Hnduran LAWS and 40mm Grenade Launchers in the Hands of Cartels

There is a possibility that 23 LAWS, possibly 40mm grenade launchers are in the hands of Cartels, aquired from the Honduran Military; however, this news is more than three years old....

-Gochoa

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The following is a copy of a confidential cable written by United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the US Embassy in Tegucigalpa on October 2, 2008 regarding the "possible unauthorized diversion, misuse or failure to secure" arms provided to Honduras by the US. According to the cable, the US government "has become aware that light antitank weapons (LAWs) and grenades supplied to Honduras under the Foreign Military Sales program were recovered in Mexico and Colombia". It cites a report by the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) published on July 9, 2008 entitled "Honduras: Military Weapons Fuel Black Arms Market", suggesting that the LAWs and grenades may have been provided to organized crime and specifically drug cartels during the years of the Zelaya administration.

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S E C R E T STATE 105491

SIPDIS

NOFORN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/01/2018 TAGS: MASS, MCAP, PARM, HO SUBJECT: DEMARCHE: LAX HONDURAN CONTROLS ON US-SUPPLIED WEAPONS Classified By: Classified by: Christopher W. Webster, Director WHA/CEN Reason(s) 1.4 (a),(b), (c), and (d).

1. (U) Action request contained in paras 2 and 3.

2. (S/NF) Summary: The USG has become aware that light antitank weapons (LAWs) and grenades supplied to Honduras under the Foreign Military Sales program were recovered in Mexico and Colombia. The Department's Bureau of Political Military Affairs is preparing a congressional notification (required by Section 3 of the Arms Export Control Act) regarding the possible unauthorized diversion, misuse or failure to secure such U.S.origin defense articles or defense services by the Government of Honduras (GOH). The Embassy is requested to raise this issue with appropriate GOH officials to ensure that GOH officials understand their legal end-use obligations with respect to control of US-origin defense articles, that USG end-use monitoring is being completed, and that failure to fulfill their obligations may jeopardize certain aspects of future bilateral security cooperation.

OBJECTIVES

3. (SBU) Department requests Embassy pursue the following objectives with appropriate GOH Ministries of Defense (MOD) and Foreign Affairs (MFA) officials

-- To remind GOH that is has retransfer, end-use and security obligations with respect to defense articles or defense services sold or granted by the US.

-- To ensure that the GOH realizes the importance of ensuring especially weapons, supplied under US military assistance programs to prevent unauthorized transfers.

-- To gain GOH commitment to accept responsibility for investigating unauthorized diversions and punish appropriately those held responsible.

-- To obtain GOH action to strengthen controls on import/export of weapons and other military equipment.

-- Reiterate US support for on-going weapons destruction programs or new requests for future programs. Express US willingness to provide physical security and/or stockpile management assistance to the GOH if requested.

BACKGROUND

4. (S/NF) On July 9, 2008, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) published a report entitled "Honduras: Military Weapons Fuel Black Arms Market". According to the DIA report, three light anti-tank weapons (LAWs) were recovered in Mexico City in January 2008, and one was recovered in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico in April 2008. Six more LAWs were recovered on San Andres Island, Colombia in March 2008. Factory markings analysis of lot and serial numbers undertaken by DIA's Military Materiel Identification Division (CHUCKWAGON)/MIO-5 indicates that these LAWs were part of a shipment of fifty sent to the Honduran 2nd Infantry Battalion's TESON training element. The LAWs were originally transferred to Honduras in 1992 as part of a US Foreign Military Sales program. (C/HND) In April 2008, an investigation undertaken by the Honduran military found that the 2nd Infantry Battalion's TESON training element could not account for 26 of these fifty LAWs. (S/NF) In addition, at least two US-produced M433 40-mm grenades have beenrecovered in Colombia and Mexico, according to credible sources with direct access cited in the DIA report. The only foreign military sale of M433 40-mm grenades was to Honduras in 1985.

5. (U) For more information on this issue please contact WHA/CEN: Rebecca M. Valerin (202-647-3482)

The Rest @ Honduras Weekly

Erick Turcios-Lazo of MS-13 and Peru Connection

TBDA suggests that an IP Adress in Peru has repeated and systematic interest in Erick Turcios-Lazo of MS-13. This suggests that the following IP address may be associated with MS-13

Someone at 190.236.242.197 in Lima Peru used a high resolution MAC (1280x1024) USING Operating System X on the isp Telefonica Del Peru.

Most recently, at 19th April 2011 10:05:05 Local time, they used an english language google search for the specific name "Erick Turcios-Lazo"

-Federico Gochoa

< >MS-13 leader indicted in plot to kill witness

An illegal immigrant who led a Fairfax County-based MS-13 cell was indicted late last week for allegedly conspiring to murder a federal witness who helped put a former leader of the group behind bars for life in 2006.

According to court records, Erick Turcios-Lazo, also known as “Scorpion,” attended two general MS-13 meetings in January where he and other gang members discussed killing a fellow member they believed to have been a government witness in the 2006 trial of former clique leader Wilfredo Montoya Baires.

Later that month, Fairfax County police learned from an informant that Turcios-Lazo met with gang members and pushed for the “green light” to murder the “snitch” who court records list only as “L.Q.”

In September 2006, L.Q. was seen by gang members at the Alexandria branch of the U.S. District Court of Eastern Virginia while she was responding to a subpoena to testify in the Baires trial, records said. The January vote taken by cell members in favor of ending L.Q.’s life never played out. But in 2004, Baires orchestrated the death of another gang member, named Jose Escobar.

Baires was convicted of coercing fellow gang members to kill Escobar, who he claimed was a government informant.

But in fact, witnesses said, Baires was trying to keep Escobar from usurping his power. Escobar’s death was among a string of gang-related homicides that led federal and state authorities to pour resources into Northern Virginia to fight the rising tide of gang activity.

Since then, the murders have fallen dramatically.

fklopott@dcexaminer.com

The Rest @ The Washington Post-examiner