FBIS3-41158 "jptdd006__l94025"
JPRS-TDD-94-006-L Document Type:JPRS Document Title:Narcotics 7 February 1994
LATIN AMERICA PERU

Army Chief: 30 Officers Faced Drug Charges in 1993

PY0402155994 Lima LA REPUBLICA in Spanish 27 Jan 94 p 3 PY0402155994 Lima LA REPUBLICA Language: Spanish Article Type:BFN [Report by special correspondent Juan Zegarra Salas] [Text] Huanuco, 26 Jan -- General Nicolas de Bari Hermoza Rios, chairman of the Armed Forces Joint Command, yesterday revealed that 30 military officers were charged in 1993 in military courts for their involvement in drug trafficking. He noted that stiff prison sentences have already been handed down on 13 of these officers. Gen. Hermoza made these remarks at a time when press reports link trafficker Demetrio Chavez Penaherrera, aka Vaticano, with senior Army officers assigned to the Huallaga Front. Gen. Hermoza, who is also the Army commander, has flatly denied these reports. He did not rule out, however, the possibility that ongoing military court investigations may yield some results. He said: I can tell you that 13 officers who were convicted for their ties with drug traffickers are currently serving stiff prison sentences. He added that charges have been filed against 17 other officers for their involvement in the illegal drug trade. These officers are standing trial and will soon be sentenced. Regarding the responsibility of the Army and the other services in these cases, Hermoza made it clear that these isolated cases will in no way tarnish the image of the Armed Forces because they uphold unshakeable patriotic principles. He again contended that there are only isolated crimes committed by military personnel and that these cases do not undermine morale within the security forces. Gen. Hermoza said this after a quick tour of Tarapoto, Tingo Maria, and Huanuco, where the drug trade has expanded to every sector. Foreign and Peruvian journalists alike have repeatedly reported that some Army officers are collecting bribes from traffickers to allow them to ship their illegal merchandise. General Alfredo Rodriguez Riveros, the new political-military chief of the Huallaga Front, has announced that a special battalion led by Peruvian Army commander "Arturo" has been created to fight the traffickers, "who are close allies of the Shining Path." Gen. Rodriguez added that the Army is currently using electronic devices that are used in times of war to investigate, identify, and rigorously and forcefully bring to trial--just as it does with terrorists--any officers engaged in crime. Gen. Rodriguez said the Army Inspector's Office is using taped reports and all other evidence available in intelligence work to identify those officers who may be involved in this serious crime. Gen. Hermoza noted that in the past there was only one inspector handling this type of problem in the Huallaga Front. Hermoza added: Today I have assigned four colonel-inspectors with their respective aides to monitor the activities of military personnel assigned to that zone. Hermoza emphatically stated that military criminals will be punished as severely as common criminals. Hermoza also briefly commented on a document recently published by LA REPUBLICA containing a message from Abimael Guzman to his followers. Gen. Hermoza ruled out the possibility that the Shining Path will hold its Second National Congress. Hermoza stated that when communists analyze both objective and subjective conditions they will realize that they have no chance of winning. He added: Besides, they have already lost international support and are lacking what they call "leadership" because their leaders, who are imprisoned at the Callao Naval Base, now have no control over their followers. This is why, he said, through an adequate intelligence work, our security forces have managed to arrest more terrorists. He said the "Peace Accord" between the government and Shining Path is a political subject. Hermoza added that a political war is now being waged. He said every sector of national life is participating in this war, which should be named "Pacification." Hermoza reiterated that the Shining Path extremist organization has absolutely no chance of carrying out an activity like its Second National Congress. Commenting on the presentation to the media of 18 "confirmed terrorist criminals" at the Huanuco-based "Los Avelinos" barracks, Hermoza emphasized that these criminals were unharmed, that they do not have a single scratch. Raising his voice, Hermoza rhetorically asked: Where are the human rights organizations? Why have they not commented on the number of skilled terrorist criminals who have been arrested in the past two years without having suffered a single scratch? This, he said, is one of the many indicators of the way human rights is being respected in the country.