican Coast Guard (SNGC) interdicted three go-fast vessels in 2004 and seized a total of 625 kilograms of cocaine. The GOCR runs an effective airport interdiction program aimed at passengers. The Embassy has worked with its counterparts to extend that success to cargo inspection at the Juan Santamaria International Airport. A similar effort is underway in the seaports of Limon and Caldera; however, clear legal authority for onboard inspection of containers and ships has yet to be established. This legal impediment and a lack of sufficient export control procedures for effective identification and inspection of high-risk cargo continue to present challenges. Costa Rica has a stringent governmental licensing process for the importation and distribution of controlled precursor and essential chemicals and prescription drugs. Local consumption of illicit narcotics, including crack cocaine and "club drugs," along with the violent crimes associated with such drug use, are growing concerns to Costa Ricans.

Authorities seized 1,622 ecstasy pills in 2004, up slightly from the 1,321 seized during 2003. These seizures suggest increasing consumption in Costa Rica and the potential use of Costa Rica as a transshipment point for "club drugs." Two indoor hydroponics cannabis facilities were seized in 2004, but the small size of these operations indicates domestic consumption only, despite potential for export due to high THC content. The GOCR is directing more resources to address the serious threats posed by narcotics trafficking, but budgetary limitations continue to constrain the capabilities of law enforcement agencies.

Policy Initiatives. The 1999 bilateral Maritime Counterdrug Cooperation Agreement and the Coast Guard Professionalization Law passed in 2000 have continued to provide impetus for the professional development of the Costa Rican Coast Guard and have been instrumental in improving the overall maritime security of Costa Rica. The Costa Rican Coast Guard Academy, established in 2002, has thus far graduated 125 officials. Costa Rica is the depository for the multilateral "Agreement Concerning Co-operation in Suppressing Illicit Maritime and Aeronautical Trafficking in Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances in the Caribbean Area" signed in 2003 in San Jose. Throughout 2004, the Pacheco Administration pressed for domestic ratification and spearheaded an active international lobbying effort, including sponsorship of a high-level multilateral seminar in San Jose, to help bring the agreement into force. Other regional cooperation initiatives include co-hosting with the DEA of two International Drug Enforcement Conferences (IDEC’s). The Costa Rican Counternarcotics Institute develops an annual counternarcotics plan; however, resource limitations frustrate full implementation of the plan.

Accomplishments. Relations between U.S. law enforcement agencies and GOCR counterparts, including the Judicial Investigative Police Narcotics Section, the Ministry of Public Security Drug Control Police, the Coast Guard, and the Air Surveillance Section, remain close and productive, resulting in regular information-sharing and joint operations. Costa Rican counternarcotics officials confiscated over $1.2 million in currency and 38 vehicles in 2004. In addition, they destroyed over 3,000 kilos of seized cocaine in close cooperation with U.S. law enforcement officials. U.S. DEA Agents and Coast Guard Officers have worked closely with GOCR counterparts and prosecutors in developing cases against narcotics traffickers, all of whom have been sentenced or remain in pre-trial detention. Since the inauguration in 2004 of the Mobile Enforcement Team (MET)—an interagency team consisting of canine units, drug control police, customs police, and specialized vehicles—the MET participated in coordinated cross-border operations with Nicaragua and Panama and increased its internal patrols.

Law Enforcement Efforts. The primary counternarcotics agencies in Costa Rica are the Judicial Investigative Police (OIJ), under the Supreme Court, and the Ministry of Public Security’s Drug Control Police. The Judicial Investigative Police operate a small, but highly professional, Narcotics Section that specializes in investigating international narcotics trafficking. The Drug Control Police investigate both domestic and international drug smuggling and distribution, and are responsible for airport interdiction as well as land-based interdiction at the primary ports of entry. Both entities routinely conduct complex investigations of drug smuggling organizations, resulting in arrests and the confiscation of cocaine and other drugs, using the full range of investigative techniques permitted under the country’s counternarcotics statutes.

Agents of the Drug Control Police, through the effective use of canines and contraband detectors/density meters at both northern and southern borders, have increased seizures of cocaine hidden within tractor-trailers. Inauguration in April 2004 of the USG-funded Penas Blancas Border Control Checkpoint, located at a natural chokepoint on the border with Nicaragua, was an important milestone in efforts to battle the growing threat from overland narcotics transportation. The frequency of seizures at the Penas Blancas inspection facility is already twice that of the Paso Canoas station on the border with Panama, although the quantity seized at the southern border was slightly higher.

Corruption. During 2004, unprecedented corruption scandals provoked the worst political crisis of the last 50 years in Costa Rica. The scandals, involving apparent kickbacks to officials at the highest levels of the government, severely tested Costa Rica’s legal system. Although the implications are still unfolding, with two ex-presidents currently in jail awaiting trial, Costa Rica’s commitment to combat public corruption appears to have been strengthened by the recent challenges. In October 2004, the Legislative Assembly passed a strict new anticorruption law that punishes "illicit enrichment" on the part of public officials.

Costa Rica signed the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption in March 1996 and ratified it in May 1997. In March 2004, the Attorney General for Public Ethics (Procuradoria de la Etica Publica) was established, and in May that office was designated the central authority for channeling resources and technical assistance related to the Convention. U.S. law enforcement agencies continue to consider the public security forces and judicial officials to be full partners in counternarcotics investigations and operations. To the best of these agencies’ knowledge, no senior official of the GOCR engages in, encourages, or facilitates the illicit production or distribution of such drugs or substances, or the laundering of proceeds from illegal drug transactions.

Agreements and Treaties. The six-part bilateral Maritime Counterdrug Cooperation Agreement continues to serve as the model maritime agreement for Central America and the Caribbean. The Agreement has promoted closer cooperation in the interdiction of maritime smuggling and was responsible for the interdiction of 25,369 kilograms of illicit drugs in Costa Rica’s Exclusive Economic Zone by U.S Coast Guard and Navy vessels since 1999. Results of the Agreement in 2004 include five maritime counternarcotics interdictions, 25 U.S. law enforcement ship visits to Costa Rica in support of Eastern Pacific and Caribbean counternarcotics patrols, and a number of search and rescue cases by USG assets. The United States and Costa Rica have had an extradition treaty in force since 1991. The treaty is actively used for the extradition of U.S. citizens and third-country nationals, but Costa Rican law does not permit the extradition of its own nationals. Costa Rica has ratified the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption and is a signatory to the UN Convention Against Corruption. Costa Rica ratified a bilateral stolen vehicles treaty in October 2002. Costa Rica is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention, the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, as amended by its 1972 Protocol, and the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances.

Costa Rica and the United States are also parties to bilateral drug information and intelligence sharing agreements dating from 1975 and 1976. Costa Rica is a member of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force and the Egmont Group. It is also a member of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission of the Organization of American States (OAS/CICAD). Costa Rica is a party to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its three protocols.

Cultivation/Production. Marijuana cultivation is relatively small-scale and generally occurs in remote mountainous areas near the Panamanian border, in the Caribbean region near Limon and Talamanca, and the Valle del General on the southern Pacific Coast. Such cultivation is sometimes intermixed with legitimate crops. Joint U.S.-Costa Rican eradication operations are periodically carried out under the auspices of "Operation Central Skies," utilizing U.S. Army air assets. Over six and a half million marijuana plants have been destroyed to date during these operations. Costa Rican authorities continued to conduct eradication operations independent of USG assistance, seizing 553,000 plants in 2004. The quantity of plants eradicated suggests that marijuana is not being exported from Costa Rica. Costa Rica does not produce other illicit drug crops. We have no indications to date of any synthetic drug manufacturing in Costa Rica.

Drug Flow/Transit. 2004 witnessed a continuation of the trend detected late last year toward frequent, smaller (50-500 kilograms) overland shipments transiting Costa Rica in truck compartments, dump truck loads and car compartments that were characteristic of trafficking trends before 1999. GOCR officials have made numerous seizures at the international airport in San Jose, typically from departing passengers. The recent trend of increased trafficking of narcotics by maritime routes has also continued, with indications that maritime traffickers use Costa Rican-flagged fishing vessels to serve as logistical support vessels for northbound go-fast boats in the Costa Rican exclusive economic zone. During 2004, several vessels, allegedly carrying far too much fuel for their purported needs, caught fire.

Domestic Programs (Demand Reduction). Costa Ricans have become increasingly concerned over local consumption, especially of crack cocaine and Ecstasy. Abuse appears to be highest in the Central Valley (including the major cities of San Jose, Alajuela, Cartago, and Heredia), the port cities of Limon and Puntarenas, the north near Barra del Colorado, and along the southern border. All but 30 of the 1,622 Ecstasy tablets seized in 2004 were confiscated in San Jose. The Prevention Unit of the Costa Rican Counternarcotics Institute oversees drug prevention efforts and educational programs throughout the country, primarily through well-developed educational programs for use in public and private schools and community centers. In 2004, the Institute continued its country-wide campaign against Ecstasy use with billboards posted in high schools, universities, and pharmacies. 2004 also saw a large-scale print, television and radio demand reduction campaign aimed at heads of households entitled "Impose Limits."

The Institute and the Ministry of Education distribute demand reduction materials to all public school children. The MET often visits local schools in the wake of a deployment. The team’s canines and specialized vehicles are effectively used to deliver demand reduction messages. The Costa Rican Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) Foundation, modeled after its U.S. counterpart, conducts drug awareness programs at over 500 public and private schools and graduated its millionth alumnus in 2004.

U.S. Policy Initiatives. The principal U.S. counternarcotics goal in Costa Rica is to reduce the transit of drugs to U.S. markets. Means of achieving that goal include: reducing the flow of illicit narcotics through Costa Rica; enhancing the effectiveness of the criminal justice system; reducing the use of Costa Rica as a money laundering center by encouraging stricter controls and strengthening enforcement; supporting efforts to locate and destroy marijuana fields; and the continued targeting of high-level trafficking organizations operating in Costa Rica. Specific initiatives include: continuing to implement the bilateral Maritime Counterdrug Cooperation Agreement; enhancing interdiction of drug shipments by improving the facilities and training personnel at the northern border crossing of Penas Blancas; enhancing the ability of the Air Section of the Public Security Ministry to respond to illicit drug activities by providing equipment and technical training; improving law enforcement capacity by providing specialized training and equipment to the Judicial Investigative Police Narcotics Section, the Drug Control Police, the Intelligence Unit of the Costa Rica Counternarcotics Institute, the National Police Academy, and the Customs Control Police; and increasing public awareness of dangers posed by narcotics trafficking and drug use by providing assistance to Costa Rican demand reduction programs and initiatives.

Bilateral Cooperation. The Department of State allocated $1.9 million appropriated under Title III, Chapter 2, of the Emergency Supplemental Act, 2000, as enacted in the Military Construction Appropriations Act (P.L. 106-246) for expanded assistance to the Costa Rican Coast Guard consistent with the MOU on Maritime Assistance and the Maritime Agreement. This assistance is designed to enhance Costa Rican and U.S. maritime security through the development of a professional Coast Guard. In 2004, USG assistance included numerous U.S. Coast Guard training programs, overhaul and spare parts for the three U.S.-donated 82-foot patrol boats, furniture and computer equipment for the new Coast Guard Station in Quepos and for the, furniture and computer equipment for the Penas Blancas inspection facility, and two vehicles for the OIJ. The U.S. also provided increased information on suspect vessel and air traffic movements near Costa Rica. The U.S. Embassy hosted a series of seminars on the law of maritime interdiction and boarding procedures that brought together Costa Rican Coast Guard officers, prosecutors, and judges. The Embassy used the same inter-agency approach to provide a training series on law enforcement techniques related to border control and cargo inspection. In addition, the USG acquired computer equipment, software and other equipment for the Ministry of Public Security’s Drug Control Police and Migration Section, the Judicial Investigative Police Narcotics Section, the Public Prosecutor’s Economic Crimes Section and Sex Crimes Section, the Costa Rica Counternarcotics Institute’s Financial Intelligence Unit, and the inter-agency MET unit. Additional training and equipment were donated to the Ministry of Public Security’s Canine Section.

The Road Ahead. The U.S.-sponsored $2.2 million Costa Rican Coast Guard Development Plan was completed in 2003. Subject to the availability of funds, the United States will continue to provide technical expertise, training, and funding to professionalize Costa Rica’s maritime service and enhance its capabilities to conduct U.S. Coast Guard-style maritime law enforcement, marine environmental protection, and search and rescue operations within its littoral waters in support of the bilateral Maritime Counterdrug Cooperation Agreement. The United States seeks to build upon the on-going successful maritime experience by turning more attention and resources to land interdiction strategies, including expanded coverage of airports and seaport facilities. The United States will continue to cooperate closely with the GOCR in its efforts to professionalize its public security forces and implement and expand controls against money laundering.

El Salvador

El Salvador is a transit country for narcotics, mainly cocaine and heroin. In 2004, the National Police seized 2,703 kilograms (Kg) of cocaine (a 20-percent increase over 2003 levels) and 3.84 kilograms of heroin. The Forward Operating Location facilities contributed to the seizure of 2.2 metric tons (MT) of illicit narcotics in Salvadoran territory and disrupted the delivery of 71 metric tons narcotics to the rest of the region. Salvadoran law enforcement agencies cooperated with U.S. authorities on cases that led to the U.S. indictments of 12 major drug traffickers. Although El Salvador is not a major financial center, assets forfeited and seized as the result of drug-related crimes amounted to $554,113 dollars. Salvadoran authorities complied with resolutions regarding terrorist assets and did not find assets from individuals or entities on the terrorism lists. El Salvador is a party to the 1998 Drug Convention.

Located in the isthmus between the United States and the major drug producing nations, El Salvador is a transit point for illicit narcotics trafficking. Cocaine and heroin are the most commonly trafficked drugs. Climate and soil conditions are unfavorable for coca cultivation. Precursor chemical production, trading, and transit are not significant problems.

Policy Initiatives. According to the Salvadoran Anti-Drug Commission, progress in achieving the 2002-2008 counternarcotics master plan of the Salvadoran Government (GOES) was made in the categories of: 1) the sale and transport of narcotics within El Salvador; 2) bilateral law enforcement and drug-transit cooperation; and 3) prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and social reintegration. The GOES implemented Plan Super Heavy Hand ("Super Mano Dura") and Plan Friendly Hand ("Mano Amiga") to address issues related to street gangs, including narcotics trafficking, substance abuse, and social reinsertion.

Accomplishments. Several significant developments during the year demonstrated the GOES commitment to achieving compliance with the objectives of the 1988 UN Drug Convention. Armed with a new counternarcotics law that came into effect in November 2003, the National Civilian Police (PNC) interdicted 20 percent more cocaine over the preceding year. Using the same comparison, the PNC arrested 49 percent more individuals for drug trafficking offenses. The GOES seized US$554,113 in assets linked to narcotics trafficking, representing an exponential increase over the US$33,749 seized in 2003. Once convictions are realized, seized assets are used to fund law enforcement, drug treatment, and drug prevention efforts.

The Embassy-supported Containerized Freight Tracking System (CFTS) at the Amatillo border crossing with Honduras began operations in July 2004. The purpose of the facility is to permit the GOES to inspect commercial and passenger vehicles arriving from Honduras. In the last half of 2004, PNC personnel at the CFTS seized 4.1 kilograms of marijuana, 2.1 kilograms of cocaine, and 2.2 kilograms of heroin.

Aircraft deployed to the Forward Operation Location (FOL) at the Salvadoran Air Force base in Comalapa track aircraft and sea vessels moving north towards the United States. FOL aircraft report their findings to U.S. law enforcement agencies, which then notify regional governments. In 2004, cooperation between the FOL, the Embassy, the Salvadoran Air Force, and the PNC resulted in the seizure of 2,968 kilograms, and the arrest of nine narcotics traffickers by Salvadoran officials. The presence of the FOL in El Salvador contributed to an additional total seizure of 2.2 metric tons of cocaine by U.S. law enforcement agencies and other regional governments.

In July 2004, the GOES implemented Plan Super Heavy Hand in response to rising street gang violence. Although the plan addresses all gang related activity (to include kidnapping, rape, extortion, murder, fraud, aggravated theft, human trafficking), it also aims to disrupt narcotics trafficking and distribution controlled by gangs. During the year, the PNC arrested 332 and convicted 35 gang members for drug trafficking and distribution offenses.

The GOES actively cooperated with the United Nations Drug Control Program. The obstacles that prevented El Salvador from fully achieving all of the objectives of the 1988 UN Drug Convention included legal impediments and limited resources, as discussed below.

Law Enforcement Efforts. Salvadoran law enforcement efforts are still hindered by constitutional prohibitions against using some investigative tools, such as wiretapping. Salvadoran authorities have encountered difficulties obtaining judicial authorization to destroy clandestine airstrips situated on private property and used by drug traffickers. The GOES gives a very high priority to counternarcotics law enforcement, but its available resources are inadequate to achieve all of its counternarcotics objectives.

Nonetheless, law enforcement efforts in 2004 were adequate, given resource constraints and legal impediments. These efforts were primarily focused on priority targets of mutual interest to both the United States and the GOES. Salvadoran police investigators and prosecutors traveled to the United States on numerous occasions throughout the year to share intelligence and coordinate operations. Joint cooperation led to the U.S. indictments of 12 major drug traffickers in El Salvador. Apart from joint operations, the PNC seized 402 kilograms of marijuana, 2,703 kilograms of cocaine, and 3.84 kilograms of heroin. PNC officers arrested 1,561 individuals for drug related offenses, 1,015 of which resulted in convictions.

Corruption. Under Salvadoran law, using one’s official position in relation to the commission of a drug offense is an aggravating circumstance that can result in an increased sentence of up to one-third of the statutory maximum. This includes accepting or receiving money or other benefits in exchange for an act or omission in relation to one’s official duties. The PNC’s Internal Affairs Unit and the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) investigate and prosecute GOES officials for corruption and abuse of authority.

The FGR’s Anti-Corruption Unit is investigating several important cases of public corruption, including one involving a public water utility (ANDA) in a multimillion-dollar fraud. Although none of these cases is directly related to narcotics, they illustrate that the GOES is making efforts to enforce its laws against corruption.

In 2004, the INL-supported and U.S.-based National Strategic Information Center, in cooperation with the Salvadoran Ministry of Education, began implementing the Culture of Lawfulness program in Salvadoran schools. The program focuses upon the advantages that accrue to the individual and to society if everyone follows the rule of law. Special emphasis is placed on the social costs of corruption and bribery. Thus far, 10 teachers have been trained in the mechanics of presenting the program. The program will begin being taught in public schools in 2005.

As a matter of policy, the GOES does not encourage or facilitate illicit production or distribution of narcotics or psychotropic drugs or other controlled substances, or the laundering of proceeds from illegal drug transactions. No senior official is known to engage in, encourage, or facilitate the illicit production or distribution of such drugs or substances, or the laundering of proceeds from illegal drug transactions. The GOES has no INL-provided aircraft, nor has it misused any other equipment purchased with INL funds.

El Salvador is a party to the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption. Consistent with the country’s obligations under that Convention, the law criminalizes soliciting, receiving, offering, promising, and giving bribes, as well as the illicit use and concealment of property derived from such activity.

Agreements and Treaties. El Salvador is a party to the following international agreements: the 1988 UN Drug Convention, the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances; and the 1961 UN Single Convention as amended by the 1972 Protocol; the Central American convention for the Prevention of Money Laundering Related to Drug-Trafficking and Similar Crimes; and the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its three protocols.

An extradition treaty is in force between the United States and El Salvador. Narcotics offenses are covered as extraditable crimes by virtue of the 1988 UN Drug Convention, to which El Salvador is a party.

Mutual legal assistance in narcotics cases is available to the United States and El Salvador under Article 7 of the 1988 UN Drug Convention. The Inter-American Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters, to which El Salvador is a party, provides further tools to facilitate legal cooperation between the United States and the GOES.

Cultivation/Production. The climate and soil conditions of El Salvador do not favor the cultivation of coca plants. Small quantities of cannabis are produced in the mountainous regions along the border with Guatemala and Honduras. However, the cannabis, which is consumed domestically, is of poor quality. There were no gains or setbacks in controlling cannabis cultivation and production because the small quantity and poor quality of the crop does not justify the expenditure of a systematic campaign against it. There is no local methodology for determining cannabis crop size and yields. Cannabis is detected due to tips, routine foot patrols, and air surveillance.

Drug Flow/Transit. Cocaine from Colombia typically transits El Salvador via the Pan-American Highway and via maritime routes off the country’s Pacific coast. Heroin from Colombia usually goes through Panama, then via courier on a commercial passenger flight to El Salvador, with another commercial flight to Honduras, and then by bus to Guatemala. The Pan-American and Littoral Highways are the land routes preferred by traffickers. As in the rest of Central America, there has been a notable increase in the amount of heroin transiting both the international airport and land ports of entry. Both heroin and cocaine also transit by sea off the Salvadoran coast as well as through Salvadoran airspace.

Domestic Programs (Demand Reduction). The GOES manages its demand reduction program through several government agencies. The Ministry of Education presents lifestyle and drug prevention courses in the public schools, as well as providing after school activities. The PNC operates a D.A.R.E. program modeled on the U.S. program of the same name. The Ministries of Governance and Transportation have antidoping units that advocate drug-free lifestyles. The Public Security Council (Consejo Nacional de Seguridad Publica) is actively involved in demobilization and substance abuse prevention within Salvador’s gang communities.

The Salvadoran NGO FundaSalva works with the GOES to provide substance abuse awareness, counseling, rehabilitation, and reinsertion services (job training) to the public. In 2004, FundaSalva provided demand reduction services to over 3,000 individuals. Other less comprehensive rehabilitation programs exist, usually faith-based and run by recovering addicts.

In addition, as part of Plan Friendly Hand, FundaSalva operates a USG-donated laser tattoo removal machine. Former gang members who meet the stringent requirements of gang demobilization (leaving the gang life behind) and successful substance abuse treatment are eligible to have their gang tattoos removed for free. Removing tattoos decreases the possibility of gang recidivism while increasing the prospect of finding gainful employment, both of which reduce the likelihood of future drug consumption. In 2004, FundaSalva provided tattoo removal services for 251 individuals.

A national survey conducted last year by FundaSalva reveals that substance abuse in El Salvador is significant and growing. According to the survey results, seven percent of the population (ages 12 to 45) used illicit narcotics in the past year, with four percent using drugs within the past month. Fourteen percent of those surveyed admitted to ingesting pharmaceutical stimulants and depressants in the past year. First use of alcohol or drugs occurs between the ages of twelve and fourteen years old. Fifty percent of all minors surveyed indicated that they had used drugs or alcohol on at least one occasion. Relative to the size of the at-risk and addicted populations, demand reduction programs are inadequate.

Policy Initiatives. U.S. assistance focuses upon developing El Salvador’s law enforcement agencies, increasing the GOES ability to combat money laundering and public corruption, and ensuring a transparent criminal justice system.

Bilateral Cooperation. The United States provided funding for operational support of Grupo Cuscatlan and the high-profile crimes unit (GEAN) within the Anti-Narcotics Police. The United States also funded training and travel related to airport security, money laundering, maritime boarding operations, and antigang measures. Officers from the Drug Enforcement Agency and State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement work closely with the PNC counternarcotics unit, the PNC financial crimes unit, the Financial Investigations Unit of the federal prosecutors office, and the federal banking regulators on issues relating to drug trafficking and money laundering.

Road Ahead. The United States will continue to provide operational support to Salvadoran law enforcement institutions, anti-money laundering training, and essential investigative tools. In partnership with the GOES, the United States plans to finance the completion of construction modifications at the CFTS in Amatillo, the new headquarters for the PNC Joint Intelligence Coordination Center, and the new kennels for the PNC’s narcotics detection canine unit.

Guatemala

Guatemala remains a major drug-transit country for cocaine, heroin and illicit narcotics in route to the United States and Europe. In spite of substantial counternarcotics efforts by the Government of Guatemala (GOG) in 2004, large shipments of cocaine continue to move through Guatemala by air, road, and sea.

Acute lack of resources, weak leadership at the middle management level of the GOP, widespread corruption and frequent personnel turnover continue to affect the GOG’s ability to deal with narcotics trafficking and organized crime. However, there are substantial accomplishments. Most notably, the GOG has pursued numerous public corruption cases against former public officials, army officers and police. The attorney general commenced corruption cases against 383 individuals during 2004, including the former vice president and finance minister, who are both awaiting trial; the former president fled to Mexico when it became evident he was about to be arrested. Similarly, 2088 cases have been opened against police officers accused of offenses ranging from homicide to extortion and robbery (including 23 command level officers), and half the officers (325) of the criminal investigation division have been fired.

The GOG has seized every opportunity to cooperate with the USG in CN operations. The first major legislative action of the Berger government was to renew the legislative authority for joint US/Guatemalan military and law enforcement operations to take place in Guatemala. Since that time, six successful Mayan Jaguar operations have taken place under the Central Skies operational framework. The GOG also enthusiastically implemented the CN bilateral maritime agreement. During 2004, the GOG authorized boarding of a Guatemalan-flagged vessel in international waters and 3.2 metric tons of cocaine were seized. The GOG also agreed to three transfers of third country alien prisoners through Guatemalan territory under the terms of the maritime agreement. A total of 44 drug traffickers arrested by the USCG in international waters were thus transferred to the U.S. for prosecution, allowing USCG assets to remain on station to pursue drug interdiction/homeland security missions.

The Anti-Narcotics Analysis and Information Services (SAIA, the Guatemalan counternarcotics police) seized 4481 kilograms of cocaine in 2004, less than last year, largely due to the grounding of their A-37 fleet and most of their helicopters. This has severely limited GOG capability to pursue suspected narcotics trafficker air tracks, or to transport police to air-track termination points in time to disrupt drug off-loading. As a result, the GOG has not been able to make sizable drug seizures in the extreme northern part of Guatemala where traffickers prefer to operate. The GOG was more successful in domestic eradication in 2004, eradicating over 5.4 million poppy plants, or 181 hectares. These eradications were accomplished in the remote and mountainous west of the country without helicopter support, and with support costs paid entirely by the GOG. Guatemala is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention and the OAS Inter-American Corruption Convention.

Guatemala is a preferred transit point in Central America for onward shipment of cocaine to the United States. USG estimates indicate that up to 400 metric tons of cocaine are shipped annually through, over and around the Central American corridor to Mexico and the United States. Guatemalan law enforcement agencies interdicted 4.5 metric tons of cocaine in 2004, down significantly from the previous year’s 8.8 metric tons. With their A-37 fleet and most of their helicopters grounded, Guatemala has limited capability to project force into the extreme northern area of the country where the traffickers operate, and where the bulk of the previous year’s seizures were made. Narcotics traffickers continue to pay for transportation services with drugs, which enter into local markets leading to increased domestic consumption and crime.

Guatemala has a strong anti-money laundering law, which provides for sentences of up to 20 years, with augmentation of up to one-third the sentence if the accused is a public official. This law has served as one basis for many of the numerous public corruption cases that were brought by the GOG in 2004. Guatemala was also removed from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) list of non-cooperating countries and territories (NCCT) in 2004, after undertaking a long list of financial sector reforms.

Cultivation of opium poppy is a problem that has returned to Guatemala. In 2004, 181 hectares of opium plants were eradicated in Guatemala, up from only one hectare in 2003. It is suspected that much of this opium is being processed into heroin in Guatemala, for smuggling north through Mexico to the U.S. Marijuana is also grown, but only for local consumption. It is unknown if any quantities of club drugs are processed in Guatemala. Diversion of precursor chemicals is, at present, an un-quantified problem in Guatemala; the registration and control of these substances has just begun. Precursor chemical control legislation was enacted in 1999, and implementing regulations were approved in 2003, but have resulted in no meaningful law enforcement effort, largely due to lack of resources.

Policy Initiatives. In 2004, Guatemala signed four Letters of Agreement (LOAs) with the USG on control of organized crime and narcotics trafficking, law enforcement institution building and demand reduction.

The GOG continues to use a multi agency-working group to focus their counternarcotics efforts. This mechanism allowed Guatemala to make good progress on each of the 13 benchmarks for 2004.

In January, the first major legislative action of the Berger government was to reauthorize the law permitting joint U.S./Guatemalan military and law enforcement operations to taker place in Guatemala. Since then, seven such operations (known as "Mayan Jaguar") were held under the Central Skies operational framework (an operation involving Central American countries and Joint Interagency Task Force South), including three operations to implement the bilateral maritime agreement.

Illicit Cultivation, Production and Distribution. There is growing opium poppy cultivation. During the spring 2004 poppy cultivation season, Guatemala eradicated more than 5.4 million poppy plants, or about 181 hectares (using a conversion factor of 30,000 plants to one hectare); it should be noted that lack of air assets for reconnaissance and transportation of personnel make manual eradication very difficult in a country with mountainous terrain and limited infrastructure. To address the need for reliable reconnaissance, the GOG allowed U.S.-funded Regional Aerial Reconnaissance and Eradication (RARE) deployments in December and July. The December mission observed extensive poppy cultivation, estimated at 12 hectares. Target packages developed from the December RARE mission will be incorporated into the next major GOG manual poppy eradication operation.

Guatemala has significant cannabis cultivation, all of which is consumed locally, and continues a robust eradication program, with an increase of better than 64 percent over 2003 (102 hectares vs. 62). Most of the marijuana plants were eradicated in the remote northern area of the country.

Past seizures at processing labs indicate that shipments of cocaine transiting Guatemala are reprocessed to reduce purity, prior to repackaging for onward shipment to the U.S. Seizures of heroin at the points on the Guatemala/Mexico border near to Guatemala’s western highlands suggest that opium poppy being cultivated there is being processed into heroin within Guatemala for smuggling north through Mexico to the U.S.

Sale, Transport, and Financing. Cocaine seizures in Guatemala were made from land, air and sea transportation.

The Pan-American Highway is a major conduit for drugs traveling north to Mexico and eventually the U.S. The trend continued of individuals transiting Guatemala being arrested in U.S. airports with cocaine and heroin. This year the trend for delivery to Guatemala shifted away from aircraft towards more use of go-fast boats and commercial fishing vessels, particularly during the second half of the year.

Commercial containers, both on land and through seaports, continue to offer the best opportunity for smuggling larger quantities of drugs through Guatemala’s ports of entry. Other than one major seizure in April of 979 kilos at Puerto Santo Tomas, this is an area that has had little interdiction success. Guatemala’s Port Security Program (PSP) is trying to improve counternarcotics interdiction at the seaports. PSP is self-financed by a fee levied on shipping companies and provides monetary and technical assistance to the SAIA agents who operate in the ports. The USG provides technical assistance, logistical support, and training. Seizures have been very low due to continuing corruption in the seaports. However, the new Director General of the National Civilian Police (PNC) wants to see improvement, and is using the electronic manifest system to supervise, through his office, the issuance of container inspection orders. He has also ordered SAIA to inspect all non-manifested containers. Thus far, these new procedures have yielded no drug seizures.

Law Enforcement and Transit Cooperation. Guatemalan law enforcement representatives work with U.S. personnel and organizations to curtail the flow of drugs through Guatemala in instances where the USG can provide intelligence, funding and technical assistance. U.S. law enforcement agencies continue to have collaborative relationships with Guatemalan law enforcement authorities, and Guatemala exchanges limited information and maintains links with other Joint Intelligence Coordination Centers (JICCs) in South and Central America.

Guatemala actively participated in the Central Skies combined counternarcotics campaign plan that included DEA and the U.S. Army. Guatemala has also been very cooperative in allowing the U.S. permission to enter its airspace and territorial waters in connection with counternarcotics missions, and in granting requests for prisoner transfers under the bilateral maritime agreement. The GOG granted all three requests made by the USCG in 2004, allowing U.S. Department of Justice aircraft to transport 44 third-country nationals arrested in international waters for drug trafficking.

Demand Reduction. The GOG continues to support counternarcotics education and rehabilitation programs pursuant to the country master plan. Guatemala’s demand reduction agency, SECCATID, implemented a variety of projects, including hosting an International Drug Prevention Conference. Experts from twelve countries discussed program strategies based on the results of the first-ever nationwide drug consumption survey results conducted in 2002. In Guatemala, the study found that between 1998 and 2002, alcohol use among youths has increased by 50 percent, cocaine by 40 percent, marijuana by 55 percent, and tranquilizers (primarily by young females) 380 percent.

Through the National Program of Preventive Education, SECCATID trained 6,285 instructors this year, an increase of about 450 percent compared to last year’s 1,138, throughout the country using the "train the trainer" concept with the participation of the Ministries of Health and Education. SECCATID also provided training and education to 1,661 parents, who trained 34,784 other parents, as agents of preventive education. More than 70,000 Guatemalan students received drug awareness from SECCATID and trained teachers. SECCATID also provided training to more than 4,651 NGO reps, private company reps, soldiers, prison guards, nurses, doctors and other adults. The DARE program provided training to 5,569 students and teachers. In 2004, SECCATID developed and distributed counternarcotics educational materials, including 400,000 pamphlets, 6,860 t-shirts and caps, 25,000 school agendas and over 130,000 notebooks with drug preventive messages. The month-long public awareness media campaign during the 2004 International Drug Prevention Day approximately reached half a million listeners and viewers.

Law Enforcement Efforts. Cocaine seizures were down in 2004, largely due to the grounding of Guatemala’s A-37 fleet and most of their helicopters. There is close cooperation between the USG and the Guatemalan Air Force (GAF), particularly during Mayan Jaguar exercises. When it can, the GAF provides air assets for interdiction missions and airlift for police and prosecutors conducting drug interdiction and eradication operations. Ageing aircraft and lack of money for fuel continue to be constraints.

The SAIA has the potential to become an honest and credible threat to narcotics trafficking. However, GOG law enforcement agencies must function with limited resources, as the GOG is having trouble paying salaries and utilities for all of its agencies. Significant resources, training and support from the USG will be needed to prepare and support the GOG to effectively engage in counternarcotics operations, particularly against major organized crime figures.

The Public Ministry’s narcotics prosecutors receive USG training and assistance, and continue to try cases and achieve convictions, but success in prosecuting major organized crime figures, including narcotics traffickers, has been limited. Lack of resources in the judiciary, as well as an absence of criminal conspiracy laws in Guatemala, are important reasons for the lack of success in prosecuting and convicting major traffickers.

High turnover of law enforcement personnel and poor leadership also frustrate GOG law enforcement efforts.

Corruption. Corruption remains a large obstacle to overall efficiency of all USG sponsored programs in Guatemala. No one is immune from the corruption, and there are frequent allegations of police, prosecutors, and judges being corrupt. High levels of impunity and intimidation only exacerbate the problem.

However, the GOG is making substantial efforts against corruption. Currently, new entries to the SAIA undergo a background investigation, polygraph exam, and urinalysis testing. On average, this process eliminates in excess of 60 percent of new candidates. This program has been institutionalized and extended to the Anti-Corruption, Money Laundering and Narcotics prosecutor’s offices and includes the periodic re-testing of all active members of the SAIA.

More importantly, the GOG has moved aggressively against all forms of public corruption. This year, the anticorruption prosecutor (a NAS-supported program) has brought cases against 383 individuals, including many high-ranking former public officials, army officers and police. These cases include the former vice president and finance minister. The former president fled to Mexico when it became evident he was about to be arrested.

The Director General of the police has established a "zero tolerance" policy on corruption. During 2004, there have been 2,088 cases opened against police officers, including 23 command-level officers. Half (325) of the criminal investigation division has been fired. The charges cover a range of serious crimes, including murder, kidnapping, extortion, bank robbery, tractor-trailer theft, robbery, home invasions and attempted theft of drugs from evidence storage. The 11 police arrested last year for attempting to steal 10 kilograms of cocaine from the drug warehouse are still in jail awaiting trial.

Finally, a counternarcotics prosecutor who solicited a bribe from a drug defendant was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment.

Guatemala is a party to the Inter-American Corruption Convention and is a signatory to the UN Corruption Convention.

Agreements and Treaties. Guatemala is a party to the 1961 UN Single Convention and its 1972 Protocol; the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances; the 1988 UN Drug Convention; the Central American Commission for the Eradication of Production, Traffic, Consumption and Illicit Use of Psychotropic Drugs and Substances; and the Central American Treaty on Joint Legal Assistance for Penal Issues. Guatemala is a party to the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and its three protocols.

Guatemala has also signed bilateral counternarcotics agreements, including information exchanges, with Mexico (1989), Venezuela (1991), Argentina (1991), Colombia (1992), Ecuador (1992), Peru (1994), and Spain (1999).

While most GOG law enforcement efforts have been consistent with the goals and objectives of the 1988 UN Drug Convention, some aspects of the Convention, such as the provisions on extradition, have not been codified into law. The extradition treaty between the GOG and the USG dates from 1903. A supplementary extradition treaty adding narcotics offenses to the list of extraditable offenses was adopted in 1940. When a Guatemalan citizen is involved, an extradition request will usually involve a significant expenditure of effort and time due to the required legal procedures. U.S. citizen fugitives are usually expelled to U.S. custody on the basis of violations of Guatemalan immigration laws, a much shorter process. During 2004, the GOG agreed to consolidate all U.S. requests for extradition in drug and organized crime cases in specialized courts located in Guatemala City. The new procedures are expected to expedite processing of extradition requests. In 2003, the GOG signed the OAS multilateral Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, to which the U.S. is a party.

Policy Initiatives and the Road Ahead. In spite of the difficulties, the U.S. strategy in Guatemala continues to focus on strengthening the GOG law enforcement and judicial sector through training, technical assistance, and the provision of equipment and infrastructure, especially for the units directly involved in combating narcotics trafficking and other international organized criminal activity that directly affects the U.S.

Special emphasis has been directed toward management skills, leadership, human rights, investigative techniques, and case management issues.

The U.S. strategy also is aimed at reducing the level of corruption in Guatemala by implementing training, education, and public awareness programs.

Future efforts will focus on investigations, interdiction, corruption, money laundering, task force development, and successfully implementing the maritime agreement. A successful interdiction and maritime strategy will necessarily involve close cooperation with units of the Guatemalan military that have a clean human rights record, within the limits of existing U.S. law and policy.

The USG will also continue to assist the GOG in improving the successful Regional Counternarcotics Training Center.

Bilateral Cooperation. The USG supports a wide range of law enforcement assistance and counternarcotics programs in Guatemala. We work with the office of the Vice President to support Guatemala’s demand reduction agency, SECCATID, to provide technical assistance in education, training and public awareness programs.

The USG also works with the Public Ministry and the Attorney General to support three task forces dealing with narcotics, corruption and money laundering investigations. This cooperation takes the form of training, technical and logistical support on case management and specialized legal subjects.

We also support the specialized drug police, the SAIA, through an agreement with the Ministry of Government. This support is designed to create a professional and capable force through training and development of infrastructure for units involved in counternarcotics operations.

An important part of this program is the Regional Anti-Drug School. The school primarily teaches the basic entry course for new SAIA agents, narcotics investigations and canine narcotics detection. They also offer regional courses in polygraph, false documents, intelligence analysis, and canine explosive detection, among others. This year we had student participation from Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Uruguay and all of Central America.

The International Criminal Investigation Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) (now a part of the Narcotics Affairs Section) in Guatemala continued to focus on law enforcement areas not specifically related to narcotics trafficking, such as the unification of police and prosecutor forensic laboratories, establishment of an Internal Affairs Unit in the Public Ministry, computerization of police case files, and the continued development of a model precinct that includes offices for prosecutors and judges to increase successful case investigation and closure.

Honduras

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.

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.

Honduras’s geographic location and the GOH’s limited interdiction resources contribute to the continued transshipment of drugs, primarily cocaine, through Honduras at an alarming 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.

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.

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 the arrest of anyone participating in the purchase and/or sale of narcotics, including police conducting sting operations.

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.

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 $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 $2,000,000. Honduran authorities also made 751 narcotics-related arrests.

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.

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 country.

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.

Corruption. Endemic corruption continues to impede effective counternarcotics law enforcement in Honduras. Corruption within the judicial system particularly has been problematic (a judge released Ethalson Mejia on bail after police had arrested him on a valid INTERPOL notice). In 2004, Honduras amended its constitution to strip high-level government officials’ immunity from prosecution. 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 party to the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption, but has fallen short of fully implementing the Convention’s recommendations. Honduras also is a signatory to the UN Corruption Convention.

Agreements and Treaties. Honduras has counternarcotics agreements with the United States, Belize, Colombia, Jamaica, Mexico, Venezuela, and Spain. Honduras is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention, the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and the 1961 UN Single Convention as amended by its 1972 Protocol. 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). Honduras is a party to 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 treaty is in force 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Mexico

As a result of the serious threat that drug trafficking poses to its national security and public safety, the Mexican Government (GOM) has sustained an intensive counternarcotics and law enforcement effort throughout 2004. The administration of Mexican President Vicente Fox continued its unprecedented cooperation with the United States in fighting drug trafficking and other serious trans-border crimes menacing the citizens of both countries. Despite its intense law enforcement efforts, Mexico is the leading transit country for cocaine and a major producer of heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana destined for U.S. markets.

During the year, Mexican authorities arrested numerous drug kingpins and principal lieutenants in a continuing attack aimed at dismantling major international crime organizations operating in the U.S. and Mexico. Through November, the GOM had seized over 25 metric tons of cocaine, nearly 300 kilograms of heroin, and over 2,000 metric tons of marijuana. The leadership of the Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA) and the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) continued to act forcefully against personnel who engaged in corrupt practices. These two federal entities carried out robust eradication programs against marijuana and opium poppy crops, with the army deploying up to 35,000 troops for manual eradication missions and the PGR using helicopters for aerial spray eradication of illicit drug cultivation. Several entities of the PGR, including the Federal Investigative Agency (AFI), the National Center for Analysis, Planning, and Intelligence Against Organized Crime (CENAPI), and the Forensics Laboratory, continued initiatives to develop first-rate cadres of professional investigators, analysts, and technicians.

The Fox administration’s counternarcotics policies derive from the acceptance that illicit drug trafficking and related crimes pose serious direct threats to the national security and public health of the country. President Fox and his cabinet pressed forward with reforms aimed at professionalizing law enforcement agencies and promoting greater transparency and accountability. The administration proposed ambitious justice sector reforms to re-organize federal law enforcement agencies, introduce oral testimony at criminal trials, and create a more professional public defender system. These reforms have not been enacted. Extraditions reached an al