A member of Bolivian antidrug police guard some of the drugs confiscated in the three-week operation by Bolivian police and supported by the DEA. The U.S. agency is expected to return to the country soon. File Photo by Martin Alipaz/EPA
The Bolivian government has confirmed that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will return to the country “very soon,” marking the biggest shift in Bolivia’s anti-drug policy since the government of Evo Morales expelled the agency in 2008.
Presidential spokesperson Carla Faval said President Rodrigo Paz will announce in the coming days the details and timeline for the DEA’s return, in line with restored cooperation with the United States and several of its agencies, although it remains unclear whether a formal agreement exists, the local newspaper El Deber reported.
The agency’s return coincides with the start of the administration of President Rodrigo Paz, who took office Nov. 8 and planned to rebuild Bolivia’s bilateral relationship with Washington.
Paz will travel to the United States next week to seek technical security assistance and advance agreements related to hydrocarbon supplies.
According to local media, relations between Bolivia and the United States began to recover during the presidential campaign and deepened when U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau attended Paz’s inauguration and both countries announced plans to restore ambassadors.
The DEA left Bolivia 17 years ago after Evo Morales cut diplomatic relations with the United States and expelled U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg, whom he accused of supporting opposition groups.
Since then, Bolivia has developed its own model for coca-leaf control and local operations without foreign agencies. According to United Nations data, Bolivia is the world’s third-largest producer of coca and cocaine, behind Colombia and Peru.
Paz said Bolivia must “open itself to the world” and receive cooperation on security, energy and the fight against transnational crime.
Bolivia’s Foreign Ministry is reviewing the legal framework for that cooperation because the Constitution prohibits the presence of foreign armed forces on national soil.
Former President Evo Morales said in October that the DEA cannot operate in the country under that constitutional restriction and called for a referendum to decide on its return.
“The DEA is going to come back, but the Constitution does not allow foreign armed personnel on national territory,” Morales said on his Kawsachun Coca radio program.
He also said the agency “harmed” former President Jaime Paz Zamora, the current president’s father, when the United States revoked visas for MIR party leaders in the 1990s during anti-drug investigations.
Morales repeated his position on X, opposing any foreign intervention and warning about the risks of subordination.
Female presidents who shaped Latin America
Violeta Chamorro, NicaraguaPresident-elect of Nicaragua Violeta Chamorro makes victory signs after attending Sunday service in Houston on March 11, 1990. Chamorro was the first woman elected president of Nicaragua and the first female president in the Americas. She led the country from 1990 to 1997 following the end of the Contra War. Photo by George Wong/UPI | License Photo
latin
“The dignity and sovereignty of our peoples are not negotiable,” he wrote.
He also urged Paz to clarify the terms of the cooperation in the context of the fuel crisis that has affected the country for months.
President Paz said Bolivia should not fear international institutions seeking to cooperate on security.
“Anyone who wants to oppose that effort will have to consider their situation in Bolivia. Justice and transparency must be applied here,” he said at a news conference.
