Bolivia and Brazil launch military patrols on the Mamoré River against drug trafficking
Bolivia and Brazil activated the "Secure Border" plan with joint military patrols on the Mamoré River. The operation aims to halt drug trafficking and smuggling in the Beni border zone.
Binational plan deploys military and police forces on the Beni border
Bolivia and Brazil launched a joint border security scheme aimed at combating organised crime in the border zone, according to canaln.pe. The initiative, called the Secure Border plan, was officially presented in the town of Guayaramerín, in the department of Beni.
The operation includes military-character patrols in the Mamoré River sector, with deployment of specialised personnel and vessels from both countries. Bolivian and Brazilian security forces will carry out permanent coordination for the surveillance of areas considered strategic.
The launch ceremony brought together government authorities from Bolivia, regional representatives and delegates from the Brazilian government, who established the lines of cooperation for the protection of the border strip.
During the presentation, Bolivia's president, Rodrigo Paz, underscored the institutional presence in the zone: "Our Bolivian police are here, our armed forces are here, so that together with our brothers from Brazil we can carry out a plan that provides greater security for our borders. This is not only with Brazil, it is with all the borders that Bolivia has."
The Bolivian Police, with participation of its special forces, assumed as a priority task the fight against drug trafficking at border points. The binational plan also includes operational interventions aimed at counteracting the smuggling that affects the border towns.
The monitoring of the Mamoré River—identified as a critical area for the transit of unauthorised goods and illicit substances—will be continuous and will be carried out by vessels assigned to the Beni region. The operations will be developed in combined form between the military and police contingents deployed in the zone.
The agreement signed between institutional representatives establishes mechanisms for the exchange of strategic information on the structure of criminal organisations active in the border strip. This component seeks to optimise prevention, investigation and control tasks in the most vulnerable zones of both countries.
The authorities ratified that control procedures will remain under the supervision of police chiefs and military commanders in the department of Beni, with the aim of reducing the capacity for movement of organised crime on the border.
Source: Google News BO — Crime