Cablegate: Blue Lantern 050097338

VZCZCXYZ0041
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSN #0796 1841808
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 021808Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY SAN SALVADOR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9733
INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE
RUMIAAA/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL

UNCLAS SAN SALVADOR 000796

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

FOR PM/DTCC - BLUE LANTERN COORDINATOR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETTC KOMC ES
SUBJECT: BLUE LANTERN 050097338

REF: A. SECSTATE 44775
B. TITUS-BALLARD 6/6/08 EMAIL

1. (SBU) In response to reftel request, Emboffs June 5
visited the main office of Tiros Cobra. We met with his
General Manager Yanira Elizabeth de Melara. She was very
knowledgeable about the company. Though unable to
immediately locate some of the company records, she provided
them to us the following day. Those records appeared to be
in order.

2. (SBU) Tiros Cobra previously imported munitions under the
name of Expocafe, owner Rene Llort Fernandez,s original
company. Expocafe originally exported coffee, the family's
traditional business. According to Ms. Melara, they have
been importing munitions since 1989. Last year (2007) they
allowed Expocafe's corporate status to go inactive and did
not renew its arms import license. Tiros Cobra is the only
entity now owned by Mr. Llort that is licensed by the
Ministry of Defense to import arms. The General Manager
acknowledged that it was a mistake to have import licenses
under both Expocafe and Tiros Cobra. Tiros Cobra received a
new one-year import license on December 13, 2007.

3. (SBU) Rene Llort is an agronomical engineer and is 64
years of age. His son, Christopher Llort (age 24) is another
shareholder of the company, but Christopher Llort works for
the Salvadoran government in the office of the Local
Development Social Fund and is not active in Tiros Cobra.

4. (U) Tiros Cobra was founded in 2002. They began selling
munitions about two years ago. They have eight branches
throughout El Salvador. At their headquarters, where we
visited, they do not sell many munitions and it is used
mostly as a distribution center. They sell mostly to
security companies and some independent purchasers. Anyone
who buys munitions must provide their national identification
card (called a DUI) and the transaction is recorded. The
Ministry of Defense does quarterly audits of the books and
the General Manager said they do monthly audits of their
branches.

5. (SBU) It is clear that Tiros Cobra is an established
business. Though, we did not go to the eight branches spread
throughout the country. The fact that they acknowledged the
confusion created by their having two import permits,
admitted it was a mistake and stated that they never tried to
import more than the limit of 100,000 cartridges per caliber
imposed by Salvadoran law are also indications of their bona
fides.
GLAZER

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