Cablegate: Lab Busts Mark Ecuador's Move From Transit To

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UNCLAS QUITO 002809

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: MASS SNAR PTER EC CO PE
SUBJECT: LAB BUSTS MARK ECUADOR'S MOVE FROM TRANSIT TO
PRODUCTION

1. (SBU) Summary: The Ecuadorian National Police (ENP),
working with Peruvian anti-drug authorities and the DEA,
uncovered and dismantled three cocaine processing labs in
southern Ecuador. The ENP arrested 45 individuals -
including Colombian fugitive Juan Solarte Mora, and seized
vehicles, boats, cocaine processing chemicals, and other
support equipment. This was the largest drug lab bust ever
in Ecuador, a success that underscores the vulnerability of
Ecuador's porous southern border with Peru and demonstrates a
clear shift towards Ecuador by narcotics traffickers not just
for transit but now also as a platform for production.
Moreover, the proximity of these labs to Eastern Pacific
access points dovetails with the well-established shift from
Colombian to Ecuadorian flagged vessel for shipping multi-ton
loads of cocaine. On the public opinion front, the bust has
received considerable media coverage, with some finally
calling for a stronger GOE anti-drug stance. End Summary.

"Operation Tsunami" Rains Results
---------------------------------

2. (SBU) The Ecuadorian National Police Sensitive
Investigation Unit (ENP-SIU), acting on surveillance
information collected over three months, initiated "Operation
Tsunami" on November 7. The highly successful operation

SIPDIS
targeted a suspected cocaine conversion laboratory (base to
crystal) operated by Colombian fugitive chemist Juan Solarte
Mora in Carchipulla, a small mining town in the southern
Ecuadorian province of El Oro. ENP-SIU officials seized 200
kilograms of cocaine base and excavated numerous barrels of
processing chemicals in the recently abandoned and highly
toxic underground lab. Believed to have been built in or
around 2001, the ENP-SIU estimates that the lab likely
produced between two and four tons of cocaine a month. A
second smaller lab still in use was discovered and dismantled
near-by. The ENP-SIU, with the assistance of Peruvian
anti-drug authorities and the DEA, successfully arrested 45
individuals in "Operation Tsunami."

Super Lab Discovered
--------------------

3. (SBU) The ENP-SIU on November 9 reported that they had
identified a third cocaine conversion laboratory in the
remote El Oro town of Cerro Azul - one hour east of
Carchipulla. ENP-SIU officials raided the site on November
10, discovering sleeping quarters for 18, storage facilities
with 200 55-gallon barrels of chemicals (hydrogen peroxide,
methyletholkeytone, and hydrochloric acid), 100 bags of
caustic soda, and 50 to 80 barrels of yet to be identified
chemicals from a Guayaquil based chemical company. Five heat
lamps, six microwave ovens, tape, cellophane, and other items
used to package the drugs were also confiscated. A separate
storage facility housed 15-20 large 300-gallon plastic
containers used to mix base with chemicals.

4. (SBU) ENP Police Chief General Jose Vinueza lauded the
bust as the "largest" ever in Ecuador, capable of producing
an estimated four to six tons of cocaine a month. The lab,
believed to have been built within the last year, was powered
by a newly purchased Yamaha generator and was equipped with
potable water. Colombian fugitive Juan Solarte Mora ran the
operation, receiving large supplies of base cocaine from
Peruvian traffickers. Two Ecuadorian police officers (not
associated with the ENP-SIU) were found to be supporting the
drug smuggling/processing efforts - a warrant for their
arrest is imminent.

Press Coverage Extensive, Some Question GOE
-------------------------------------------

5. (SBU) Press coverage of the El Oro busts has remained
mainly factual, hopefully helping to better educate
Ecuadorians on the growing narcotics threat. Most articles
also noted General Vinueza's public confirmation of DEA
logistical support in the drug lab busts. A November 14
editorial in the Guayaquil daily "El Expresso de Guayaquil",
noted that the ENP had discovered numerous narcotrafficking
cases...with the "effective collaboration of the DEA and once
again proving that the Manta Base (FOL) is fulfilling its
role as defined in the accord."

Comment

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6. (SBU) The ENP-SIU is a special DEA vetted unit that has
worked closely and effectively with the U.S. on numerous
narcotrafficking cases. The El Oro busts signals an alarming
shift in the production of cocaine to Ecuador, and highlights
the vulnerability of Ecuador's porous southern border region.
The discovery of cocaine processing labs in southern Ecuador
and their proximity to Eastern Pacific access points further
highlights the shift in the use of Ecuadorian flagged vessels
to move multi-ton cocaine loads. While the ENP-SIU and the
Ecuadorian Navy played a significant role in the 61 metric
tons of cocaine seized in Ecuador in fiscal year 2006,
resource limitations continue to hinder wider action against
what is clearly a large and growing challenge.

7. (SBU) On the national political scene, high-ranking GOE
officials, to Ecuador's detriment, have traditionally been
slow in acknowledging the true scope of the narcotics
problem, choosing instead to lay blame on the U.S. consumer
market. Foreign Minister Francisco Carrion's repeated public
statements against the Manta FOL in contrast to his emphatic
demand for an ATPDEA extension as a reward for Ecuador's
international counter-narcotics obligations epitomizes the
GOE's schizophrenic approach to the regional drug war. We
will continue to define, both publicly and privately, the
regional drug fight as multi-faceted, of which the Manta FOL
is key. More successes like this will surely impact public
opinion and push high-ranking GOE officials to acknowledge
and address the narcotics threat accordingly.
JEWELL

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