Brazil seizes 260 tonnes of Bolivian timber impregnated with cocaine in joint operation
Cargo exported from Santa Cruz was intercepted in Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso. Authorities suspect the drug was in liquid form inside the timber.
Brazil seizes 260 tonnes of Bolivian timber impregnated with cocaine in joint operation
A cargo of 260 tonnes of timber from Bolivia was confiscated in Brazil after authorities suspected the material had been treated with liquid cocaine. The operation, named "Escudo Maderero", involved the participation of the DEA, Bolivia's National Customs authority and Brazilian authorities, according to information from the portal eju.tv.
The police operation unfolded in the cities of Corumbá, in Mato Grosso do Sul, and Cáceres, in Mato Grosso, following days of monitoring and intelligence data exchange between the countries. Four lorries transporting timber from the department of Santa Cruz were intercepted. The product had been legally exported, but Brazilian authorities detected signs that the cargo was contaminated with drugs.
The case gained political repercussions in Bolivia. The vice-president of the Pro-Santa Cruz Civic Committee, Agustín Zambrana, classified the episode as a "national disgrace" and demanded that the Bolivian government establish responsibility and apply severe punishments to those involved. He argued that the situation demonstrates flaws in internal controls and a permissive stance by previous governments, which would have transformed the country into territory favourable for drug trafficking.
Zambrana stated that, if the Bolivian State had not detected the drugs before export, there are responsibilities to be determined. He called for transparency in the investigations and warned that one should not negotiate with organised crime. "We need to show our society that we will not negotiate with drug trafficking", he declared at a press conference.
The civic leader also mentioned a similar incident that occurred at the beginning of the month in Chile, where approximately a thousand tonnes of timber exported by 15 Bolivian companies were seized. Chilean authorities reportedly found approximately 100 tonnes of cocaine impregnated in the material. Zambrana also cited previous cases, such as that of Uruguayan trafficker Sebastián Marset, to support his criticism of Bolivian institutional fragility in combating drug trafficking over the past 15 to 20 years.
Investigations into the destination and those responsible for the cargo seized in Brazil continue to be underway.
Source: Google News BO — Crime