Former Minister Romero Calls for International Cooperation Against Organised Crime in Bolivia
Former Minister Carlos Romero asserts that Bolivia is a centre of operations for transnational crime. The government is already coordinating with the USA, the EU and the UN.
Bolivia, a convergence point for transnational crime according to Romero
Former Government Minister Carlos Romero warned that international cooperation is indispensable for combating organised crime operating in Bolivia, in a context of increasing violence concentrated mainly in Santa Cruz. He made this statement in an interview with unitel.bo.
"Definitely, these are transnational crimes, so international cooperation is needed," Romero stated.
The former minister explained that Bolivia has become a convergence point for illicit activities linked to the trafficking of drugs, gold, mercury and coca paste. These networks, he noted, compete for strategic territories, routes and production centres within the country.
For his part, the current Government Minister, Marco Antonio Oviedo, reported that the government is working with international organisations—including United States cooperation—to establish two "super elite" units: one between San Ignacio and San Matías, and another in the department of Beni, areas identified as having the highest incidence of "narcoterrorism".
Oviedo added that there are active coordinations with the European Union, the United Nations and foreign cooperation and intelligence organisations, in joint work with the Bolivian Police.
Romero proposed that the response against transnational networks must go beyond deploying personnel. He proposed dismantling their structures through operations based on intelligence and counter-intelligence, with foreign oversight and coordination in border areas.
"If, for example, an elite group were to be quartered and cut off from communication, solely directed at striking targets determined by prior intelligence studies, within 90 days we could see the first results," he stated.
The former minister also emphasised that cooperation should be aimed at interrupting the logistics that keep these organisations operational. In that regard, he proposed activating mechanisms to track capital movements through the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), following the flow of money as the central axis of combating organised crime.
Source: Google News BO — Crime