Bolivian Public Prosecutor's Office investigates three murders with suspected drug trafficking links in Santa Cruz and Beni
Bolivia's Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating three homicides in Santa Cruz and Beni with possible drug trafficking connections. The general prosecutor activated coordination mechanisms with the Ministry of Government.
Three homicides in eastern Bolivia under suspicion of drug trafficking links
Bolivia's Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating three murders recorded in the departments of Santa Cruz and Beni with possible links to drug trafficking, according to infobae.com reported on Monday 14 September. The incidents occur amid a sustained increase in violence which authorities attribute to illicit activities.
The general prosecutor, Róger Mariaca, stated to the media that "all mechanisms have been activated" to coordinate investigative work between the Public Prosecutor's Office of Santa Cruz, the country's largest region, and the Ministry of Government.
Two dead in San Ignacio de Velasco in a matter of hours
Two of the crimes occurred on Sunday in San Ignacio de Velasco, a locality situated 461 kilometres north-east of the Santa Cruz capital. One of the victims, a 36-year-old man, was shot 25 times. Hours later the murder of a 22-year-old young man in the same municipality was confirmed.
The departmental police commander of Santa Cruz, Edson Fernández, stated to local media that both incidents would be linked to illicit activities and announced the deployment of personnel to the area.
The Santa Cruz governor, Juan Pablo Velasco, warned on his social media that the department "is on edge" and that "a threshold is being crossed that demands extraordinary decisions". Velasco demanded a tripling of police presence in the affected areas, strengthening of intelligence units, and asked the Ministry of Defence to "militarise" the Chiquitania region to combat organised crime.
Third homicide in the Amazonian department of Beni
In Beni, the departmental prosecutor Silvia Valverde reported the murder of an unidentified man, who was shot twice in the head.
Foreign nationals detained and heavy-calibre weapons in anti-drug operations
Last week, the Minister of Government, Marco Antonio Oviedo, warned about the increase in detentions of foreign nationals in anti-drug operations in Bolivia, along with the confiscation of "heavy-calibre" weapons and dozens of small aircraft used to transport cocaine abroad.
The government of President Rodrigo Paz attributed these crimes to the dispute between Brazilian criminal organisations First Command of the Capital (PCC) and Red Commando (CV) over drug trafficking routes on the Bolivian-Brazilian border, which has generated a wave of constant violence in that border region.
In August, the Ministry of Government announced that Brazil's Federal Police will shortly open a permanent office in Bolivia to strengthen the fight against organised crime and facilitate information exchange between both countries.
Source: Google News BO — Crime