MSG093G/01E DRUGS-LATIN AMERICA: Eight-Nation Operation Fights Drug Trade
LA PAZ, Nov 10 (IPS) - A massive operation to control the illegal traffick of precursorschemicals used in cocaine productionin Bolivia began Monday with the participation of seven South American nations and the United States.
The is a joint effort by anti-drug units in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and the United States, according to Bolivian Social Defence Secretary Mario Soliz.
"Our goal is to prevent the entry of precursors that are then used for the preparation of basic cocaine paste," Soliz said.
In Bolivia, the operation, known as "Breaking Down Borders," includes more than 150 police officers and 450 special forces from anti-drug organisations and the army.
The authorities report that Bolivia has become the leading market for chemical precursors such as acetone, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid and caustic soda, which enter the country primarily from Argentina, Brazil and Chile.
These products are sent to the central Bolivian Chapare region where some 40,000 hectares of coca are under cultivation. The precursors are used to process the coca into basic cocaine paste.
Soliz explained that the countries participating in the operation - five of which share borders with Bolivia - see the threat of drugs not only in cocaine exports to U.S. and European markets, but also in local consumption.
According to the Bolivian Minister, drugs produced in Bolivia are refined in Brazilian and Peruvian territory, then sent to Colombia. Later, they are sent to Venezuela an Argentina, eventually reaching consumers in Europe and the United States.
The operation has led to the arrests of 15 presumed drug traffickers and the confiscation of an undisclosed quantity of drugs and precursors, according to reports from the Special Force Against Drug Trafficking commanded by General Renato Lopez.
The General stated that the joint Southern Cone operation "will at no time extend beyond the borders of each country."
However, opposition lawmakers warn that the sovereignty of Bolivia and the other Southern Cone nations is threatened by U.S. intervention in coordination and logistical tasks of the "Breaking Down Borders" operation.
"While limiting the drug trade, combined operations further reduce the country's independence...coordination of the operation implies foreign intrusion into Bolivian issues," argued Benjamin Miguel, a Constitutionalist legislator.
"Dangerous historical precedents may be found in Latin America involving (foreign) involvement leading to militarisation," he added.
© Inter Press Service (2014) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service