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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY REPORT, MARCH 1996: NICARAGUA

United States Department of State

Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs


NICARAGUA

I. Summary

Nicaragua is a drug transit country with a growing consumption problem. In 1995 the Government of Nicaragua (GON) signed the Summit of the America's action plan to combat money laundering. It is unlikely that Nicaragua's weak judiciary and poorly equipped and trained police force will be able to prevent the narcotics situation from growing worse. At the request of the Nicaraguan government, DEA opened a temporary, three- month office in Managua which drew national attention to narcotics issues. Cooperation was excellent between DEA and GON law enforcement officials. At the end of the year, the government formally requested the opening of a permanent DEA office.

II. Status of Country

Evidence from USG agencies and the National Police indicates that the drug trafficking situation in Nicaragua continues to worsen. The proximity of Colombia's San Andres island coupled with the extreme poverty and unemployment of northeast Nicaragua make that region a particularly vulnerable target for traffickers. Drug use is minimal but continues to increase, especially along the Atlantic Coast where trafficking is most prevalent.

III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 1995

Policy Initiatives. In 1995 the GON failed to make significant progress on, the development of a national drug strategy. Narcotics legislation that was passed in 1994 went largely unimplemented. Committees established by the drug law met so infrequently as to render themselves ineffective. In April, the GON formally requested the opening of a temporary, three-month office of the DEA in Managua to assess the feasibility of establishing a more permanent DEA presence. The office opened in mid-August, and the agent was well received by the police, legislators and the general public. At the end of the year, the GON formally requested the establishment of a permanent DEA office in Managua. Nicaragua was the only country that did not send a high-level policy official to the October meeting of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) held in Washington.

Accomplishments. In November, Nicaraguan military and police forces cooperated with USG attempts to capture suspected traffickers operating in Nicaraguan national waters. The GON quickly granted permission for a U.S. Navy vessel and a surveillance aircraft to enter Nicaraguan waters to track a suspected trafficker and relay the information to Nicaraguan army boats. The police cooperated fully with DEA during the 90-day temporary assignment in-country and with DEA Costa Rica throughout the year.

Law Enforcement Efforts. Police interdiction efforts are greatly hampered by a lack of counternarcotics training as well as minimal material and financial support. Based on information provided by DEA, in April the police seized 1.4 mt of cocaine from a fishing vessel off the Atlantic Coast and arrested six crewmen. The police continued to arrest small-scale traffickers, resulting in nominal seizures of both cocaine and marijuana, but few convictions resulted.

Corruption. The Nicaraguan legal system is particularly weak in its ability to prosecute suspected narcotics traffickers. In April, the Nicaraguan Supreme Court dismissed a lower level magistrate after he released "for lack of evidence" five of the six crewmen arrested in the April seizure of 1.4 mt of cocaine. In another case, a judge ordered the release of a former army officer for lack of evidence linking him to the July 30 hijacking of a small chartered commercial aircraft. Authorities suspected he had organized the hijacking on behalf of Colombian drug traffickers. The GON had strong circumstantial evidence linking him to the pilot, an ex-Nicaraguan air force officer. The stolen plane was flown to Colombia, where it and the murdered body of the original pilot were later found by Colombian police.

Agreements and Treaties. Nicaragua became a party to the 1988 UN Convention on drug trafficking in 1990. The government signed no new multilateral narcotics agreements in 1995.

Drug Flow/Transit. The Atlantic Coast region with its porous coastline, offshore cays and islands is one of the major cocaine transit routes from Colombia to North America. Traffickers stage drug shipments on Nicaragua's Corn Islands, the Miskito Cays, and roughly 100 miles offshore on Colombia's San Andres island. Smaller quantities are moved up the Pacific coast and over the Pan American highway.

Domestic Programs. Drug consumption in Nicaragua is growing. The GON's Inter-agency Drug Council, established by the 1994 drug law, met three times in 1995 and proved an ineffective mechanism for debate and policy- making. Small, under-funded narcotics education programs exist, primarily among local NGOs.

IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs

Policy Initiatives. The USG continued to encourage the GON to cooperate more closely on narcotics matters with other governments in the region and with international agencies. The USG responded positively to the GON's request for a temporary DEA agent and indicated it would look favorably on the GON request for long-term DEA presence. The USG has repeatedly reminded the GON that law enforcement assistance is limited by Nicaragua's lack of progress on outstanding human rights issues involving the police.

Bilateral Cooperation. Bilateral agreements signed in 1991 and 1992 focus on demand reduction projects. In 1995 the USG disbursed some $75,000 for demand reduction projects, including the visit of major league baseball players to conduct clinics for local coaches and children with a 'say no to drugs' component.

Road Ahead. The situation in Nicaragua will continue to decline if police resources are not enhanced to counter narcotics trafficking effectively. These problems will be evident particularly on the Atlantic Coast. The USG will continue to push for greater judicial accountability in drug cases, for the development and implementation of a national narcotics policy, for stronger anti-drug legislation, and for more intensive international counternarcotics cooperation.

[Editor's Note: EXCEL file; see Charts and Graphs Directory]

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