Bolivia Arrests Ex-Anti-Drug Chief After Cocaine Lab Found on Property

Felipe Cáceres, Bolivia's former head of the Department of Controlled Substances from 2006 to 2019, was arrested after a cocaine laboratory was discovered on his property in Puerto Villarroel, a region known for coca cultivation. The lab, large enough to employ ten people, was found converting coca leaves into cocaine hydrochloride, an illegal drug, although it remains unclear if Cáceres directly controlled the operation. Cáceres, who previously led a coca growers' union and had close ties to former president Evo Morales, faces scrutiny amid Bolivia's ongoing struggles with drug-related corruption and scandals involving former anti-narcotics officials. Morales has denounced the arrest as a "set-up" and alleged a conspiracy by the current government to distract from its own scandals. Bolivia is the world's third largest cocaine producer after Colombia and Peru, and its legal coca cultivation remains a contentious issue due to blurred lines between licit and illicit production. This case adds to a series of high-profile drug trafficking allegations within Bolivia's anti-drug agencies, highlighting the complex and politically charged nature of the country's drug policy enforcement.