Networked Intelligence 40/2009

IRAN

Iran and Venezuela announced plans on 27 October 2009 to form “Beniroug,” a Spanish-based oil company. Beniroug will allow investment in Cuba, Sudan, China, and Bolivia. Additionally, Venezuela signed a deal pledging investment in Iran’s South Pars oil and gas field.

RUSSIA

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev signed a US$22 million military deal and other energy and trade agreements in Moscow on 29 October 2009. Russia will provide two Mi-17 helicopters to Ecuador.

US-MEXICO BORDER

In the past two years, the FBI has detected more than 400 cases of corruption by public officials along the border with Mexico. There have been 130 formal accusations and 100 arrests of U.S. officials for alleged links to organized crime. (October, 2009)

MEXICO-TEXAS

In Texas, which prohibits the imprisonment of minors under the age of 16, Mexican drug cartels are recruiting teenagers between the ages of 13 and 15 to act as dealers and guides for incoming drug shipments. The role of female recruits is to seduce or bribe police and soldiers charged with stopping drug shipments. Minors receive up to US$ 400 per week for their work. (October, 2009)

MEXICO-ARIZONA

So far in 2009, 200 people have disappeared or been kidnapped in Phoenix, Arizona. Authorities said many kidnappings go unreported because families of the victims fear they are related to drug trafficking. (October, 2009)

MEXICO

SEDENA reported that it has arrested 17,260 criminals, most connected to organized crime, and seized US$117,681,778.00 in cash, around 40,000 firearms, 432 airplanes, 13,680 vehicles and 122 boats since December 2006. SEDENA deploys 48,750 soldiers each month and has received 31,915 criminal tips from citizens since January 2008, a quarter of which came by electronic mail. (October 2009)

MEXICO

PGR official, Jose Luis Lagunes Lopez, stated on 27 October 2009 that authorities have seized more than US$100 million from organized crime groups so far this year.

MEXICO

Town Councilmen decided on 26 October 2009 to disband soldiers serving in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, by 15 November 2009, despite Municipal President Jose Reyes Ferriz’s request that the military remain until March 2010. The decision was made due to the monetary cost and failure to curb rising homicide, kidnapping and extortion rates in the city.

MEXICO

On 21 October 2009, the sixth Penal Judge convicted four former police officials from the municipalities of Emiliano Zapata and Tenosique of colluding with organized crime groups involved in human trafficking. Charges included aggravated conspiracy, aggravated extortion and misuse of public service. For their involvement in assisting undocumented persons across the Guatemalan border, the officials were paid between US$773 and US$1,546 monthly.

CUBA

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez announced on 28 October 2009 that Cuba is ready to hold talks on any level with the United States and that Cuba awaits a response from the U.S. about broadening bilateral discussions.

HONDURAS

Enzo Guillermo Micheletti, nephew of the de-facto President, was buried on 26 October 2009 after he and a friend were found in a ditch with gunshots to the back of the head. Authorities are investigating the murders but have no suspects yet.

HONDURAS

Anti-kidnapping agents of the DNSEI are working with police intelligence to locate Alfredo Jalil Salomón, father of Vice Minister of Defense Gabo Alfredo Jalil, who was kidnapped the morning of 26 October 2009 a few blocks from his home. Family and police suspect that Zelaya supporters may have orchestrated the kidnapping.

HONDURAS

Honduran Police said on 28 October 2009 that they confiscated documents detailing a plan by a left-wing group to assassinate policemen and military officers and kidnap businessmen. Police suspected that recent killings and kidnappings might be related to the plot.

COSTA RICA

Police arrested on 29 October 2009 Luis Enrique Barrantes, Sinaloa Cartel point man, at a house located in the Campos Verdes housing development, in Guapiles de Pococi. Barrantes was in charge of logistical operations of the Sinaloa Cartel within Costa Rica, and rented the aircraft that transported 355 kilograms of cocaine and crashed on 1 May 2009. He was listed as the owner of various properties in Alajuela, Samara, and Nicoya, and he co-founded the business association, Fravisa S.A. with a Mexican national.

COLOMBIA-BOLIVIA-MEXICO

Mexican cartels are increasingly investing in the production of Bolivian cocaine using Colombian intermediaries operating in the country. Bolivian police have located a series of large-scale production labs, but have been unable to track the chain of command or sources of funding (October 2009).

COLOMBIA

Colombian authorities captured the Commander of the 23rd front of the FARC, aka Ferney Culebro, aka Richard on 28 October 2009 in Barrancabermeja, Santander department. Ferney Culebro, who was arrested after farmers complained of a massive extortion campaign of roughly 200 families participating in the Familia Guardabosques program, had been in command since the arrest of former commander Carlos Iván Parra in Bogotá.

COLOMBIA

Colombian authorities seized 280 kilograms of R1 explosives in Argelia, Cauca Department on 22 October 2009. 19 anti-personnel mines, five IEDs, ten meters of safety fuse, and ten electric detonators were also seized during the raid. Colombian authorities believe that the seized items belonged to the 47th FARC Squad.

COLOMBIA

Colombian authorities thwarted on 27 October 2009 an intricate series of kidnappings in a major Colombian city by FARC rebels. The plan had been in the making for a number of years.

COLOMBIA-ECUADOR

The Colombian government cited intelligence stating that elements of the FARC have set up at least 12 camps with up to 2,000 guerrillas in the Ecuadorian province of Sucumbíos (October 2009).

VENEZUELA

Over 1000 businesses in Tachira state were closed on 29 October 2009 due to fear of rebel activity in the area. Venezuelan authorities occupied Bolivar and two nearby municipalities after five men were detained for distributing flyers making threats against local businesses.

BOLIVIA

A former Bolivian government minister estimated that narcotrafficking activities are responsible for injecting US$2 billion into the national economy (October 2009).

BOLIVIA

Bolivia confirmed an intent to purchase six Chinese/Pakistani K-8 combat planes, including spares and a simulator, for US$58 million. Bolivia also signed the first contract for a satellite with China, indicating that more will be ordered in the future (November 2009).

PERU

Elena Iparraguirre, the Sendero Luminoso’s (SL) second-in-command, announced on 26 October 2009 her plan to run in the local and regional elections of 2010 and the general election of 2011. The SL is officially known of as the Partido Comunista del Perú, and is not legally barred from running.

BRAZIL-VENEZUELA

Petrobras and PDVSA will form a joint venture company to build and operate the US$12 billion, 230,000 barrels/day Abreu e Lima refinery in Brazil’s Pernambuco state. Petrobras will hold a 60% stake and PDVSA will hold a 40% stake in the project (October 2009)

Networked Intelligence 39/2009

MEXICO

According to a report released by Mexico’s 5th National Addiction Survey, consumption of cocaine is on the rise. At the same time, the use of other drugs has only increased slightly. According to the survey, addiction to illegal drugs in Mexico grew 5% in 2002 and 5.7% in 2008. (October 2009)

MEXICO

Three narco banners signed by La Familia Michoacana were found in Petatlan, on 19 October 2009. The banners were unique in that they announced support for a new group, la Familia Guerrense.

MEXICO

A recent survey by the National Survey on Security Issues (ENSI) shows that women participate in two out of every ten crimes committed in Mexico. Most of the crimes women participate in are robberies, but their involvement in organized crime is rising. (October 2009)

MEXICO

Custom’s agents seized $115,000 USD from two women, who were attempting to cross into Mexico, with the cash strapped onto their stomachs. The seizure occurred on 19 October 2009 on the II International Bridge in Nuevo Laredo.

MEXICO

PGJE agents in Silao, Guanajuato, chased a group of kidnappers to a safe house on 19 October 2009 where a kidnapping victim was held. In the resulting shootout, seven were wounded (one police officer / six gunmen) and two were killed (one officer / one gunman.) One of the gunmen, Jesus Trujillo Martinez, was one of the Zetas who escaped from prison in Cieneguillas, Zacatecas earlier this year.

GUATEMALA

On 21 October 2009 Guatemalan Minister of Defense, Abraham Valenzuela, admitted the weakness of the army in combating the drug trade, human trafficking and smuggling throughout the country. Noting a lack of personnel and equipment after the army downsized from 31,000 to 15,000 after 1997, Valenzuela added that there are 43 border crossings between Mexico and Guatemala that are either uncontrolled or informal.

GUATEMALA

Over 20 separate bank transactions executed between 18 and 20 February 2008, completed by three individuals for two textile factories, led investigators to discover that elements of Los Zetas have purchased arms and vehicles, and rented ranches in Guatemala. (October 2009)

GUATEMALA

On 23 October 2009 Mayor Amílcar Rivera of Mixco asked President Álvaro Colom to declare a state of emergency and to militarize public transportation in Mixco in order to combat extortionists gangs who siege buses and commit a variety of crimes aimed at commuters and drivers. This comes after the assassination of two bus drivers on 22 October 2009.

HONDURAS

Interim Honduran Cabinet Minister Rafael Pineda said on 21 October 2009 that Honduras would lodge a protest against Venezuela over suspected drug smuggling flights originating in that country. Pineda claimed that three Venezuelan-registered aircraft landed in remote parts of Honduras over the last week. The Honduran government will present the protest to the United Nations and the Organization of American States.

HONDURAS

On 20 October 2009 Honduran authorities seized a Russian manufactured bi-motor aircraft with Venezuelan registration in the Rio Platano Biosphere located in the municipality of Dulce Nombre de Culmi, Olancho. Authorities believed that the plane, which was found on a 1500-meter long airstrip, delivered approximately 4,000 kilograms of cocaine at around 21:45 hours on 19 October 2009. Several area residents reported hearing numerous vehicles leave the area.

PANAMA

Authorities captured 18 suspected gang members including 11 members of “Los Sopranos” in a raid in the San Felipe neighborhood of Panama City on 16 October 2009. According to the Directorate of Judicial Investigations (DIJ), 15 of the individuals detained were wanted by authorities on pending charges.

COLOMBIA

Authorities captured some 40 FARC operatives at the conclusion of Operation ABC, named after the geographical focus of the operation in Arauca, Boyaca and Casanare. Elements from the FARC’s 10th, 28th, 38th, 45th, and 56th fronts were targeted, including financial backers, fighters, and support structures. (October 2009)

PERU

There is no adequate government policy to deal with contraband smuggling in Peru, according to one official, who claims that there are at least 100,000 individuals engaged in illegal smuggling activities in the country. (October 2009)

PARAGUAY

Senator Miguel Carrizosa, head of Congress, has accused Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez os “interfering in internal affairs” after Chavez told a crowd at the ALBA summit in Cochabamba, Bolivia that Paraguay’s conservative right wing political party is prepping a coup against President Fernando Lugo. (October 2009)

BRAZIL

All South American countries with Amazon territory will meet on 26 November 2009 in Manaus, Brazil.

Networked Intelligence 38/2009

Region

Leaders from Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, and Ecuador will meet to discuss the agreement between Colombia and the U.S. in which the U.S. will be allowed to use seven military bases in Colombia. (October 2009)

Mexico

Reports of bank robberies in Culiacan, Sinaloa, which were virtually nonexistent over the last three years, increased to 58 in 2008 due in part to the increased focus on drug violence that has consumed police efforts. A second factor is that only 927 police officers operate in Culiacan, where approximately 43% of criminal activity is reported (October, 2009).

Honduras

The amount of cocaine trafficked through Honduras has increased since the onset of the political crisis on 28 June 2009. Within the past month, 10 “narcoplanes” have been found, compared with a total of 14 from January-June 2009. The United States does not recognize the interim government and has suspended anti-drug trafficking funds, and the chief of the Honduran anti-narcotics agency admitted that the withdrawal of US funds may have something to do with the increase. (October 2009)

El Salvador

The Salvadoran military has proposed an increase of 6,500 soldiers to help police officers combat rising levels of crime. There are currently 2,000 troops who collaborate with police in Joint Community Safety groups. (October 2009)

El Salvador

Salvadoran prison guards seized eight cell phones and 28 chips from inmates in the Zacatecoluca maximum security prison on 13 October 2009.

El Salvador

Salvadoran Prison Intelligence released a report on 15 October 2009 that cites prisons as a training ground for gang leaders, as well as a place to negotiate and plan criminal activities. According to the report, 35% of all kidnappings and eight out of every ten extortions are ordered by incarcerated gangsters.

Costa Rica

During the first eight months of 2009 there have been over 300 crimes reported in Santa Cruz and Nosaro de Nicoya, Guanacaste province, including theft of police cars, break-ins, and muggings of tourists and locals. Local people blame a lack of patrols and an ill-equipped police force for the increase in crime. (October 2009)

Venezuela

The Venezuelan government seized the Hilton Margarita and Suites hotel complex located on Margarita Island. The hotel is now a part of the national tourism company, Venetur. (October 2009)

Venezuela

Armed men kidnapped ten Colombians in Tachira state, Venezuela on 1 October 2009. According to family members of those kidnapped, the individuals were playing soccer in a field when three trucks, carrying armed men in camouflage, took them away.

Colombia

Authorities located and destroyed a large narcotics laboratory in Tarazá on 15 October 2009. They said that the facility was capable of processing two tons a week.

Colombia

Member’s of FARC attacked a DC-3 aircraft with 15 passengers en route to San Jose del Guaviare from Miraflores on 15 October 2009. The plane came under gunfire shortly after takeoff; only one passenger was injured.

Bolivia

Agents of the Special Forces to Fight Drug Trafficking (FELCN) discovered and destroyed a laboratory for the crystallization of cocaine in the community of Candelaria in Santa Cruz on 14 October 2009. The lab was capable of processing 100 kilos a week. Two men were also arrested during the raid.

Bolivia

Bolivian authorities have seized over 22 tons of cocaine and arrested 2,500 drug dealers so far this year. (October 2009)

Peru

Authorities captured seven men trying to rob a hotel in Nasca on 14 October 2009. They are suspected to be members of the gang, ‘Southern Grafts’. Police seized four revolvers, two pistols and a pineapple-style grenade.

Peru

Peruvian Minister of Justice, Aurelio Pastor Valdivieso, announced that they have regained control of the Miguel Castro Castro Penitentiary on 13 October 2009. While regaining control authorities seized three mobile phones, ten cell phone charges, and 13 phone batteries.

Networked Intelligence 37/2009

Iran

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will visit Brazil in November 2009 in an effort to strengthen bilateral ties. The two nations also plan to discuss international, economic, and cultural issues.

Mexico

On 5 October 2009, authorities seized the second largest shipment of chemicals used for manufacturing synthetic drugs at the port of Manzanillo, state of Colima. The container originated in India and was loaded with approximately 20 metric tons of phenyl acetic acid, a substitute for pseudoephedrine.

Mexico

Mexican soldiers seized 15 gel explosives in the Tacambaro municipality of Michoacan on 6 October 2009.

Mexico

756 organized crime-related homicides were reported in September 2009, the most of any month this year, 360 of which occurred in Chihuahua, 112 in Sinaloa, 74 in Durango and 55 in Guerrero. Of the 5,479 total homicides reported in the country this year, 2,331 occurred in Chihuahua, 609 in Sinaloa, 586 in Durango and 465 in Guerrero (October 2009).

Guatemala

Guatemalan security forces have seized a total of US$1,937,700 from Mexican criminal organizations during 2009 within the country. Guatemala’s Ministry of Interior, Raul Velasquez, recently stated that he believes Mexican cartels are shifting their operational bases to Guatemala. (October 2009)

El Salvador

Judges ordered the release of over 20 members of the Mara Salvatrucha in recent weeks due to inconsistencies in the testimonies against them. In three months, over 130 gang members have been released for similar reasons. Police also believe that the men extorting bus drivers on the 117 route are the same ones that were released a few weeks ago. (October 2009)

Honduras

Honduran soldiers beat Delmer Membreno, a photojournalist from the La Libertador newspaper, on 28 September 2009. He was kidnapped, beaten, and told that if the newspaper continued “acting out” they were going to kill Jhony Lagos, the newspaper’s director.

Honduras

Honduran authorities captured over 12 narco-planes during September 2009. The planes are often carrying over 2000 kilos of cocaine. The planes take off from legitimate airports with legitimate papers, land in some clandestine field where they are loaded with drugs and given new forged papers and then land in a destination different than their original “intended” destination. (October 2009)

Honduras

A plane carrying narcotics landed in a hidden airfield by Cosuna and Ciriboya on 5 October 2009. The plane was burned by its crew after a brief firefight with authorities. The air force is having a hard time fighting these illegal flights due to problems with their radar.

Costa Rica

The U.S. government will reactivate a radar system located in Guanacaste to combat the drug trade. The radar system will assist in the detection of narcoplanes and narcoboats. (October 2009)

Costa Rica

Authorities arrested Walberto Salazar Cuero, a member of FARC, upon his return to Costa Rica after a six-month absence. It is believed that he used the fishing company he owned to help smuggle drugs into Costa Rica. On 8 December 2008, Costa Rican authorities had deciphered a message intended for him which led to a large drug bust. (October 2009)

Venezuela

The homicide rate in Venezuela has increased since 1999, the first year Hugo Chávez entered office. One source reports that there were 14,589 murders in Venezuela in 2008. Caracas is currently the second most dangerous city in the world (October 2009).

Ecuador

Ecuador said on 7 October 2009 that it will work with Colombia to arrest FARC rebels operating in Ecuadorian territory. President Correa said that Colombia should identify where the rebels are, and Ecuador will capture them. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe praised Ecuador for its efforts.

Ecuador

Colombian authorities confirmed on 6 October 2009 the presence of two FARC camps in Ecuadorian territory. They did not specify the location or size of the camps.

Peru

Peruvian authorities captured Sendero Luminoso member Artemio Silva Huamanta, aka ‘Camarada Leo’, at km 49 along the Central Highway on 8 October 2009 while traveling with his partner on a regional bus toward Lima. The two were headed to Lima to purchase AKM rifles.

Brazil

Brazil announced on 4 October 2009 plans to buy US$10 billion in IMF two-year bonds. The move would make Brazil a net creditor to the IMF. Brazil will purchase the bonds dominated in IMF special drawing rights, with quarterly interest payments based on the weighted average of the short-term rate — currently 0.25 percent — in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Eurozone and Japan.

Networked Intelligence 36/2009

Russia

Anatoly Isaikin, head of Russian arms exporter Rosoboronesport, stated on 2 October 2009 that the company is confident it will win Brazil’s multi-billion dollar contract for new fighters. The Russian offer allows Su-35 fighters to be built in Brazil as well as a “broad program” of technology transfer.

Mexico

Sistema Rasa Comunicaciones reported that unknown gunmen attacked a security post in Morelia, Mexico, on 30 September 2009. The security post was located approximately 1,640 feet from where President  Calderon was scheduled to arrive later in the day. Unofficial sources claim one person died and another was injured, but did not specify whether they were security forces or assailants.

Mexico

On 26 September 2009, Federal police arrested Marcos Arturo Juarez Cruz, aka El Chamuco, along with three other members of La Familia Michoacana in Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan, and seized one assault rifle, one shotgun, two pistols and two fragmentation grenades. Juarez served as a police officer from 2001-2007 and has been identified as the cell leader of La Familia in the Lazaro Cardenas region, where he was responsible for coordinating operations in Plazas of La Mira, Playa Azul and Guacaymas. He was reportedly paid MXN$ 50,000 monthly plus a percentage from the drugs he sold.

Mexico

President of the Supreme Court of Mexico, Guillermo Ortiz Mayagoitia, announced on 29 September 2009 that the federal judiciary is in the process of training judges, federal magistrates and other public servants in order to implement a recently created law that will enable the appropriation of seized properties from criminals to the government.

Mexico

Reports indicate that since 2008 the Attorney General of the State of Sinaloa has received information regarding the disappearance of 261 individuals, 135 of which were reported missing between January and September 2009. This is 9 more than were reported for the same period in 2008, and only 12 have been recorded thus far before a judicial authority. Family members of the missing individuals reported that they feel nothing is being done to locate their relatives, and are taking investigations into their own hands (September 2009).

Cuba

Algerian Preisdent Abdel Aziz Bouteflika and Raúl Castro met in Havana on 30 September 2009 to discuss growing political and economic ties.

El Salvador

The MS-13 and Mara 18 are using 35 education centers in San Salvador for recruiting, extortion, and other illegal activities such as drug and weapons trafficking. 23 of the centers are controlled by the Mara 18 and 12 by the MS-13 (October 2009).

Guatemala

Guatemalan authorities arrested four Honduran nationals transporting roughly 3,000 pseudoephedrine tablets, powdered milk, and other products on 25 September 2009.

Honduras

Authorities destroyed two secret runways in Cuero and Salado during the week of 28 September 2009. During the week of 21 September 2009, authorities seized over 1,000 kilograms of cocaine from an airplane that had landed at one of the two runways.

El Salvador

The amount of murders in El Salvador in 2009 has already surpassed 2008’s total. Last year there were 3,179 reported murders, and this year there have been 3,182. The record is 2006, when there were 3,928 reported murders in El Salvador (September 2009).

Costa Rica

Nicaraguan authorities captured an American national and Mexican national attempting to smuggle an estimated US$100,000 into Costa Rica on 28 September 2009.

Venezuela

Iran is providing Venezuela support for the detection of uranium in southwestern Venezuela. Rodolfo Sanz, the Venezuelan Minister of Basic Industries and Mining, says that this support has been in the form of overhead flights and geochemical analysis. (September 2009)

Venezuela

Authorities found a Dutch AT-4 rocket launcher in the trunk of a stolen vehicle in Venezuela’s western Portuguesa province on 21 September 2009.

Venezuela

The Venezuelan National Anti-Drug Office (ONA) is planning in October 2009 to install a new radar system to monitor maritime traffic and locate vessels used for drug trafficking. The radars are expected to be functional next year. The ONA President stated that Venezuela ranks as one of the leading countries in drug seizures, stating that in 2009 47 metric tons of drugs and a further 11.5 metric tons of drug producing chemicals have been seized.

Colombia

Colombian military forces killed some 30 FARC guerillas in a bombing raid on 1 October 2009. The raid took place over a mountainous region between the towns of Planadas and Rioblanco. Jeronimo, a rebel close to the FARC chief, is believed to be among the dead.

Colombia

Six low-intensity bombs exploded in southern Bogotá on the morning of 30 September 2009.  The targets were two electricity pylons in the neighborhood of Juan Rey. No one was hurt and no one has been arrested.

Colombia

Colombia’s Superior Judicial Council announced on 1 October 2009 that 13,737 judicial officials were under investigation for corruption.

Peru

The head of the Territorial Police Directorate said on 30 September 2009 that 3,831 people have been arrested for criminal acts so far this year in Lambayeque, Northern Peru. 122 criminal gangs were deactivated and 300 related arrests made. 1,691 people have been indicted, 135 weapons seized from criminals, 477 stolen vehicles recovered and 86 people have been arrested in association with the drug trade.

Bolivia

The Bolivian government recognizes that there has been growth in the cultivation of Coca in 2009, but did not give out any figures. They did say that authorities have eliminated 5,000 hectares this year. (September 2009)

Argentina

Argentina is behind by as much as two months on its payments for Bolivian Natural Gas. (October 2009)

Networked Intelligence 35/2009

Syria

The Venezuela-Iran Oil and Gas Co. (VENIROGC) announced on 22 September 2009 plans to build an oil refinery in Syria in which Venezuela would take a 33% stake, Iran a 26% stake, Syria a 26% stake, and Malaysia 15%.

China

China has reaffirmed plans to help launch a Bolivian communications satellite (September 2009).

Mexico

On 22 September 2009, soldiers seized over $5 million dollars worth of cash (in dollars and pesos) from a safe house in Monterrey. The money was organized in white envelopes and it is believed that the money was to be used as narco salaries to pay off officials. Stickers on the envelopes suggested that the money was going to be used to pay off municipal police.

Guatemala

Guatemalan National Police and Drug Enforcement Administration personnel joined in destructing a 647 acre poppy field in San Marcos near the border with Mexico on 19 September 2009. Police reported that the plants could have been processed into heroin worth US$430 million and that US$1.36 billion worth of plants have been destroyed in Guatemala so far in 2009. No arrests were made.

Guatemala

Thieves broke into the offices of the Public Ministry’s District Attorney of Extortions and stole hard drives and files containing evidence early in the morning on 21 September 2009. The thieves also left a note threatening several district attorneys. It is unclear which and how many files were taken.

El Salvador

El Salvador’s Attorney General, head of National Police and Chief Prosecutor indicated in an article on 23 September 2009 that the government is incapable of dealing with crime in the country. Statistics show that around 3,000 homicides occur each year and 2,829 reports of extortions have been filed so far this year.

El Salvador

On 22 September 2009, penal authorities in El Salvador’s San Francisco Gotera prison seized nine cell-phones and 16 chips from inmates, one of which may have been the phone used to plan the kidnapping of a Brazilian evangelist on 18 September 2009. Authorities believe the suspect behind the kidnapping to be Dionisio Arístides Umanzor, alias “El Sirra,” who was recently moved to Gotera from a maximum-security prison.

Honduras

Police reported on 22 September 2009 that 113 people have been arrested so far for sacking and looting stores in Tegucigalpa, as police and military struggle to restore order following the return of deposed president Manuel Zelaya. Despite the existing curfew, over 50 incidences of looting and vandalizing have been reported, mainly targeted at supermarkets and banks.

Honduras

An armed group traveling in a black truck and wielding M16 rifles opened fire on a Toyota pickup truck injuring four passengers and two nearby students in the Lempira business section of Tegucigalpa on 15 September 2009. The gunmen escaped in a black Toyota Corolla, leaving behind the black truck with M16 and 9mm rounds, a ski mask and one magazine found inside.

Costa Rica

Police arrested a woman on 24 September 2009 who allegedly sold crack cocaine. Authorities found 100 doses of crack and large amounts of cash in her house, as well as a network of closed circuit cameras to detect a police pursuit. Authorities claim that after several attempts, they finally managed to get an undercover agent to successfully purchase drugs from her.

Colombia

Following a series of scandals and investigations, Colombian President Álvaro Uribe announced on 17 September 2009 that Colombia would disband DAS and establish a new security agency called the Interagency Center for Analysis of Information (Cefai).

Colombia

A joint operation between Colombian, Mexican, and US authorities, with the help of an internal informant revealed that money seizures totaling US$50 million in Colombia’s Buenaventura port over the course of July-September 2009 were related to the drug trafficker Luis Enrique Calle, aka Comba (September 2009).

Brazil

Brazilian Vice President Jose Alencar said on 24 September 2009 that Brazil should develop nuclear weapons. He made it clear that the statement was not made as a goverment official but as his personal opinion.

Argentina

According to the Argentine Federal Chamber of Appeals of Salta, this northern province is the largest drug trafficking border in Argentina, due to insufficient manpower and its large size. Clandestine flights begin arriving after 1800, when the last commercial flights stop, and only 7 of the 60 international border passes into the country are manned (September 2009).

Networked Intelligence 34/2009

RUSSIA

Chief of General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, General Nikolai Makarov, met with his counterpart General Alvaro Lopez Miera and other Cuban military officials on 15 September 2009. Makarov visited several Cuban military stations.

RUSSIA

Plans to help Cuba modernize its military equipment and to assist in training the Cuban military are in place, General Nikolai Makarov said on 18 September 2009. He added that Russian warships will soon visit Cuba per military cooperation agreements.

RUSSIA

Russia has agreed to lend Venezuela US$2.2 billion to finance weapons purchases. Tanks and advanced anti-aircraft missiles top the list.

IRAN

Iran’s Sadra Co. began work on 16 September 2009 on four oil tankers in Bushehr, Iran, under contract to provide them to Venezuela at a cost of US$354 million.

IRAN

Iran will help Venezuela develop a civil nuclear program. In an interview, Chavez thanked Iran for the technology transfer, adding that Venezuela is now working on a “nuclear villa” project in Venezuela with Iranian help. (September 2009)

IRAN

Iran will validate educational qualifications achieved in 47 Venezuelan universities. (September 2009)

CHINA

China and Venezuela inked a US$16 billion investment deal on 15 September 2009 designed to raise Venezuela’s oil output in Venezuela’s Orinoco Belt region. The investment will be dispersed over a three-year period, and is separate from a former deal whereby China pays Venezuela for future oil shipments. Chavez has stated that together with a deal with the Russians, Venezuela’s oil output should increase by 900,000 bpd.

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION

Venezuela’s ongoing military buildup is a threat to regional stability, according to US State Department Spokesman Ian Kelly. Venezuela’s arms acquisitions are well beyond those of all other South American countries, he said. (September 2009).

MEXICO

Salvador Rocha Vargas, the former State Secretary of Public Health, could face up to three years of prison for allowing criminal groups to use airports in Quintana Roo to facilitate drug trafficking. He was paid $100,000/month. (September 2009)

MEXICO

Authorities detained on 15 September 2009 at least 124 police officers in Hidalgo for collaborating with Los Zetas.

MEXICO

In under two years, 20% of the municipal officers of Tijuana have either been fired or are in prison due to alleged links to criminal organizations. Strict hiring regulations have been put in place. Of the last 2,300 applications sent in for police work, only 42 individuals have been hired. There continues to be a shortage of police in Tijuana. (September 2009)

EL SALVADOR

A 45-day investigation led police in San Marcos, El Salvador to arrest an individual suspected of selling weapons to street gangs. (September 2009)

COLOMBIA

Colombia police arrested on 16 September 2009 at least 24 alleged members of an unnamed drug trafficking network responsible for exporting some 8 tons of cocaine a month to Mexico via Honduras and Nicaragua. Go-fast boats were the primary mode of transportation.

COLOMBIA

An extended surveillance operation has resulted in the arrest of 46 members of the Aguilas Negras in Tumaco, Narino. Of the 46, eight have been identified as individuals directly involved in drug trafficking. One individual was identified as El Loco Barrera, one of Colombia’s most wanted drug traffickers. (September 2009)

BRAZIL

Sweden offered on 17 September 2009 to sell Brazil 36 Gripen fighters for half the price offered by the United States and France for their respective aircraft. The Swedish fighters, built by Saab, would come with a technology transfer package, deliverable to Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer. Brazil accepted the final proposals on 21 September.

ARGENTINA

President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner will make a state visit to India on 14 October 2009 and to China on 19 October 2009. She will be accompanied by a delegation of Argentine business leaders.

Networked Intelligence 33/2009

REGION

The Inter-American Development Bank anticipates that the drop of remittances in 2009 could affect some 4 million people throughout Latin America. Remittances fell by 11 percent across the region, resulting in a total of US$62 billion dollars sent back to Latin America in 2008.

IRAN

Hugo Chavez and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad met in Tehran during the week of 5 September 2009 to follow up on 186 agreements the two nations have signed since 2005. In addition to proposing a 10-year strategic alliance to strengthen ties and face the global economic crisis, Iranian leaders said industrial, financial, and transportation cooperation between Iran and Venezuela should increase.

RUSSIA

Russia is ready to provide Venezuela with tanks and other military supplies. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev emphasized in a press conference (September 2009) that military cooperation is an important part of relations between the two nations. A Russian defense official had earlier told RIA Novosti that a contract worth $500 million for up to 100 Russian T-72 and T-90 tanks would be signed during Chavez’s visit during the week of 7 September 2009.

RUSSIA

Venezuela and Russia signed a series of agreements on intellectual property rights in military cooperation, cooperation between defense ministries, and a memorandum of understanding on developing the Orinoco oil belt during an official state visit by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to Moscow on 9 September 2009. Venezuelan state-owned PDVSA signed an agreement with Russian pipeline monopoly Transneft to build infrastructure in Orinoco.  The consortium of Russian producers includes TNK-BP, Rosneft, LUKoil, Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegaz.

ANDORRA

Andorra froze bank accounts of people with close ties to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on 9 September 2009, in cooperation with a U.S. investigation into terrorism financing.

MEXICO

A failure in detection at Cancun Airport on 9 September 2009 led to the hijacking of Aeromexico Flight 576. Security officials at the airport should have investigated the hijackers suitcase, which had wires and a digital watch that appeared to be illegal devices.

MEXICO

An average of 7,000 members of violent gangs are deported each year to Ciudad Juarez. According to the mayor of Juarez, a California plan to deport 20,000 criminals presently in its jails would make an already dire security situation even worse. Since 1999 the US has deported roughly 100,000 criminals through Ciudad Juarez.

MEXICO

Mexican authorities discovered two secret drug labs in Apatzingan and Ziracuaretiro, Michoacan in April 2009 which each contained five and a half metric tons of phenylacetic acid (commonly reffered to as afa). Afa is commonly used in the production of synthetic drugs. Under current Mexican law, domestic trade allows for 20-50 kilograms of afa. Authorities have seized large shipments of afa from Holland, Bulgaria, China, and the United States.

MEXICO

According to the Federal Public Security Secretariat (SSPF), up to 9,000 former police officers are unaccounted for. The SSPF acknowledged the risk that many of them may be involved in criminal activity (September 2009).

GUATEMALA

Los Zetas seized a shipment of Guatemalan government-owned weapons, including grenade launchers, rocket launchers, grenades, assault weapons, and ammunition on 20 August 2009. Members of Los Zetas have reportedly stolen Guatemalan government-owned weapons from the Mariscal Zavala military base on several occasions between July 2007 and January 2008.

GUATEMALA

Six National Civil Police (PNC) officers are wanted for the their participation in the theft of 177 kilograms of cocaine and US$300,000 cash that was seized on 7 August 2008.

COSTA RICA

Officers with the Drug Control Police arrested two fishermen on 7 September 2009 some 15 kilometers outside of La Cruz, Guanacaste for possession of 1,095 kilograms of cocaine. According to Costa Rica’s minister of security, 87,000 kilograms of cocaine have been seized in Costa Rica since the beginning of the current administration. Costa Rican President Oscar Arias was sworn in on May, 2006.

VENEZUELA

The Chavez administration has continued the sale of CITGO assets in the United States, leading to a reduction of that company’s assets in the United States by 22.7 percent in 2008. Total value of this liquidation between 2007 and 2008 reached US$1.8 million, producing a profit of US$1.3 million. Sources suggest that the sale of CITGO assets has been performed “privately” while President Chavez continues to state that CITGO owner, PDVSA, “belongs to the public.”

VENEZUELA

Venezuela plans to build an oil refinery in Syria with a refining capacity of 150,000 barrels per day. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez also announced plans to create a series of companies that will provide basic needs for Syrian and Venezuelan citizens (September 2009).

VENEZUELA-COLOMBIA

Venezuela cut flights on cargo and passenger planes between Venezuela and Colombia on 9 September 2009.

COLOMBIA

Colombian authorities seized US$5.6 million in two shipping containers that arrived in Buenaventura on 10 September 2009. On 9 September 2009, authorities seized US$11.5 million from a separate container that originated in Mexico.

COLOMBIA

Colombian authorities seized US$5.6 million in two shipping containers that arrived in Buenaventura on 10 September 2009. On 9 September 2009, authorities seized US$11.5 million from a container that originated in Mexico.

PERU

Peruvian Prime Minister, Javier Velasquez Quesquen, warned on 31 August 2009, that the FARC has forged an alliance with the considered defunct Peruvian insurgency known as the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA). Peruvian President Alan Garcia, however, has downplayed the importance of this alleged alliance.

ARGENTINA

Argentina may accept an audit from the IMF, although Argentine Economic Minister Amado Boudou emphasized that Argentina is not seeking a loan from the organization (September 2009).

ARGENTINA

Argentine authorities seized 300 kilograms of cocaine and arrested two Argentine nationals in Salta on 9 September 2009. The men belong to a drug ring that transports drugs to Buenos Aires and Rosario, and were arrested when trying to smuggle more than 300 million pesos (US $78 million) across the Salta-Jujuy border. Both provinces are located in the extreme northwest of Argentina, where the borders of Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia meet.

BRAZIL

Brazil will buy 36 Dassault Rafale fighter jets from France, who in turn will purchase 12 Brazilian KC-390 transport planes (September 2009).

Networked Intelligence 32/2009

IRAN

Iran and Cuba announced plans on 27 August 2009 to increase cooperation and strengthen ties, specifically related to the fields of medicine and health.

LYBIA

The Libyan presidential plane was found at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas on 19 August 2009.

CHINA

Colombian Foreign Minister Jaime Bermudez will visit China from 31 August to 2 September 2009.

MEXICO

Mexican authorities in Guanajuato discovered a warning note left by Los Zetas on the windshield of a vehicle warning of violent attacks during the national holidays of 15 and 16 September 2009. The note also contained threats to the University of Guanajuato and State Police.

MEXICO

The Mexican Navy installed six new naval stations in Chiapas near the Suchiate and Usumacinta rivers (August 2009).

GUATEMALA

Guatemalan authorities seized five assault rifles, two fragmentation grenades, 200 rounds of AK-47 ammunition, 50 rounds of 9mm ammunition, two bullet proof vests, six radio transmitters, seven vehicles, and one armored vehicle in Los Tarayes, Huehuetenango, Guatemala on 21 August 2009. The weapons are believed to belong to Los Zetas.

HONDURAS

Members of the MS-13 killed three men and wounded one other in El Carrizal de Comayaguela, a slum in Tegucigalpa on 22 August 2009. Authorities believe the gunfight was over control of territory for the drug trade.

HONDURAS

A Syrian arms dealer was extradited from Honduras to the United States on 19 August 2009. The man, Tahal Hassam Kanthous, aka Yamal Yousef, is accused of selling weapons to the FARC in exchange for 967 kilograms of cocaine.

PERU

Two Peruvian soldiers and four Shining Path guerillas were killed on 26 August 2009 during a confrontation in the Apurimac-Ene Ricer Valley.

BRAZIL – COLOMBIA

Brazil and Colombia agreed to strengthen military ties on 25 August 2009 at a meeting in Bogotá.

ARGENTINA

Argentine Economic Minister Amado Boudou will meet with the head of Western Hemisphere Affairs of the IMF. Argentina is looking to gain access to international credit markets (August 2009).

ARGENTINA

Argentine authorities seized 4,200 kilograms of ephedrine in the Isidro Casanova and Belgrano neighborhoods of Buenos Aires on 23 August 2009. The origin of the ephedrine, which was due to be shipped to the United States via Mexico in 2008, is from India and China.

Networked Intelligence 31/2009

IRAN

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will visit Tehran during the first week of September 2009.

RUSSIA

Rosoboronexport has supplied more than 50 Mi-17, Mi-26, and Mi-35M helicopters to Venezuela. Construction on hangers for repair and maintenance has begun as of 19 August 2009.

MEXICO

Pemex looting has not been restricted to oil alone (August 2009). Natural gas, petrochemicals, the hijacking of tank cars and pipelines, contamination of oil producing areas and the theft of equipment has also been reported. Organized crime, as well as company employees and union members, have been implicated in these thefts, which since 2004 have been reported from “nearly every state and have cut deeply into company profits,” according to one Southern Pulse source.

MEXICO

Gunmen killed on 21 August 2009 Guerrero State Senator Armando Chavarria Barrera (PRD), who was the leader of the Guerrero State Congress.

HONDRUAS

The new government has reversed President Zelaya’s open visa policy (August 2009). Visitors from China, India, Russia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and a list of other countries will have their visas approved from the central government in Honduras before travel. Previously, consular officers abroad reviewed and approved almost all visa requests.

COLOMBIA

Authorities seized (August 2009) in the eastern part of Colombia seven separate properties allegedly owned by members of the Sinaloa Federation. One of the reported properties was a hotel.

COLOMBIA

Authorities destroyed on 20 August 2009 over a half-ton of Anfo (an explosive made from ammonium and fuel) allegedly stockpiled by the National Liberation Army (ELN). Some 600 detonators and 640 meters of detonator cord were also discovered. Troops also destroyed a “grenade shop.”

BRAZIL

President Lula traveled to Bolivia on 22 August 2009 to discuss details over natural gas agreement and regional cooperation against drug trafficking with Bolivian President Evo Morales.

BRAZIL

President Lula wrote a letter to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (August 2009) to request that he accelerate payment for debt owed to Brazilian exporters by Venezuelan companies.