Narcotraffick 101: The masista legacy | Narcotráfico 101: El legado masista

By Jorge Soruco, Visión 360:

The country’s privileged geographic location is coveted by criminal groups

Bolivia: a hub for drug production, transit, and distribution for cartels

Cartels from Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico operate in Bolivia, sparking violence and exposing the lack of international coordination, according to experts.

Los casos de carteles en Bolivia. CREACIÓN: Abecor / Visión 360

Cases of cartels in Bolivia. CREATION: Abecor / Visión 360

The scandal broke on Monday, September 8, when Brazil’s O Globo network aired a report revealing that one of the top leaders of the Brazilian criminal organization Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) had been living in Santa Cruz de la Sierra for 10 years. The report not only triggered a government response but also reinforced the notion that Bolivia has become a hub for drug production, transit, and distribution, according to specialists and former authorities.

They agree that the country’s strategic geographic location allows criminal organizations to move drugs between both ends of the continent. However, government authorities continue to insist that “no international cartels operate in Bolivia,” though they admit emissaries are sent to carry out illicit activities.

“The signs are clear: Bolivia has already been infiltrated by dangerous criminal organizations from Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico, and this happened a long time ago. To say otherwise is either lying or, worse, refusing to recognize the risks,” said researcher Carlos Börth.

For his part, Carlos Romero, former Minister of Government, recalls that Bolivia’s geographic position and long borders with neighboring countries made it an especially attractive center for drug trafficking. He also warns that “we must not forget this activity fuels and connects with other illicit acts.”

PCC boss Sérgio Luiz de Freitas Filho, who lived in Santa Cruz. PHOTO: Tv Globo

The names and cases are being mentioned more and more frequently: drug-trafficking-related victims executed; people killed using mafia-style methods from the Balkans; PCC and Comando Vermelho leaders from Brazil living lavishly in Bolivian cities; kidnappings in western Bolivia attributed to the Tren de Aragua criminal group, among others.

“We must clarify that there are no cartels in our country. What we see are emissaries who permanently come to promote the business.”
Luis Arce

A useful territory

“What explains the presence of these organizations is that Bolivia has become a sort of distribution center for cocaine and, increasingly, marijuana. In other words, we continue producing cocaine, but we also serve as a transit point for Peruvian coca paste from the VRAEM valley —a very fertile area watered by the Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro rivers— where coca is produced,” Börth explains.

The specialist goes on to say that the material can be refined in various Bolivian regions or moved to the border with Brazil. There, the load is split between domestic consumption and exports shipped through ports to Europe.

This model emerged due to increased coca production in Colombia and Peru. Romero says that in the first two decades of the 21st century, those two countries controlled 90% of the region’s coca crops, leaving Bolivia “reduced to only 10%.” “That is when the country was reclassified as a transit country,” the former authority states.

Fugitive Uruguayan drug lord Sebastián Marset. PHOTO: ABI

The United Nations International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) evaluates territorial situations to determine each country’s status regarding drug trafficking. For its assessments, it considers various factors, including overall criminal activity, the amount of seized controlled substances, and reports from authorities.

In this context, Romero explains that over the past two decades, important regional shifts have occurred. “One relevant factor is that Brazil is no longer just a drug transit country but also one of consumption and trade. Colombia, meanwhile, has basically become the main supplier for the United States, via Mexico and Central America’s Northern Triangle.”

Another factor is the lack of local cartels. Romero explains this is because Bolivia’s population is too small to establish an organization as large and structured as a cartel.

Börth points out that local clans are the formula used by Bolivians. These differ from large foreign groups in that their structure is more informal and horizontal, while a cartel has a rigid, military-like hierarchy: a leader commanding captains, who in turn oversee soldiers of different ranks.

“In a couple of months, a new government will take office. The decisions it makes will determine whether Bolivia reaches the levels of violence seen in Colombia or Ecuador.”
Carlos Börth

This has increased interest in the region. Adding to this is the arrival of groups from the Balkans, a geopolitical area in southeastern Europe encompassing countries such as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia—primarily Albanians.

The installation of cartels follows a process similar to how international corporations expand abroad. “When a foreign industry settles in Bolivia, Peru, or elsewhere, it always seeks local collaboration. That is inevitable, because locals know the information, the context, the geography, the psychology, etc. That is why, at first, foreign criminal organizations operate jointly with Bolivian family clans, who act as suppliers and intermediaries between foreign bosses and coca growers,” Romero explains.

However, this does not mean an equal partnership. The cartels call the shots, while the local clans only provide specific services. If they fail, violence is usually the swiftest—and often the only—response.

Rising violence

Wherever a drug-trafficking circuit is established, violence inevitably follows. From robberies to massacres, the signs of cartel activity are now visible in Bolivia.

“In the last four years, we’ve seen more cases of contract killings than at any other time in our history,” Romero laments. Börth warns that the country is facing an escalation of aggression, raising fears that Bolivia could soon resemble Ecuador or Mexico.

The process is similar across much of the continent: first comes the turf war between foreign gangs and local groups; then, score-settling and punishments handed down by high-ranking “officers” to their “soldiers,” drug dealers, or transporters.

Captured PCC member Roberto de Almeida was handed over to Brazilian police. PHOTO: ABI

Soon after, the dead become casualties of cartel wars, as seen in conflicts between Brazil’s PCC and Comando Vermelho, or among different Balkan factions.

The next level is attacks against police, judicial, regional, and national authorities, as well as journalists and social leaders who refuse to be bought. “That’s what we saw in Colombia during Pablo Escobar’s era, and what we’re now witnessing in Ecuador, where the military was overwhelmed by Albanians,” Börth notes.

This escalation is both circumstantial and strategic. “Drug trafficking is obviously driven by violence. Right now, Latin America holds 9% of the world’s population but accounts for between 42% and 44% of global violence, most of it tied to narcotics,” Romero states.

“To reproduce itself, drug trafficking needs violence, which grows exponentially. Once criminal organizations consolidate their presence in a territory, they divide up the routes and strategic areas, and then begin regulating criminal behavior to divert law enforcement’s attention,” he adds.

That means other forms of crime—kidnappings, robberies, human trafficking—are directed by cartel leaders to scatter the state’s security forces. This stretches government resources thinner, giving drug traffickers more freedom of movement.

“Cartel activity has always existed in Bolivia, to a greater or lesser extent. In the 1980s, Cali and Medellín cartels set up cocaine labs in Beni.”
Carlos Romero

This goes hand in hand with the loss of control in certain regions where cartels are entrenched. Experts point to parallels: Argentina lost control of Rosario; Chile had to militarize its northern border with Bolivia and Peru after police were overwhelmed; and Mexico was forced in 2021 to release a drug trafficker under cartel pressure.

In Bolivia, cartel presence is most evident in the Tropic of Cochabamba—both a hotspot for drug traffickers and the political stronghold of former president Evo Morales—and in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, where several PCC bosses lived under false identities and where cases linked to Albanian mafias have been documented.

Last week, authorities even labeled Santa Cruz a “sanctuary city”—a refuge for fugitives from abroad seeking to “cool off,” lying low to avoid capture while enjoying a life of luxury.

So far this year, three PCC bosses have been identified in such situations. The first was Marcos Roberto de Almeida, alias Tuta, arrested in May after a Segip official reported that he was trying to renew an ID card under a false name.

The second was Alex Heleno Da Silva, arrested in August when Bolivian police found 54 grams of marijuana in his possession during a search.

The third case was uncovered on Monday, September 8, in O Globo’s exposé, which revealed that Sérgio Luiz de Freitas Filho, alias Mijão, a PCC boss, had lived in Bolivia for a decade.

Another is Sebastián Marset, leader of the First Uruguayan Cartel, who also hid in Santa Cruz and even played for a local soccer team.

The Minister of Government briefed the press on the PCC capo. PHOTO: APG

Yet the government of Luis Arce continues to deny cartel presence. Minister of Government Roberto Ríos insists that what exists are merely “emissaries.”

Experts strongly disagree. “Cartel activity has always existed in Bolivia, to a greater or lesser extent. In the 1980s, Cali and Medellín cartels set up cocaine labs in Beni,” Romero argues.

Börth also recalls that in that decade, Jorge Roca Suárez, better known as Techo de Paja, tried to form his own cartel but failed. He adds that current organizations gained a strong foothold about 15 years ago, during Evo Morales’ administration.

On the edge

Experts warn this has left the country on the brink. “In a couple of months, a new government will take office and will have to face the situation. Whether Bolivia reaches the level of violence now seen in Colombia, Mexico, or Ecuador will depend on the decisions it makes,” Börth cautions.

Romero stresses that the issue must be tackled structurally. “It’s not enough to attack only the symptoms. Joint action with neighboring countries is essential, since this is a regional problem. And because of the infiltration of European mafias, it’s also necessary to coordinate with Europol to design a better strategy.”

Joint actions must be established with the authorities of neighboring countries, as this is a regional problem. Furthermore, due to the infiltration of European mafias, it is necessary to contact Europol to design a better strategy.

Part of the problem is that Peru and Brazil have an excessively long border, exceeding 5,000 kilometers. This means that the boundaries are riddled with weak points.

Elvis Riola de Andrade, PCC member, arrested in Bolivia. PHOTO: ABI

Shootouts and executions: an imported crime model

Between August and September, more than a dozen people were killed in public shootings in El Alto (La Paz), Guayaramerín (Beni), and Santa Cruz, as well as in communities like Entre Ríos in the Tropic of Cochabamba.

These contract killings were marked by extreme violence: attackers, often ambushing victims from vehicles, emptied entire magazines into their targets. In one Santa Cruz case, an autopsy revealed a victim had been hit by 100 bullets.

Experts such as criminologist Gabriela Reyes and Colonel Jorge Toro argue that this type of crime signals the involvement of foreign criminal organizations. “It’s an imported model,” Reyes told Visión 360.

Toro added that these attacks go beyond eliminating a target—they seek to completely destroy it. “When you fire that many rounds into one person, the attacker’s goal isn’t just to kill. It’s to ensure death 100% and cause maximum destruction. With a hundred bullets, the body is shredded,” he warned.

This trend also includes physical and psychological torture. Some victims were beaten to death, while others were executed in their own territory—clear signs of escalating violence.

EVIDENCE

REPORT. Vice Minister of Social Defense and Controlled Substances Jaime Mamani stated that during his administration, 38 foreigners were expelled, some of them members of Brazil’s Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC). He also affirmed that emissaries of this criminal organization have been entering Bolivian territory since 1997, meaning for more than 28 years.

URUGUAY. Sebastián Marset, the self-proclaimed “King of the South,” is Uruguay’s most notorious criminal. In 2022 he settled in Santa Cruz, where he even played soccer for a professional team.

BRAZIL. Sérgio Luiz de Freitas Filho, a PCC member, entered Bolivia irregularly and in 2011 married a Bolivian citizen to obtain naturalization. With forged documents, he secured a national ID card in 2014, along with a driver’s license.

IDENTITY. In May, Marcos Roberto de Almeida, alias Tuta, was arrested in Santa Cruz after attempting to renew an ID card under a false name.

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