Bolivia: Tlie Cocaine Industry]
Any Bolivian eo*tinment would have difficultyihe country's illicit narcoticsif il warnedof Uk pervasiveness of the drug induauy. Cocaine ei ports are approximatelyillion annually, and profits trickle down to all levels of society. Drug control efforts arc hampered by the power and efficiency of tbe traffickers, corruption at most levels of government, ihc growing involTcment of mihlary officers, and Bolivia's chronic poll lie* I
A committed regime bolstered by outside financial and technicalcould cut illegal cocaine exports over the long term by holdingin traditional growing areas to tbe levels required to meet domestic coruumplioa Frw Bob nanhave been witting to participate iarogram, however, claiming Instead that controlling the drug Industry Is the major responsibility ofcon-samiag countries, fjfj
Background
Tbe coca plant has been grown on the Andean slopes of Bolivia for thousands of years. Chewing the leaf miUgaic* feelings of cokt and hunger aad supplies energy so tbe body. Coca chewing is Segal aadin the high pUtni and attaint districts; the habit is Ingrained among Indian laborers, and coca lea it consumed by all social cliii" "fj
The surge in ihc popularity of cocaine in the United States during, however, spurred Bolivia's major drug roeichanu tohriving industry built on Ibe traditional coca infrauracturc Increased demand for tbe drug in its mora refined stages resultedroliferation of local cocaine factories, altering Bolivia's traditional roleupplier of cocaine pasteetworks ia neighboring countries. Tbe leafften processed directly into hf snore valuableocaine base and cocaine
Traffickers In Society
Drug traffickers have become an integral pan of Bolivian soctciy They ire toprotected by tocal police and government official! in their home base in Santa Cm/ lhat prosecution is nearly impossible. Key traffickers operate wiih relativeesserwhen jpiyrehcodetl. usually can bribe oflioibeir case* JHaBaaBaVaaY
Mayor traffickers ia Bottvb are Mot loetal pariahs On the conliary, ihey often belongome of the couii-iry's most infiueniial
Deapne their social posit Mo. however, the traffickers do nut hesitate to use force *hen eiossed High-level police officials who try to turn down bribes often cooperate after their families are threatened Ranch-en who refuse to trow coca find their cattle killed In general. Little rivalry occars among various infficklnt groaps because of the hoi* amounts of coca available and the steady customer demand for the product. Traffickers reportedly even help one inoihcr fill rush 'vders for largeIBaaaW
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la addition lo the diu(ffioeiscj aad power, the success of the cocaine liade results from ihe active cooperation of large segments of Bolivian society thai share n* Ihe profits "fffj
Boli. m'l peasant* art the backbone or ibe narcotics industry The majority ban beea poverty stricken for centuries, eking oat IhasV exist oca cas small plots of land. The peasant* were quick to accept the coca bonanzaay to break the cycle of economic hardship. The bush ks easy io cultivate aad can be harvested ap to Tourear, which aot onlyear-round cash supply but also allows the purchase of such luxuries as appliances, motorcycles,tereos, and concrete house* *JJg*j
Other peasant! are drawn from Steal agricol tarsi pursuitsork ia cocaine factories, wteie aa eight -hour shiA can bring them as much a* right times Ibe paylay's workarm. They are employed primarily to sump on coca leaves mixed withIn lanefirst stage ia producingjjasssjgajjasjj
Unlike ihe cam. bo arc paid for their crop, civileven the highest levels ofsupplcrneni their income with bribes. Owe common device umttves the saterogram initiated? to reduce ihe number of person* Involved in coca marketing and bring coca sales under tight control. Dult had becomeeans of enriching civilian politicians, who obtained payoff* ia return forissuance of the permits even ia some cases inH'kkcii'BJJ'UJJI'UJJH
Other official* become more directly involved. Some deliver bribery payments for major trafficker* Others sell protection to facilitate moving thagi
Judges, too, are corrupt. They take bribes lo free indicted drug merchants, aad the practice extendi to lower co-jit officials, pssblk preset mors, aadsNaawaaaassaB
The net result has been to nullify the efforts ofdrug enforcement authorities Honest officialsonly stymied by the pervasiveness of cocaand corruption, but also by political presaare
Military Insohrmeal
AkfSvatja aome rnembers of the BohViais military ware inPolved in ibe narcotics trade during, moat officers were prtaxcaipicd witholiticalWith the advent of ihe regime of Genera] Garcia Meza inowever, the situation 'changed dramatically, and rampanl corruption at the highest level* became the norm.BfJJl'fJJ*[
The major traffickers aot only financed Garciacoup, Ibey faaded many of bat regime's actrriika. One week after bis Ukcovcr. drug merchantsoffered0 million in exchange forin the cocaine Industry In Santa I i
Although most key unit commanders received large sums of mercy, Col Lara Arc* Gomel became the symbol of m'lftarye was appelated Minister of Interior despiteirem aM drug traffickersecord of hindering narcotics investigations. While in office. Arte not only ran hi* own cocaine network, but forced other traffickers to hand over part of their profits. He reportedly decosii-ed SI million in cashocal bank during the course of one dayf/JJ
The corruption at the top infected the lower rar well. Army troops ran cocaine hboratorlf
personnel transported coca along BoinKa'sMreri, white Air Force iraasporii reportedly flew 'a to proc-tn Beni departmer
Although Garcia Meza waa ousted iohe effect* of his rule remain. The Bolivian armed forces arc the only power in (he country strong enough to confront Ibe drug mafia, but their compl icily ia the (rack is likely to preclude any action. Moreover, many officers would be vulnerable to blackmail by the trafficker* if an incumbent governmentajor an I'narcotics crackdown JjjJ
Blocks to Farforoncal
Although the biggest uumbbogbkxk is corruption, the large aumbcr of peasantsgrow coca akto tends todtsooarage nsoai regimesLa Par from challenging them. Campesinos in both ihe Yunga*
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principal achievement hat been to appoint apparently honest and capable officers lo key narcotics control
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Despite Torrdlo's shaky political base, his govern-mcat probably rcprcseais the best opportunity in several yean to at least begin to attack the lI1.ch narcotics industry though progress will beslow. His successor could welloreofficer who espouse* thehilosophy that solving the narcotic* problemob for the consuming countries.,^
Prwt pacts
Completely slopping illegal cocaine eiports from Bo lrvit i* unlikely. Given (he will on the partolivian government, however, traffickers could be denied tbe raw material by restricting production lo traditional growing area* for legal domestic eousurop-tion andn |
Bolivia's present military leaden are highly *en*iiire toooccrna, aad say future threat to reduce USoccurred during (he Garcia Me/awould cause themake at least token efforts to suppress the cocaine industry. Thsong-term hope, however, probably rests wiih junior officers, many of whom arc not involved in trafficking and appear disgusted wiih the tainted Image caused by those of the senior officers who arc. They are notommand peal (ions, but they may eventually gala enough tupport to give (heir view* some weight.H
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