Bolivia signs $20 million US deal to fight drug trafficking
WASHINGTON—Bolivia and the United States have inked a new cooperation agreement worth up to $20 million (about £15 million) to train and equip Bolivian security forces in a joint effort to curb drug smuggling.
The foreign ministry said the U.S. will provide technical assistance, equipment and other forms of support as part of a broader strategy to strengthen institutions dealing with public security, criminal investigations and organized crime.
Re‑establishing ties after more than a decade—the last time Bolivia welcomed the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration was in 2008—Bolivia’s centrist president Rodrigo Paz has recently joined the Shield of the Americas, a U.S.‑led security initiative that includes thirteen other Latin‑American countries. The alliance issued a statement on 21 May reaffirming support for the Bolivian government amid widespread protests.
The deal arrives less than two weeks after President Paz designated former “drug czar” Ernesto Justiniano as the new defence minister. Under the agreement, the U.S. will help train Bolivian troops, supply new equipment and enhance intelligence sharing to disrupt drug supply chains.
While Bolivia is the world’s third‑largest coca producer, the new pact comes at a time when U.S. forces are increasing anti‑narco patrols across the Caribbean and Pacific. U.S. Southern Command has carried out strikes on vessels suspected of transporting illicit drugs, a move that some legal experts say could conflict with international law. The joint U.S.–Bolivian cooperation is intended to complement these efforts by addressing the problem at its roots in South America.
For Bolivia, the partnership signals a significant shift from the years of isolation that followed the expulsion of the DEA in 2008, and it underscores the country’s pivot towards a more collaborative stance on drug‑trading issues with its northern neighbour.
