U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
1996 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, March 1997

United States Department of State

Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs

Other US Assistance Provided

United States Customs Service

International drug interdiction training is a vital segment of the activities, interests, and mission of the US Customs Service. Training is funded and approved by the Department of State and provided to drug control agencies with an interdiction responsibility in countries considered significant to US narcotics control enforcement efforts.

FY 1996, 47 programs were conducted. These programs involved 37 participants in the US and 1,750 participants in 30 foreign countries. This annual schedule included 4 Executive Observation Programs (EOP); 16 Overseas Enforcement Training (OET) Programs for individual countries; 3 Regional Overseas Enforcement Training (ROET) Programs for two or more countries; 5 Train-the-Trainer Workshops (T3W) for individual countries; 1 Regional Train-the-Trainer Workshop (RT3W) for two or more countries; 4 Contraband Enforcement Team (CET) Training Programs - 3 with 2 separate phases and 1 with 3 separate phases; and 1 Money Laundering Seminar (MLS).

In addition to the normal schedule of International Narcotics Control Training programs conducted under the auspices of INL, US Customs has carried out a number of narcotics control projects making use of funds outside of the annual INL allocation. These programs were in response to high priority concerns. Among these are the following:

• Carrier Initiative Programs conducted in Barbados, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Panama, Peru, as well as a site survey/assessment in Peru. A Super Carrier program was also conducted in Venezuela. Many of these courses were at least partially funded by international carriers or trade organizations and a number of them were done at the conclusion of other scheduled training programs, with little additional cost.
• A special airport and Customs anti-smuggling assessment was provided for South Africa in conjunction with a scheduled drug interdiction school.
• The scheduled programs for Paraguay and Haiti included innovative multi-site operational practical exercises involving container search and land/port interdiction techniques. As noted below, these programs were instrumental in creating an environment where seizures were made both in the U.S. and in the host countries.
• A Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement (CMAA) was signed with Ireland. In conjunction with the CMAA signing, a drug interdiction/investigations/intelligence gathering program focusing on interagency cooperation was provided to Irish drug control agencies.

FY-1996 was the sixth year in which INL has funded training in narcotics security techniques provided by US Customs to managers and employees of commercial transportation companies under the Carrier Initiative Program (CIP). During FY 1996, INL-funded ClP training was presented to 859 employees in 6 programs. These programs were offered in the following countries: Peru, as well as a site survey/assessment in Peru, Guatemala, Barbados, Ecuador, 1 in the US (Miami). A Super Carrier program was also conducted in Venezuela. Costs relating to these programs are partially offset by the sponsoring commercial transportation companies.

Particularly noteworthy in assessing the past year's program is the submission of reports of increased law enforcement activities related to the training. There were, for example, measurable results: Upon conclusion of the basic back-to-back drug interdiction schools in Haiti, our field team leader created a "heightened enforcement awareness" at JFK airport, for flights from Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Few seizures had been made from Haitian flights for several months, but on 6/27/96 in the PM, CET, using intensified search parameters, discovered a "false mail bag", which contained 37.3 lbs of cocaine. The JFK CET also discovered 1.07 lbs of heroin on/in a passenger (swallower) from the Dominican Republic. During the training program, the team learned that the enforcement officers in the Dominican Republic believed that only cocaine and not heroin was transiting their country. This seizure information has been communicated to the DEA Attache who has briefed the Dominican Republic agencies.

In addition, the training team leader in a follow-up call to Haiti, was advised that recently trained customs/ enforcement officers and Carrier Initiative Program trained employees made the following three seizures, with no prior information:

• 80 kilos of cocaine in four suitcases;
• 10 kilos in a passenger's carry-on bag;
• 2 kilos on a passenger (body carry).

In the trip report for the Paraguay Overseas Enforcement Training Program, the Team Leader stated the following concerning a field practical exercise conducted during the program: "Our visit to Encarnacion was ended on a very positive note. The group was working the long-range omni buses. We were working jointly with Customs and Dinar (Police). The Customs team member from El Paso boarded a bus with a Paraguayan Customs inspector. The Paraguayan inspector detected bricks of marijuana in the overhead luggage area and also under several seats. Total weight of the marijuana was six kilos. This was the very first seizure ever by Customs at the Port of Encarnacion. The smuggler was an older man who had boarded the bus just outside of Asuncion. This bus company was not one that the inspectors considered "high risk."

In FY 1996, our international training efforts have, as in the past, also emphasized cooperation with other US Government drug enforcement agencies. Cooperation was also emphasized with other nations and international bodies. We maintain an extensive network of drug control liaison contacts in the US, as well as with a number of major donor countries and international organizations, enabling us, among other things, to avoid duplication of training.

In FY 1996, the US Customs Service shared financial assets on 7 occasions:

ARUBA                                   $41,475.86
GOVERNMENT OF SWITZERLAND               $335,408.42
UNITED KINGDOM                          $135,124.97
CANADA                                  $12,365.08
CANADA                                  $1,425.05
STATES OF JERSEY                        $1,049,991.25
ROYAL CAYMAN ISLANDS                    $12,484.65

TOTAL:                                  $1,588,275.28

TRAINING STATISTICS

                              Participants     Programs

Training in the US:

Executive Observation Program            8      4
Carrier Initiative Program-Miami        37      1

Training in host countries:

  Overseas Enforcement Training        567     19
  Contraband Enforcement Team1          45      4
  Train-the-Trainer Workshop            99      8
  Money Laundering Seminar             527      4
  Carrier Initiative Program           822      5

SUBTOTAL                               2,205   45