In a major milestone in the fight against drug trafficking, Bolivia announced on Tuesday that it has destroyed 21.6 tonnes of cocaine following the country’s largest-ever drug seizure. The operation took place on October 15, and authorities described it as one of the largest single seizures in recent years across the Andean region.
La FELCN incautó 21,6 toneladas de clorhidrato de cocaína en el paso fronterizo de Tambo Quemado, en el departamento de Oruro. El viceministro de Defensa Social y Sustancias Controladas, Jaime Mamani, confirmó que el cargamento estaba camuflado como "harina integral de soya". pic.twitter.com/w17QIKn08Y
— El Bunker (@BunkerBolivia) October 29, 2024
Bolivia’s Interior Minister Eduardo del Castillo shared the news on Facebook, informing both the nation and the international community about the massive drug destruction. According to del Castillo, the seized cocaine was intended for shipment to Germany.
“This marks the largest seizure in Bolivia’s history and stands as one of the region’s most significant operations in recent years,” del Castillo noted. The incineration took place near Oruro, a city in western Bolivia.
Initially, authorities suspected the shipment was a mix of soya and cocaine. However, laboratory tests soon confirmed it was pure cocaine, as reported by an unnamed law enforcement source to AFP. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) validated the test results, confirming the purity and volume of the narcotics seized.
Three individuals linked to the company preparing to export the cocaine under the guise of a soya shipment were arrested, according to Deputy Minister for Social Defence and Controlled Substances, Jaime Mamani.
