Bolivia: Cartel haven | Refugio narco

By El Diario:

They confirm that drug traffickers take refuge in Bolivia

  • A security and defense expert identified at least eight criminal organizations in the country; meanwhile, the Government continues to deny the presence of cartels, insisting that only emissaries exist.
  • Lawmakers warn this situation could affect access to new international loans.
Bolivia labeled a refuge for criminal organizations.

The United States’ decertification of Bolivia, as a country failing to comply with international agreements against drug trafficking, confirms that the nation is a safe haven for narcotrafficking. The Government, however, insists on denying the presence of cartels, describing them merely as emissaries of criminal groups, according to analysts.

Security and defense expert Jorge Santisteban, in contact with EL DIARIO, stated that at least eight criminal organizations are operating in the country, among them Mexico’s Cartel de los Soles and Jalisco, Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua and its own government, Brazil’s Comando Vermelho and Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), as well as dissident factions of Colombia’s FARC and ELN.

He also criticized the Government’s position of “denying the obvious,” arguing that emissaries and informants of the criminal world are not capable of committing murders, laundering money, or dispatching large quantities of drugs—contradicting local authorities’ claims.

For his part, Deputy Walthy Egüez clearly stated that in Bolivia people “coexist with drug trafficking,” since it receives protection from State institutions.

“Every day we hear about score-settling, stolen drug shipments, and the transfer of hundreds of tons of cocaine involving police officers,” he said.

Moreover, after Bolivia was included on a list of countries failing to honor commitments in the fight against drug trafficking, lawmakers warned that this condition could negatively impact the country’s ability to secure new international loans, which would seriously harm the next government.

Leave a comment