Aircraft: Tbe Achilles' Heel ofolirian Cocaine In
Aircraftlire primary RMaiaol "ill'tr-liallcdwithin Bolivia andBAF faculties along with tbe opersuona]ir trafficking through lie iaiodjctwof this tinxtft.Jpoor choiceouta or the leizore of aircraft would soriocaly-.urea-eter. .
impede, or evea that down,acuvhieaof
traffickert the present lime, Um lack .'tA mere viable ca nd-date currer -Jy la the BAFproper training, equipment, sad experience teggest .lory Is tbe Swis*-made Pilarmarboprop -'l ke complex art of air mterocptioa any noi beaircraft sonnallyjised for'bejjc, traasiuoo, aadtkc for lac Bolivian Air Forceow- banc training, la addition to being raster"tadiccrcaaed eaiorcerocnt of eaJstiag laws coekl. _ maneoverable than root! of ibe aircraft used by ja theoonnacalionof ligntBeaal oonbersof a-fcter-i, lientJheoeld have aircraft -trouble cpetjlini from djl sititrips. However, it
. aad.l atxaruponationrucial role ln tbe cocao^ipped.wilb sa sir tatarcest radar. Thissod processing cycles In Bolivia. Theog would necessitate ground controller* vectoringturface UansporUlloa systenu In Bolivia BAF aircraft along uiteacept azimuths untiltrafficker! few optical for moving cocaontact could be made. Although tali could concer*-and precursor chemicals. The limited railbly beaccomplished during fair weather Saddoes not service (be primary coca cullivanoa or bgbt hours, nigatUma or cloudy weather interceptsarcai, sod the pooery maintainedbe extremely difficult, if not inipoui&e. Tbe _
systems are rubject to routine roadblocki by police ffective km of eitherrorlthough river networks in ceatrat and interdiction would require careful coordinationBolivia are ascd by trsAcksn to move aomeween both ground coatrollext sad pilots wealprcdects and prwenrson. airasfi remain tbe a the air ir.lerccpt role.
pricaary mode of transport both within Bolivia led.
sanouxdiag oountnea. Deeyiag trsfficken the uc of
either aircraft of airspace woald scrknuiy cripple ; The AUersabfe:Screaaalag Eagta
;s'VWkmKKkW._- Sioceooirol of aetrritie* witbia Bolivian airspace ta presently beyond
Atrial laterdk&ott Beysadgpvernnxnt capabilities, aircraft denial tbroucb coc-
Current Capabilities
Any efforts by the Bolivian Air Force to intercept airborne traffickers would be hindered by inadequate radar coverage, obsolete jet fighters. Si wcD aa pilots aad ground controller! with litlls or no training to sir iaterccpt miulorui. The proposed deployment of new advanced mobile radars to provide coverage of air-pace seed by trsDckm might ensblc satboritiet to monitor flight patterns bul would do little to restrict flight acurity. The primary fight er/intcreep*.tr of themall, fair-wtalherjrt-rxrwered
hscstioB can achieve greater reauiia. Articlef Bolivia's awisarcotici law IOCSgsj basis -for the immediate seizure of aaacu found to be supporting cocaioe processing or Ifafficiiog aciiviliei. More vigoroos enforocroent of that sniinsrcotics law
ew select airports could greatly curtail the operations of many Bolivian cocaine:
Approved for ReteaM Date
cranandeoBdDCtiDson-iiu analysis of the dust samples Taken. By chemically conlWing the presence of minuu traces of conemain after ihc coca protect! arebe oounteruareocksare able to iMriH if an aircraft baa ben Mi fee trafficking. Before ibe iruaaiioQ of Screaming Eagk ia late IMS, aircraft bad io bc "caosbi ia tbe acf* ofcoca derivatives in order to be
Although Screaming Eagle baa readied, ia tbe seizure ofaircraft since its inception, we believe tbe full potential of thia program baa yet to be realized. Certain nantxipaicd problems, aucb aa press Leaks of impending operations and occasional resistance by local populations, have hampered aome Screaming Eagle raids. At the presentowever, thisoffen the fauclc beat method of attackingctworks of traffickers within Bolivia.
I indies u
aircraft are
normally boused at airportsew dtie* and towns lhat serve aa trafficking bubs within Bolivia. We believe that carefully orchestra led Screaming Eagle ooeralions would yield Ibe greatest results ai the airportsanta Crux CTtompillo APJ, Trinidad. Coeaabamba. and Santa Aaa.
In addition, our analysis of panagle opcratiooa Indies Usew DW-Uficatiom mighl improve the results of Screaming Eagle raids:
Better airport Isolation. Security fences need lo dote airport inajess/cgress rouus, bfcck runways, and secure control towers. Using vehicles to block runways would quickly shut down fixed-wing air operations yet permit legitimate aircraft arrivals or departures withew minute* notice.
EnkoaciJ prtoptratlon security Knowledge of planned operations should be keptfrirnwp ia view of the corn:plica factor.
Careful mission timing. Late night or early morning raids are likely to catch mora aircraft oo the ground than operations conducted during the middle of the day.
Better use of iMUlligence. Airport size, approximate number of aircraft that will be present, and possible hostflo reactions by traffickers or local population must be evaluated before th. operation takes pUce -to earnra adequate personnel and equipment ara 'detailed for lheist of suspect aircraft and traffickers thai operate out of the airport should be compiled before tbe operaiion.
Equipment. Previous raids have indicated that sometimes special equipment, for example, riot gear, is required ia addition to lb. normalof wcapou/testiAC tear used by polk* and chemists. Needless to say. snOdent coenmnaaca-tions equipment, "capons, aad training are essentia] to ensure the safety of couo ternsrcoiics personnel oo these
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Original document.
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