THE SEIZURE
TWO DAYS BEFORE THE DEPARTURE OF THE VESSELI?ESSEL NAMED THE
MACALLAN'G WOULD^eTHtTBG PORT SOONILOS OF COCAINE BOUND FOR THE UNITED STATES. EN ROUTE, TEE COCAINE WAS TO BE TRANSFERRED TO UNKNOWN VESSELS IN THE VICINITY OF ST. LU(IA.OLLOWUP REPORT, STILL REFERRING TQ THE VESSEL AS TKE MAGALLANES.HAT THE TRANSFER OF COCAINE WOULD OCCUR OFF TH? ISLAND OF DOMINICA. APPROPRIATE WARNINGS WERE ISSUED TO US AND EASTERN CARIBBEAN LAW ENFORCEMENT ENTITIES VIA BOTH DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION AND DEFENSE ATTACHE OFFICE CHANNELS. |
THE VESSEL'S CSPASTURE FROM BARPANOCILLA TRIGGERED THE FOLLOWING SEQUENCE OF EVENTS. ACCORDINGARIETY OF REPORTING:
UNE VESSEL SIGHTED BY US MILITARYN THE SOUTHEAST CARIBBEAN.
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US COAST GUARD VESSEL INTERCEPTS TKE MAC AI. LAKESPPROXIMATELYILOMETERS WEST OF ST. LUCIA. ONSENSUAL BOARDING AND INSPECTION, LIMITED BY CHE PRESENCEONS OF SUGAR, YIELDS NEGATIVE RESULTS.
UNE
UNE
VESSEL LOITERS ABOUT MIDWAY BETWEEN ST. LUCIA AND DOMINICA. BEING SHADOWED BY THE US COAST GUARD, THE MAGALLANES V JS BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION Oi FHE ST. LUClAN COAST GUARD, WHICH ESCORTS THE VESSEL INTO THE PORT OFECOND BOARDING OF THE VESSEL IS NEGATIVE.
2 4 JUNE
JUNE
CLAIMING TO SS EMBARRASSED BY THE US COAST GUARD BOARDING AT SEA, MASTER OF THETATES THAT HE NO LONGER DESIRES TO UNLOAD HIS CARGO IN ST. LUCIA BUT WILL GO TO DOMINICA INSTEAD. VESSEL STEAMS OUTASTRIES AND HEADS TOWARD DOMINICA, ARRIVING IN ROSEAU IN THE EVENING ESCORTED BY ST. LCCIAN COAST GUARD. COAST GUARDS OF BARBADOS AND FRANCE ALSO REPORTEDLY ASSISTED IN WATCHING THE VESSEL.
DOMINICAN AUTHORITIES BEGIN MONITORING THE UNLOADING OF THE VESSEL. ONLY HALF OFMAN CREW OF THE VESSEL WORKS; THE OTHERS KEEP AN EYE ON DOMINICAN OFFICIALS.
FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF UNLOADING OF CARGO, DOMINICAN OFFICIALS COMMENCE IN-DEPTH SEARCH OF THE MAGALLANES V. AFTER NOTING FRESH WELD MARKSALLAST TANK, THEY ORDER IT PUMPED OUT, REVEALINGANVAS BAGS CONTAINING THE COCAINE. |
THE MODUS OPERANDI AND LESSONS LEARNED
SEIZURE ILLUSTRATES SEVERAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE MODUS OPERANDI OF THIS NETWORK. MOST NOTABLE ARE THE MEANS OF CONCEALMENT,
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REW OF IHEO DUMP CHS COCAINE BEFORE DOCKING IN DOMINICA MAY REFLECT SHEER ARROGANCE OR GREAT CONFIDENCE IN THE CONCEALMENT METHOD. ON THE OTHER HAND, IT MAY HAJE BEEN THE RESULT OF THE INABILITY OF THE CREW TO GET TO, AND DUMP, THEPROCESS THAT WOULD PROBABLY HAVE TAKEN AT LEAST
-US -WHILE BEING SHADOWED BY ESSELS. APPARENT LOITERING OF THE VESSEL OFFSHORE IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OFUNE MAY REFLECT AN ATTEMPT TO ARRANGE AND PERFORM THE HIGH-SEASENVISIONED WHEN THEEPARTED COLOMBIA. IT BAY ALSOERIOD IN WHICH THE CREW UNSUCCESSFULLY SOUGHT TO GAIN ACCESS TO, AND DUMP, THE COCAINE.
A SECOND
THE UNITED STATES. WHILE HIGH
SEAS TRANSFERS ARE NOT NEW, THIS PARTICULAR POUTINGIN"MUM OF THREE LINKS WITH TWO TRANSFERS BETWEEN COLOMBIA AND THi UNC STATES IS EXCEPTIONALLY COMPLICATED. SINCE THES KNOWN TO HAVE SAILED DIRECTLY TO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC LAST YEAR, THE ROOTING IN QUESTION INDICATES THAT THIS DRUG-TRAFFICKING NETWORK MAY BE FEELING THE PINCH O: US AND OTHER COUNTERNARCOT.CS EFFORTS IN THE CARIBBEAN. |
OMPLICATED ROUTING PATTERNH GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS FOR COUNTERNARCOTICS FORCES, IN OUR VIEW. ON THE POSITIVE SIDE, IT INCREASES THE VULNERABILITY OF MARITIME DRUG TRAFFICKERSAKING THEM MORE DEPENDENT ON SEA CONDITIONS AND REQUIRING CLOSE COORDINATION AND COMMUNICATION AMONG THE VARIOUS COMPONENTS OF THE TRANSPORTATION NETWORK. ON THE NEGATIVE SIDE, THIS METHOD OF "PANSPORT MEANS THAT THE VESSEL DEPARTING COLOMBIAN PORTS HAS LITTLE OP NO CLEAR LINK TO THE FINAL MEANS OF DELIVERY TO THE UNITED STATES. THE VALUE OF US EFFORTS TO REPORT VESSEL ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE DATA FOR VESSELS DOCKING AT COLOMBIAN PORTS, THEREFORE, IS CONSIDERABLY REDUCED. IN THE FACE OFOUTING PLAN, COUNTERNARCOTICS FORCES NEED MORE PRECISE INFORMATION ON THE LOCATION AND ACTIVITIESEW VESSELS. RATHERASS OF DATA PROVIDING SPORADIC GLIMPSES OF THE LOCATIONS OF NEARLY ALL VESSELS TRANSITING THE CARIBBEAN.
DECEPTION
VESSEL WARRANT PARTICULAR WATCHING, HOWEVER. SOME OF THESE WERE APPARENT EVEN BEFORE TH? VESSEL SAILED OP IN THE IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH OF ITS DEPARTURE. OTHERS DID NOT EMERGE UNTIL LATER. IN THE CASE OF THE MAGALLANES V, SCRATCHING THE SURFACE WOULD HAVE REVEALED THE FOLLOWING "FLAGS" TO COUNTERNARCOTICS FORCES BEFORE OR SOON AFTER THE VESSEL'S SAILING:
REPORTED OWNERHE VESSEL. DENIA SHIPPING COMPANY OF bARRANQUILLA. DOES NOT EXIST.
PREVIOUS OWNER OF THE VESSEL, MAR IT IMA COLOMBIA EX PORTA <MARCOMFX) ISTORY OF BEING LINKED TO COCAINE SHIPMENTS. AMOKS THESEOCAINE SEIZURE IN8 IN ARUBA ESSEL THEN NAMXC THE RODRIGO P. FOLLOWING THIS INCIDENT, THE SHIP "EST DORMANT, WAS REPORTEDLY SOLD TO DENIA SHIPPING, REPAINTED, AND RENAMED THE MAGALLANES V.
X" DOCUMENTS NOTWITHSTANDING, THE ACTIVITIES OF T'-IE VESSEL, ITS CREW, ANO BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS CLEARLY INDICATE THAT THE SUPPOSED SALE OF THE VESSEL WAS PROBABLY NOTHINGAPEH CHARADE. OF PARTICULAR NOTE IS THE FACT THAT THE VESSEL'S SHIPPING AGENTS REMAINED UNCHANGED, AND THEHE VESSEL AT THE TIME OF THE DOMINICA SEIZURE HAD PREVIOUSLY SERVED AS THE CAPTAIN OF THE VESSEL KULALIA M, ALSO OWNED BY MARCOMEX.
X--ALTHOUGH THE VESSEL APPEARED IN LLOYD'S MARITIME DATA BASE, UNLIKE MANYF NOT MOSTJ VESSELS KNOWN OP THOUGHT TOANS PORTING DRUGS, ITS NEW NAME WAS SUCH A3 TO MAKE THE VESSEL EASILY CONFUSED WITH ANOTHER VESSEL, THE MAGALLANES, OPERATEDS COMPANY BETWEEN THE WEST CCAST OF SOUTH AMERICA AND TKE US GULF COAST. THIS APPARENT EFFORT AT DECEIT BY TRAFFICKERS WAS EFFECTIVE AT SEVERAL POINTS. THE INITIAL TIP AND FCLLOWUP INFORMATION FROM COLOMBIA MADE REIERENCEESSEL NAMED MAGALLANES VICE MAGALLANES V. SO TOO DID REPORTS AMONG US AND CARIBBEAN ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES.
X--THE AGENT FOR THE VESSEL AT THE TIME OF ITS DEPARTURE FROM BAKRANOOILLA, IA. LTDA., . IA) HAS BEEN LINKED TO NUMEROUS DRUG SHIPMENTS IN THE PAST, AMONG THEM THE SEIZURE OF MORE THANONS OF COCAINE FROM CONTAINERS DELIVERED TO FLORIDA AND PUERTO PICO7 AND TNE9 SEIZURES FROM VESSELS OFF THE COAST OF MEXICO AND THE BAHAMAS NETTING IN EXCESSONS OF COCAINE.
WAS CLEAR FROM THE DOCUMENTATION AND DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF THE VESSEL AT THE OUTSET. THEEPARTED BARRANQUILLA DECLARING BARAHOKA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, AS ITS DESTTNATICTJ. THE CONSIGNEE CF TH? CARGO, HOWEVER, WAS MANIFESTED AS
BEING LOCATED IN DOMINICA, AND THE VESSEL APPARENTLY SET SAIL
FROM THE RIO MAGDALENA.
IMPLICATIONS
THE NES SEIEURi WAS LARGEST EVER IN IHE EASTERN CARIBBEAN, AND, PERHAPS MORE IMPORTANT, HAS SEVERAL LESSONS FOR ANTIDRUG OPERATIONS. IT DEMONSTRATES THE VALUE OF CLOSE COOPERATION AMONG CARIBBEAN COUNTERNARCOTICS FORCES ANU WILL PROBABLY BOOST THEIR MORALE, ESPECIALLY THAT OF THE REGIONAL SECURITY SYSTEMOALITION OF SECURITY FORCES OF ISLANDS IN THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN CREATED IN THE, THE RSS HAS BECOME AN INCREASINGLY ACTIVE AND EFFECTIVE COUNTERNARCOTICS FORCE. THE SEIZURE ALSO ILLUSTRATES THE NEED FOR, AND VALUE OF, PERSEVERANCE IN THE PURSUIT CF SUSPECT VESSELS AND THE SEARCH OF THEM ONCE THEY ARE INTERCEPTED. IN ADDI'"ON, THE CASE ILLUSTRATES THE POTENTIAL VALUE OF EXAMINING AND, WHERE POSSIBLE, CORRELATING THE OFFICIAL RECORDS OF SHIPPING COMPANIES AND VESSELS TO DETECT ANOMALIES OR SUSPICIOUS PATTERNS.
THEASE, HOWEVER, ALSO ILLUSTRATES SOME OFCHALLENGES FACING MARITIME INTERDICTION FORCES. WEOF COCAINE BENEATH BULK CARGO IS NOT UNIQUE TOOR TRAFFICKING NETWORK. TRAFFICKER USE OF THISREDUCES THE CHANCE OF INTERDICTION ON THE HIGH SEASA THOROUGH SEARCH OF VESSELS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE UNLESSDOCKED AND UNLOADED. MOREOVER, THERE ARE CLEAR INDICATIONS NETWORK ORCHESTRATING THIS SHIPMENT HAS HEEN OPERATINGND, DESPITE SEVERAL MAJOR INTERDICTIONS IN THETO OPERATE. THE TRAFFICKERS MUST BE CONCERNED ABOUTAND MAY BE PONDERING CCUNTERMOVES. SUCH AS ALTERINGA PROGRAM TC CORRUPT EASTERN CARIBBEAN mes foi- a .
TO THE USE OF MORE READILY AVAILABLE COMPARTMENTS ON THE VESSEL AS CONCEALMENT SITES, OR EMPLOYING DISINFORMATION AND THE DISPATCHIVERSIONARY VESSEL AT THE TIMEOCAINE SHIPMENT. TIMELY AND DETAILED INTELLIGENCE THAT IS MOST LIKELY TO COMEAREFUL CULLING OF HUMAN-SOURCE REPORTING BILL BE NEEDED IF ANTTDRUG FORC ARE TO ANTICIPATE THE NEXT MOVES OFETWORK.
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Original document.
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