Cable Viewer

Currently released so far... 15687 / 251,287

### Articles

Brazil Sri Lanka United Kingdom Sweden 00. Editorial United States Latin America Egypt Jordan Yemen

### Browse latest releases

2010/11 2010/12 2011/01 2011/02 2011/03 2011/04 2011/05 2011/06
2010/11/28 2010/11/29 2010/11/30
2010/12/01 2010/12/02 2010/12/03 2010/12/04 2010/12/05 2010/12/06 2010/12/07 2010/12/08 2010/12/09 2010/12/10 2010/12/11 2010/12/12 2010/12/13 2010/12/14 2010/12/15 2010/12/16 2010/12/17 2010/12/18 2010/12/19 2010/12/20 2010/12/21 2010/12/22 2010/12/23 2010/12/24 2010/12/25 2010/12/26 2010/12/27 2010/12/28 2010/12/29 2010/12/30
2011/01/01 2011/01/02 2011/01/04 2011/01/05 2011/01/07 2011/01/09 2011/01/10 2011/01/11 2011/01/12 2011/01/13 2011/01/14 2011/01/15 2011/01/16 2011/01/17 2011/01/18 2011/01/19 2011/01/20 2011/01/21 2011/01/22 2011/01/23 2011/01/24 2011/01/25 2011/01/26 2011/01/27 2011/01/28 2011/01/29 2011/01/30 2011/01/31
2011/02/01 2011/02/02 2011/02/03 2011/02/04 2011/02/05 2011/02/06 2011/02/07 2011/02/08 2011/02/09 2011/02/10 2011/02/11 2011/02/12 2011/02/13 2011/02/14 2011/02/15 2011/02/16 2011/02/17 2011/02/18 2011/02/19 2011/02/20 2011/02/21 2011/02/22 2011/02/23 2011/02/24 2011/02/25 2011/02/26 2011/02/27 2011/02/28
2011/03/01 2011/03/02 2011/03/03 2011/03/04 2011/03/05 2011/03/06 2011/03/07 2011/03/08 2011/03/09 2011/03/10 2011/03/11 2011/03/13 2011/03/14 2011/03/15 2011/03/16 2011/03/17 2011/03/18 2011/03/19 2011/03/20 2011/03/21 2011/03/22 2011/03/23 2011/03/24 2011/03/25 2011/03/26 2011/03/27 2011/03/28 2011/03/29 2011/03/30 2011/03/31
2011/04/01 2011/04/02 2011/04/03 2011/04/04 2011/04/05 2011/04/06 2011/04/07 2011/04/08 2011/04/09 2011/04/10 2011/04/11 2011/04/12 2011/04/13 2011/04/14 2011/04/15 2011/04/16 2011/04/17 2011/04/18 2011/04/19 2011/04/20 2011/04/21 2011/04/22 2011/04/23 2011/04/24 2011/04/25 2011/04/26 2011/04/27 2011/04/28 2011/04/29 2011/04/30
2011/05/01 2011/05/02 2011/05/03 2011/05/04 2011/05/05 2011/05/06 2011/05/07 2011/05/08 2011/05/09 2011/05/10 2011/05/11 2011/05/12 2011/05/13 2011/05/14 2011/05/15 2011/05/16 2011/05/17 2011/05/18 2011/05/19 2011/05/20 2011/05/21 2011/05/22 2011/05/23 2011/05/24 2011/05/25 2011/05/26 2011/05/27 2011/05/28 2011/05/29 2011/05/30 2011/05/31
2011/06/01 2011/06/02 2011/06/03 2011/06/04 2011/06/05 2011/06/06 2011/06/07 2011/06/08 2011/06/09 2011/06/10 2011/06/11 2011/06/12 2011/06/13 2011/06/14 2011/06/15 2011/06/16 2011/06/17 2011/06/18 2011/06/19 2011/06/20 2011/06/21 2011/06/22 2011/06/23 2011/06/24

### Browse by creation date

66 72 73 75 79 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
1966/12
1972/02 1972/08
1973/04
1975/03
1979/08
1985/03 1985/05 1985/06
1986/05 1986/08 1986/12
1987/06
1988/01 1988/03 1988/04 1988/07 1988/08 1988/12
1989/12
1990/01 1990/07 1990/08 1990/10
1991/05
1992/01 1992/03 1992/06 1992/09 1992/12
1993/01 1993/10
1994/11 1994/12
1995/01 1995/04
1996/07 1996/09 1996/11
1997/02 1997/05 1997/06 1997/10 1997/12
1998/05
1999/09
2000/05 2000/06 2000/09 2000/11
2001/02 2001/03 2001/04 2001/05 2001/06 2001/07 2001/09 2001/10 2001/11 2001/12
2002/01 2002/02 2002/03 2002/04 2002/07 2002/08 2002/09 2002/11 2002/12
2003/01 2003/02 2003/03 2003/04 2003/05 2003/06 2003/07 2003/08 2003/09 2003/10 2003/11 2003/12
2004/01 2004/02 2004/03 2004/04 2004/05 2004/06 2004/07 2004/08 2004/09 2004/10 2004/11 2004/12
2005/01 2005/02 2005/03 2005/04 2005/05 2005/06 2005/07 2005/08 2005/09 2005/10 2005/11 2005/12
2006/01 2006/02 2006/03 2006/04 2006/05 2006/06 2006/07 2006/08 2006/09 2006/10 2006/11 2006/12
2007/01 2007/02 2007/03 2007/04 2007/05 2007/06 2007/07 2007/08 2007/09 2007/10 2007/11 2007/12
2008/01 2008/02 2008/03 2008/04 2008/05 2008/06 2008/07 2008/08 2008/09 2008/10 2008/11 2008/12
2009/01 2009/02 2009/03 2009/04 2009/05 2009/06 2009/07 2009/08 2009/09 2009/10 2009/11 2009/12
2010/01 2010/02

### Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
Embassy Athens Embassy Asuncion Embassy Astana Embassy Asmara Embassy Ashgabat Embassy Apia Embassy Ankara Embassy Amman Embassy Algiers Embassy Addis Ababa Embassy Accra Embassy Abuja Embassy Abu Dhabi Embassy Abidjan Consulate Auckland Consulate Amsterdam Consulate Adana American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura Embassy Buenos Aires Embassy Budapest Embassy Bucharest Embassy Brussels Embassy Bridgetown Embassy Bratislava Embassy Brasilia Embassy Bogota Embassy Bishkek Embassy Bern Embassy Berlin Embassy Belmopan Embassy Belgrade Embassy Beirut Embassy Beijing Embassy Banjul Embassy Bangkok Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan Embassy Bamako Embassy Baku Embassy Baghdad Consulate Belfast Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen Embassy Conakry Embassy Colombo Embassy Chisinau Embassy Caracas Embassy Canberra Embassy Cairo Consulate Curacao Consulate Ciudad Juarez Consulate Chiang Mai Consulate Chennai Consulate Casablanca Consulate Cape Town Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe Embassy Dublin Embassy Doha Embassy Djibouti Embassy Dili Embassy Dhaka Embassy Dar Es Salaam Embassy Damascus Embassy Dakar Consulate Dubai
Embassy Freetown Consulate Fukuoka
Embassy Guatemala Embassy Gaborone Consulate Guayaquil Consulate Guangzhou Consulate Guadalajara
Embassy Helsinki Embassy Harare Embassy Hanoi Consulate Hong Kong Consulate Ho Chi Minh City Consulate Hermosillo Consulate Hamilton Consulate Hamburg Consulate Halifax
Iran RPO Dubai Embassy Islamabad Consulate Istanbul
Embassy Jakarta Consulate Jerusalem Consulate Jeddah
Embassy Kyiv Embassy Kuwait Embassy Kuala Lumpur Embassy Kinshasa Embassy Kingston Embassy Kigali Embassy Khartoum Embassy Kathmandu Embassy Kampala Embassy Kabul Consulate Kolkata Consulate Karachi
Embassy Luxembourg Embassy Luanda Embassy London Embassy Ljubljana Embassy Lisbon Embassy Lima Embassy Lilongwe Embassy La Paz Consulate Lahore Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE Mission USNATO Mission UNESCO Mission Geneva Embassy Muscat Embassy Moscow Embassy Montevideo Embassy Monrovia Embassy Minsk Embassy Mexico Embassy Mbabane Embassy Maputo Embassy Manila Embassy Manama Embassy Managua Embassy Malabo Embassy Madrid Consulate Munich Consulate Mumbai Consulate Montreal Consulate Monterrey Consulate Milan Consulate Melbourne Consulate Matamoros
Embassy Nicosia Embassy Niamey Embassy New Delhi Embassy Ndjamena Embassy Nassau Embassy Nairobi Consulate Nuevo Laredo Consulate Naples Consulate Naha
Embassy Ouagadougou Embassy Ottawa Embassy Oslo
Embassy Pristina Embassy Pretoria Embassy Prague Embassy Port Of Spain Embassy Port Louis Embassy Port Au Prince Embassy Phnom Penh Embassy Paris Embassy Paramaribo Embassy Panama Consulate Peshawar
Embassy Quito Consulate Quebec
REO Basrah Embassy Rome Embassy Riyadh Embassy Riga Embassy Reykjavik Embassy Rangoon Embassy Rabat Consulate Rio De Janeiro Consulate Recife
Secretary of State Embassy Suva Embassy Stockholm Embassy Sofia Embassy Skopje Embassy Singapore Embassy Seoul Embassy Sarajevo Embassy Santo Domingo Embassy Santiago Embassy Sanaa Embassy San Salvador Embassy San Jose Consulate Strasbourg Consulate St Petersburg Consulate Shenyang Consulate Shanghai Consulate Sapporo Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis Embassy Tripoli Embassy Tokyo Embassy The Hague Embassy Tel Aviv Embassy Tehran Embassy Tegucigalpa Embassy Tbilisi Embassy Tashkent Embassy Tallinn Consulate Toronto Consulate Tijuana Consulate Thessaloniki
USUN New York USEU Brussels US Office Almaty US Mission Geneva US Interests Section Havana US Delegation, Secretary UNVIE UN Rome Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius Embassy Vienna Embassy Vatican Embassy Valletta Consulate Vladivostok Consulate Vancouver
Embassy Windhoek Embassy Wellington Embassy Warsaw
Embassy Yerevan Embassy Yaounde
Embassy Zagreb

### Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
ASEC AEMR AMGT AR APECO AU AORC AJ AF AFIN AS AM ABLD AFFAIRS AMB APER AA AG AE ADM ALOW ACOA AID ATRN ADCO AND ABUD ADANA APEC ARABL ADPM ANARCHISTS AADP ANET AGAO AMED AY AORG ASEAN AO AL AGRICULTURE AINF ARF AROC APCS ACABQ AODE AX AMEX AZ ASUP ARM AQ ATFN AMBASSADOR ACBAQ AFSI AFSN AC ASIG ASEX AER AVERY ASCH AFU AMG ATPDEA ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG AORL AN AIT AGMT ACS AGR AMCHAMS AECL AUC AFGHANISTAN ACAO
BR BB BG BEXP BY BA BRUSSELS BU BD BK BL BM BO BE BH BTIO BP BMGT BX BILAT BIDEN BC BBG BF BBSR BT BWC BEXPC BN BTIU
CPAS CA CASC CS CBW CIDA CO CODEL CI CROS CU CH CWC CMGT CVIS CDG CG CF CHIEF CJAN CBSA CE CY CD CT CM CONS CDC CR CW CN COUNTRY CONDOLEEZZA CZ CICTE CYPRUS CARICOM CBE CARSON COM COE CTR CACS COPUOS CIVS COUNTER CFED CAPC CV CKGR CHR CVR CLINTON COUNTERTERRORISM CITEL CLEARANCE CB CSW CIC CITT CARIB CAFTA CACM CDB CJUS CTM CAN CONSULAR CLMT CBC CIA CNARC CIS CEUDA CHINA CAC CL
DR DJ DHS DAO DCM DO DEFENSE DA DOMESTIC DK DOD DE DOT DPRK DEPT DEA DISENGAGEMENT DOE DTRA DS DEAX
ECON ETTC EFIS ETRD EC EMIN EAGR EAID EU EFIN EUN ECIN EG EWWT EINV ENRG ELAB EPET EN EAIR EUMEM ECPS ELTN EIND EZ EI ER ET EINT ECONOMIC ENIV EFTA ES ERNG ECONOMY ELECTIONS EXIM ENERG ECIP EREL EK EDEV ECOSOC EPA ENGR ETRC EINVEFIN ENVI EXTERNAL ELN EAIDS EPREL EUREM ECA EDU EFINECONCS ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS ETC ENVR EAP EINN EXBS ENGY ECONOMICS EIAR EINDETRD ECONEFIN EURN ETRDEINVTINTCS EFIM EINVETC ECONCS ETRA ESA EAIG EUR EUC ERD ETRN EINVECONSENVCSJA EEPET EUNCH ESENV ENNP ECINECONCS ETRO ETRDECONWTOCS ECUN
FI FR FAS FOREIGN FTAA FREEDOM FBI FINANCE FAO FAA FJ FTA FARC FAC FM FDA FINR FOR FOI FO FMLN FISO
GM GG GERARD GT GA GR GTIP GLOBAL GCC GC GV GL GOV GOI GF GH GANGS GE GTMO GAERC GZ GAZA GY GUILLERMO GASPAR
HR HO HA HYMPSK HK HUMAN HN HURI HU HILLARY HI HUM HSTC HEBRON HUMOR
IZ IN IAEA IS IMO ILO IR IC IT ITU IV IMF IBRD IWC IRAQI IDB ISRAELI ITALY ID ITPGOV ITALIAN IADB ISCON ICRC ICAO IFAD IPR IRAQ INMARSAT INTERNAL IQ ICJ INDO IO IRS IIP ITRA IEFIN ICTY ILC IA INTERPOL IEA INR INRB IAHRC ISRAEL IZPREL IRAJ IF ITPHUM IL IACI IDA ISLAMISTS IGAD ITF INRA INRO IBET INTELSAT IDP ICTR IRC
JA JO JM JP JUS JOHNNIE JOHN JOSEPH JAMES JML JIMENEZ
KOMC KNNP KFLO KDEM KSUM KIPR KFLU KPAO KE KCRM KJUS KAWC KZ KSCA KDRG KCOR KGHG KPAL KTIP KMCA KCRS KPKO KOLY KRVC KVPR KG KWBG KMDR KTER KSPR KV KTFN KWMN KFRD KSTH KS KN KISL KGIC KSEP KFIN KTEX KTIA KUNR KCMR KMOC KCIP KTDB KBIO KU KIRF KSTC KICC KIRC KIDE KNUC KNUP KSEO KCFE KPWR KSAF KR KREC KCSY KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KHLS KOCI KMPI KPRP KCRIM KPAONZ KNAR KHDP KNPP KTBT KMCC KPRV KHIV KTRD KTAO KWAC KJUST KMRS KCRCM KSCI KGIT KBCT KACT KVRP KBTS KAWK KX KNDP KFSC KO KNNPMNUC KERG KPIR KMFO KCOM KAID KTLA KHSA KVIR KPOA KENV KRCM KCFC KNEI KCHG KPLS KREL KFTFN KTFM KLIG KDEMAF KRAD KBTR KGCC KICA KHUM KSEC KPIN KESS KDEV KWWMN KOM KWNM KRFD KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KRGY KIFR KSAC KWMNCS KPAK KOMS KFPC KRIM KDDG KCGC KPAI KID KMIG KNSD KWMM
LY LE LABOR LAB LTTE LU LO LA LI LG LH LT LOG
MARR MX MASS MOPS MNUC MCAP MTCRE MRCRE MTRE MASC MY MK MAS MO MCC MCA MIL MTCR MEPP MG ML MAPP MU MZ MD MAR MP MR MA MOPPS MTS MLS MILI MEPN MEPI MEETINGS MERCOSUR MW MT MIK MAPS MV MILITARY MARAD MDC MASSMNUC MUCN MEDIA MI MQADHAFI MPOS MPS MC
NZ NATO NI NO NU NG NL NPT NS NA NP NATIONAL NC NSF NDP NIPP NSSP NR NATOIRAQ NE NAS NGO NZUS NH NSG NAFTA NEW NRR NT NASA NAR NK NOVO NATOPREL NEA NSC NV NPA NSFO NW NORAD NPG
OTRA OECD OVIP OREP OPRC ODC OIIP OPDC OAS OSCE OPIC OMS OEXC OPCW OSCI OPAD ODIP OFDP OIE ODPC OSHA OHUM OFFICIALS OVIPPRELUNGANU OTR OMIG OSAC OBSP OFDA OVP ON OCII OES OCS OIC
PGOV PREL PARM PINR PHUM PM PREF PTER PK PINS PBIO PHSA PE PBTS PL POL PAK POV POLITICS POLICY PERL PA PCI PNAT PAS PALESTINIAN PPA PROP PERM PETR PREZ PO PRELPK PAIGH PROG POLITICAL PJUS PMIL PDOV PBTSRU PRAM PSI PINO PTE PAO PARMS PG PREO PGOF PTERE PRGOV PORG PP PS PKFK PSOE PEPR PDEM PINT PMAR PRELP PREFA PNG PTBS PFOR PUNE PGOVLO PHUMBA POLINT PGOVE PHALANAGE PARTY PECON PY PLN PHUH PEDRO PF PHUS PETER PU PARTIES PCUL PGGV PSA PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA PGIV PHUMPREL POGOV PEL PINL PBT PINF PRL PSEPC POSTS PAHO PHUMPGOV PGOC PNR PROV
QA
RS RP RU RW RFE RCMP RIGHTSPOLMIL ROBERT RM RICE RO RELAM ROOD REGION RSP RF RELATIONS RIGHTS RUPREL REMON RPEL REACTION REPORT RSO
SZ SENV SOCI SNAR SY SO SP SU SI SMIG SYR SA SCUL SW SR SYRIA SNARM SPECIALIST SF SENS SEN SN SC SMIL SCRM SENVSXE SL SAARC SARS STEINBERG SWE SCRS SG SNARIZ SAN ST SIPDIS SSA SPCVIS SOFA SENVKGHG SANC SHI SEVN SHUM SK SH SNARCS SPCE SNARN SIPRS
TRGY TBIO TSPA TU TPHY TI TX TH TIP TSPL TNGD TS TW TP TZ TN TC TR TINT TF TT TK TRAD TD TL TV TWI TERRORISM TO TRSY TURKEY TSPAM TRT TFIN TAGS TBID THPY
UK UNSC UNGA UN US UZ USEU UG UP UNAUS UNMIK USTR UR UY UNHRC UA USPS UNSCR UNESCO UNFICYP USAID UV UNMIC UNCHR USUN UNDP UNHCR USGS USNC UNEP USOAS UE UNVIE UAE UNO UNODC UNCHS UNDESCO UNC UNPUOS UNDC UNICEF UNCHC UNCSD UNFCYP UNIDROIT UNCND
VE VM VT VZ VTEG VTIZ VISIT VTPREL VENZ VAT VC VI VN
WHTI WIPO WTRO WTO WFP WS WHO WA WZ WI WBG WMD WWARD WHA WITH WTRQ WEU WMO WB
XA XR XW XX XK XL XM XS XF XG XT XC XH XD XB XU XE XV XZ XY XQ XI XTAG
YI YM YL YMCS YE
ZU ZI ZP ZR ZOELLICK ZF ZK ZO ZL ZB ZH ZT ZJ ZEALAND ZN ZA ZANU

### Browse by classification

CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN SECRET SECRET//NOFORN UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

### Community resources

Follow us on Twitter Check our Reddit Twitter this Digg this page Contact us on IRC

courage is contagious

### Viewing cable 09BUENOSAIRES35, ARGENTINA'S 2008 EPHEDRINE BUBBLE MAY BE POPPED,

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:

- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.

To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #09BUENOSAIRES35.

Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
09BUENOSAIRES35 | 2009-01-09 14:51 | 2011-04-10 00:00 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Embassy Buenos Aires
Appears in these articles: http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1364385-criticas-furibundas-a-paraguay-bolivia-y-peru

`

    VZCZCXYZ0003
    RR RUEHWEB

    DE RUEHBU #0035/01 0091451
    ZNR UUUUU ZZH
    R 091451Z JAN 09
    FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2850
    INFO RUCNMER/MERCOSUR COLLECTIVE
    RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 1837
    RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 1918
    RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA 2376
    RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO 1738
    RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 1129
    RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 0222
    RHMCSUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC
    RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
    RHMFIUU/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
    RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
    RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
    RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
    RHMFIUU/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL

` `

    UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000035

    SENSITIVE
    SIPDIS

    E.O. 12958: N/A
    TAGS: SNAR PGOV PREL PHUM EFIN AR
    SUBJECT: ARGENTINA'S 2008 EPHEDRINE BUBBLE MAY BE POPPED,
    BUT COCAINE STILL MOVING

    REF: A. 2008 BUENOS AIRES 1571
         ¶B. 2008 BUENOS AIRES 1478

         ¶C. 2008 ASUNCION 702

    ¶1. (SBU) Summary:  The legal entry into Argentina of

    ephedrine bound for illicit uses appears to have slowed

    substantially by late 2008 following government decrees to

    sharply limit permitted trade in the chemical, though law

    enforcement continues to pursue up to eight metric tons of

    excess ephedrine still thought to be in the country.  On

    December 4, 2008, the GOA issued a decree setting up an

    inter-agency committee to regulate ephedrine and other

    precursor chemical imports.  A September decree had already

    prohibited the importation of ephedrine by pharmacies and

    other retailers.  Argentine law enforcement continues to

    investigate ephedrine trafficking and the related ""triple

    homicide"" of early August 2008, with the Minister of Justice

    and the head of the Drug Policy Secretariat trading blame for

    the spike in ephedrine last year.  GOA officials are also

    increasingly concerned about new aerial cocaine trafficking

    routes from Bolivia and Paraguay into northern Argentina.  As

    a GOA proposal to decriminalize personal possession of

    narcotics heads toward Congressional consideration, the

    Supreme Court is expected to decide in February the case of

    an individual detained for two days by police for minor drug

    possession, with indications that the Court will rule the

    detention inappropriate.  End Summary.

    Ephedrine: Officials Battle Traffic and Each Other

    --------------------------------------------- -----

    ¶2. (SBU) Argentina law enforcement and judicial officials

    continue to investigate individuals linked to a booming

    ephedrine trade in 2008.  Minister of Justice Anibal

    Fernandez has acknowledged that 11.5 metric tons of ephedrine

    entered Argentina in 2008 for no apparent legitimate purpose,

    and law enforcement continues to seek up to 8 metric tons

    thought to be in the country.  Prosecutors and the press have

    focused on the sudden ostentatious wealth of a few suspects

    in the trade, including some linked to Mexican trafficker

    Jesus Martinez Espinoza, arrested in Paraguay on October 4

    (ref c).  Revelations also continue from the August ""triple

    homicide"" executions of three individuals, including one

    pharmacist, Sebastian Forza, with links to illicit ephedrine

    and also to the 2007 electoral campaign of President Cristina

    Fernandez de Kirchner (to which he contributed).  Rounding

    out the sensational stories of crime related to ephedrine,

    Federal Judge Federico Faggionato Marquez reported that he

    had received threats and was likely the target of a a bomb

    planted at one of his properties on December 18 and detonated

    without injury by the police.

    ¶3. (SBU) As reported in refs A and B, different Argentine

    authorities have cast recriminations at each other over the

    2008 ephedrine bubble. Minister Fernandez has suggested that

    the Secretariat of Planning for the Prevention of Drug Abuse

    and Drug Trafficking (Sedronar) failed to exercise control

    over the imports, in part because as an executive branch

    agency with limited resources it was incapable of doing so.

    Monica Cunaro, a prosecutor at the head of a scientific panel

    analyzing drug policy established by Minister Fernandez, has

    lambasted Sedronar for its record of approving suspect

    ephedrine imports and for weak controls over seized drugs.

    Officials at Sedronar had argued previously that Minister

    Fernandez had been slow to approve the draft decrees needed

    to give them the authority to reject suspect imports.  Prior

    to the decrees, they said, they could only approve import

    requests by legally registered businesses, whether the

    ephedrine import made sense or not.  Sedronar head Granero

    has also said publicly that Fernandez and Cunaro want him

    fired.

    ¶4. (SBU) A December 4 decree establishing interagency control

    over ephedrine imports by Sedronar, the Ministry of Health,

    and the Ministry of Justice was thus promulgated in an

    environment in which effective cooperation between the

    agencies might be difficult.  Fortunately, a September 17,

    2008 decree banning ephedrine imports by pharmacies and other

    retailers appears to have largely halted the easy import of

    ephedrine into Argentina, perhaps forestalling the emergence

    of a permanent trafficking route through

    Argentina to Mexico and the U.S.

    ¶5. (SBU) The Argentine public continues to follow ephedrine

    closely, particularly the investigation into the August 2008

    ""triple homicide.""  On January 1, detained Argentine Luis

    Tarzia, who was alleged to have been a link between the

    Argentine pharmaceutical importers and Mexican traffickers,

    died of apparent heart disease in police custody.  Although

    no foul play has been seriously alleged, this is the second

    witness in the triple homicide to have died (the first was

    deemed a suicide in August when the associate of triple

    homicide victim Sebastian Forza fell from his apartment

    balcony).

    The Curious Case of the Hidden Coke

    -----------------------------------

    ¶6. (SBU) The issue of Sedronar's control of decommissioned

    materials became tabloid fodder in December when stories

    broke that Sedronar was being investigated over the discovery

    by a garage mechanic of 8 kilos of cocaine hidden in the

    engine block and under the seat of a small truck it was

    operating, a truck seized in 2007 from a drug bust by Santa

    Fe provincial police.  Newspaper ""Critica"" went on to dissect

    Sedronar Secretary Granero's suggestion that the cocaine

    might have been left undiscovered from the 2007 bust, quoting

    Santa Fe police officials assurances that they would have

    looked everywhere in the truck after discovering the first 26

    kilos.  Critica also insisted that the cocaine found in 2008

    appeared to be packaged differently from that of the 2007

    bust.

    ¶7. (SBU) Minister Fernandez came forward on the record to say

    he doubted any Sedronar officials were engaged in any illicit

    traffic in the cocaine, and, separately, a Ministry of

    Foreign Affairs official involved in counter-narcotics told

    poloff in mid-December that he did not find it credible that

    Sedronar officials would have knowingly taken a vehicle with

    hidden drugs to a mechanic.  That said, he could not quite

    piece together a story about the cocaine that made sense.

    Others have suggested the drugs were a plant to discredit

    Granero and Sedronar.  In the meantime, a federal judge is

    investigating the case.

    New Cocaine Threats

    -------------------

    ¶8. (SBU) In the midst of close press attention over the

    growth of illicit ephedrine trade in 2008, Argentine

    authorities have also expressed concerns about evidence of an

    increase in cocaine trafficking from the Andean countries

    through Argentina to Europe.  In a briefing to Embassy

    officials on December 18, senior Gendarmeria officials said

    they were concerned over increasing use by traffickers of

    light aircraft to bring cocaine across Argentina's northern

    borders to remote landing strips.  Limited radar coverage and

    surveillance capability, they said, meant that Argentina had

    several large blind spots inits northern provinces,

    particularly a large swath spreading out from the borders of

    Santiago del Estero,

    Chaco and Santa Fe provinces.  One NGO, the Argentine

    Antidrug Association, was quoted on January 4 in newspaper

    ""Perfil"" saying that there were up to 1500 clandestine

    landing strips in Argentina's northwest, up 50 percent from

    2006, and that 120 flights per day were landing in Argentina

    carrying drugs, accounting for 80 percent of the cocaine

    traffic in the country.  These figures appear speculative,

    but they may reflect a real increase in exploitation by

    narcotics traffickers.  Overall, cocaine and marijuana

    seizures were up in Argentina in 2008 over 2007.

    ¶9. (SBU) Although acknowledging the threat of increased

    cocaine traffic, and even that this might increase with

    Bolivia's expulsion of the DEA, Argentine officials are less

    willing to admit the presence of organized cartels managing

    the trade or cocaine production in the country.  Fernandez in

    particular has disputed the idea that cartels are operating

    in the country.  Still, newspaper of record ""La Nacion,"" used

    a December 30 editorial to label 2008 the ""year of organized

    crime"" in Argentina, raising concerns both about the drug

    trade, rising violence, and also the recently approved

    legislation allowing for the repatriation of offshore money

    without detailing its provenance.  ""La Nacion"" worried that

    the move signaled a growing convergence of political and

    criminal interests in Argentina.

    Decriminalization Advances

    --------------------------

    ¶10. (SBU) GOA officials continue to advocate the idea of

    de-penalizing personal possession of narcotics, including

    marijuana and cocaine.  The proposal, advanced at several

    points in 2008 (ref A), has the backing of President

    Crisitina Fernandez de Kirchner, who argued that the

    Argentine Government needed to redirect resources toward

    pursuing trafficking and treating personal users.  The

    proposal was advanced in the scientific panel headed by

    public prosecutor Monica Cunaro and backed by Fernandez.

    Granero, several opposition legislators, catholic church

    officials and provincial officials from many regions have

    raised concerns about the proposal and the connection of drug

    use to crime increases: the top concern of the Argentine

    public according to recent polls.  Although Congress is

    beginning to seriously discuss how such a law might be

    structured, there is not yet a single government proposal for

    legislation.

    ¶11. (SBU) A Supreme Court ruling is expected as early as

    February 2009 in a case brought by an individual detained for

    two nights by the police for possession of marijuana

    cigarettes.  The Court will consider whether police detention

    for minor possession violated the citizen's right to privacy

    under the Constitution.  One Justice, Carmen Argibay, told

    the press that she supported the decriminalization effort and

    thought that a majority of the court would do so and other

    press reports say a majority of the court favor

    non-criminalization of possession of small amounts for

    personal use.  Legal authorities are reportedly concerned

    that a judicial ruling disallowing detention for minor

    possession will cause legal confusion until the law is

    amended to better define penalties - or depenalizing - such

    possession.

    Comment

    -------

    ¶12. (SBU) Unlike other bubbles popped in 2008, ephedrine of

    course does not lack for demand even now.  By tightening up

    import requirements, however, Argentina may have done enough

    to prevent its emergence as a long-term trafficking route for

    the chemical.  Addressing continued cocaine traffic through

    the country will not be so simple.  Decriminalization of

    personal possession would probably not change much the law

    enforcement dynamic for pursuing and prosecuting cocaine

    trafficking, but its effecton personal consumption in

    Argentina absent more extensive public awareness and

    treatment efforts may well be less than salutary.

    WAYNE

    =======================CABLE ENDS============================

`