MONTHLY REPORT, AUGUST 1992

Created: 9/12/1992

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

MONTHLY REPORT,2

FIEF: NONE

TEXT:

1. THIS REPORT SUMMARIZES KEY ISSUES DISCUSSED IN THE MONTHLY WARNING MEETINGS HELD BY NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS DURING2

KEY POINTS

COLOMBIA: ALREADY THE HUB OF THE WORLD'S COCAINECCOLD BECOME AN IMPORTANT CULTIVATOR OF OPIUM ANDCENTER FORURTHER THREAT TO THE..

HAS THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE FOR TRAFFICKING IN DRUGS, AND ITS GEOGRAPHIC, TOPOGRAPHIC, AND CLIMATIC CONDITIONS ARE CONDUCIVE TO CROWING OPIUM POPPIES. POPPY CULTIVATION TECHNIQUES

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PIDLr *TOIELDS IN COLOMBIA VILLMARKEDLY IM THE YEARS AHEAD. SOKE COCAINEINTO HEROIN, AND COLOMSIAN INSURGENT CTOwfIN THE

" CZ COMMUNITY ANALYSTS BELIEVE COLOMBIA IS

SECOND ONLY TO BURMA IN TERMS OF HARVESTABLE

CULTIVATION OF OPIUM POPPIES. HOWEVER, THIS REPRESENTS ONLY POTENTIAL PRODUCTION BECAUSE YIELDS ESPEND ON PRODUCTION METHODS AND EXPERTISE STILL IN TfctIR INFANCY IN COLOMBIA; THERE MAY BE AS FEW AS FOUR CHEMISTS IN THE COUNTRY CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HIGH GRADE HEROIN THAT WOULD BE COMPETITIVE IN THE US MARKET.

ITSI3LE THAT COLOMBIA COULD OVERTAKE MEXICO AS THE RECIOM'S LARGEST OPIUM PRODUCER THIS YEAR NEVERTHELESS, COLOMBIAMALL PLAYER IN THE HEROIN TRAFFICKING BUSINESS, ALTHOUGH THE VOLUME OF ITS HEROIN ENTERING THE UNITED STATES IS ON THE RISE.

OF INVOLVEMENT BY THE COCAINE CARTELS IN THE HEROIN TRADE IS SKETCHY. HOWEVER, IF THE MAJOR CARTELS MOVE TO ESTABLISH CONTROL OVER THE INDUSTRY ANDARGER SHARE Of THE US MARKET, VIOLENCE CCULD ESCALATE SIGNIFICANTLY IN BOTH THE UNITED STATES AND COLOMBIA.

MAJOR INSURGENT GROUPS, THE FARC AND THE ELN, RAVE LONC BEEN LINKED TO THE COCAINE INDUSTRY AND APPARENTLY ARE NOW EXPANDING INTO HEROIN. SOME REPORTS INDICATE THAT THEY HAVE EXTENSIVE POPPY FIELDS; THE COLOMBIAN GOVERNMENT BELIEVES THEY AREINVOLVED IN CULTIVATION.

SECRET

Original document.

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