The announcement of a 21-ton seizure of cocaine in Bolivia, if true, reinforces the country’s role as a drug producer and transit hub that enables shipments to move almost anywhere in South America.
Bolivian authorities destroyed 21.6 tons of what they claimed was high-purity cocaine disguised as whole soy flour that was seized on October 15. The shipment was destined for the port of Hamburg, Germany. In theory, this would be the largest drug seizure in Bolivia’s recent history but there are doubts about the amount of drugs seized.
The cocaine was found in a truck loaded with 430 bags of what was made to look like whole soy flour, each weighing 50 kg, said Jaime Mamani, Bolivia’s vice minister of social defense and controlled substances. The vehicle attempted to leave Bolivia through the Tambo Quemado border into Chile, where authorities made the seizure.
But unless each bag contained pure cocaine, the seizure is unlikely to have amounted to 21.6 tons of drugs. The merchandise pictured in photos from the seizure appeared to be mixed with flour, suggesting that the shipment wasn’t high-purity cocaine.
Mamani also said that the anti-narcotics authorities “carried out investigative work where they identified suspicious cargo that was being exported from a grain trading company with Germany as its final destination.” With this information, they were able to conduct chemical tests on several of the sacks that showed positive results for cocaine hydrochloride.
SEE ALSO:InSight Crime’s 2023 Cocaine Seizure Round-Up
Bolivia has the largest legal coca leaf industry in the world, and is the planet’s third-largest coca producer, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). In recent years, the country has shown a steady growth in cocaine production. Coca leaf cultivation now exceeds the limit of legal hectares allowed in the country, and cultivation is happening in protected areas and national parks, where cocaine laboratories have also been found.
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The recent seizure not only highlights the boom in local cocaine production in Bolivia, but also raises questions about the reliability of official figures.
Bolivia’s role has historically been as a transit point for cocaine from Peru and as an exporter of coca base paste. However findings such as these could indicate an increase in domestic cocaine production. Cocaine seizure data in Bolivia shows has shown steady growth since 2020. Some 33 tons of cocaine were seized in 2023, according to the anti-narcotics force (Fuerza de Lucha Contra el Narcotráfico – FELCN). As of September 30, 2024, the FELCN has reported 37.7 tons seized.
Adding this most recent seizure to the existing 2024 volume would show an increase of close to 78% in cocaine seizures in Bolivia. But, even though government minister Eduardo del Castillo and Vice Minister Mamani confirmed the presence of UNODC in the destruction of the cocaine shipment via Facebook, no international authority has verified the seizure data yet.
SEE ALSO:Drug Trafficking Creeps into Bolivia’s Amazon National Parks
Damian Zaitch, an expert on trafficking routes in the Southern Cone, told InSight Crime that “there is an iron law” in drug trafficking studies. “The closer to production, the larger the shipments seized. For many years the statistics on seizures have generated doubts for many reasons. What is interesting is the implication of this change in seizure statistics in Bolivia—is it positive or negative? Is it because there is more production or because the seizure rate increased? That question remains to be answered.”
Bolivia is going through a period of social and political turmoil, a context that organized crime groups often take advantage of to expand their illicit activities. In addition, some of the cocaine produced in the country could be derived from legal coca crops, the existence of which has generated tensions with the United States and other countries in the region.
An example of this is the recent seizure of almost half a ton of cocaine in Argentina transported in a Bolivian-registered light aircraft piloted by a Bolivian Air Force colonel, which raises questions about the credibility of Bolivian officials in the fight against drug trafficking.
While Bolivia defends traditional coca cultivation, the line between licit production and that destined for drug trafficking has become increasingly blurred, which could intensify diplomatic conflicts and external pressures on the country.
Featured Image: Bolivia’s security forces with seized bags of flour containing cocaine. Credit: Bolivia’s Vice Minister of Social Defence and Controlled Substances Facebook page.
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Publish date : 2024-11-01 07:07:00
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