Bolivia revives anti-drug alliance with US after nearly 18-year break – drugs news

In a significant foreign policy shift, Bolivia has reopened its doors to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

The move was confirmed on Monday, ending a nearly two-decade gap in bilateral efforts to stop drug trafficking.

Bolivian government minister Marco Oviedo told local media this week that DEA agents were already operating in the country.

“The DEA is in Bolivia,” he said. “Just as the DEA is now in place, we also have cooperation from European intelligence and police bodies.”

Oviedo said the initial focus of law enforcement efforts will be to strengthen border surveillance and dismantle smuggling networks.

He said cooperation with the DEA and European agencies was only the beginning of Bolivia’s expanded international efforts.

“We want anti-narcotics agencies from neighbouring countries to also get involved,” Oviedo said.

end of Morales’ order

The announcement marks the end of an order issued in 2008 under former leftist President Evo Morales that effectively expelled all DEA agents from the country.

Morales, then the leader of Bolivia’s Movement for Socialism (MAS), accused the US of using drug enforcement efforts to pressure countries in Latin America for its own political and economic agenda.

Under Morales, all drug enforcement cooperation with the US halted, and he refused to allow DEA officers into the country, accusing them of destabilising his government. Similarly, diplomatic relations were also suspended.

In turn, MAS received strong support from rural parts of Bolivia, where the cultivation of coca, the raw ingredient in cocaine, is a major economic driver.

Bolivia, along with other Andean countries such as Colombia and Peru, is a major producer of coca, which has traditional uses, including as a treatment for altitude sickness. Before taking office, Morales himself led a consortium of coca growers, or cocaleros.

Advocates have accused the US’s militaristic “war on drugs” of harming poor rural farmers through the forced eradication of coca crops. He argues that such campaigns can deprive farmers of the means to support themselves and their families.

MAS remained in power from the beginning of Morales’ term in 2006 until 2025, when his coalition collapsed amid economic instability and internal fighting.

new political direction

In October 2025, two right-wing candidates advanced to run for president: centrist Rodrigo Paz of the Christian Democratic Party and former right-wing president Jorge Quiroga.

It was the first presidential race in modern times for Bolivia, and it marked a sharp change from two decades of socialist government.

Both candidates made improving relations with the US a central pillar of their campaigns, considering it essential to solving Bolivia’s severe economic crisis.

Paz, educated in Washington, DC, argued that normalising relations would attract the international investment needed to modernise the energy and lithium sectors.

Meanwhile, Quiroga, a conservative who studied at Texas A&M University, campaigned on a more aggressive platform, including fiscal austerity and a security partnership with the US.

His vice presidential candidate, Juan Pablo Velasco, is credited with popularising the tagline “Make Bolivia Sexy Again”, based on US President Donald Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again”.

Paz ultimately emerged the winner of the race with approximately 54.9 per cent of the vote. Following his inauguration in November, Paz moved quickly to fulfil his promises by restoring diplomatic relations with the US.

Meanwhile, the US described Paz’s presidency as a “transformative opportunity for the area.

Earlier this month, both Bolivia and the US agreed to appoint ambassadors to each other’s countries for the first time in nearly 18 years.

uncertainty remains

But it is unclear to what extent the DEA will operate in Bolivia. Leftist leaders like Morales enjoy strong support, especially in the highlands and rural areas.

Bolivian Foreign Minister Fernando Aramayo has said that negotiations are still ongoing between his country and the DEA to finalise specific areas of cooperation, as well as operational limitations for the US agency.

In the coming months, we expect to reach a full agreement outlining the scope of the agency’s activities.

Since returning to office on January 20, 2025, Trump has intensified the US campaign against drug trafficking in Latin America, including designating several major cartels as “foreign terrorist organisations”.

Trump has pressured Latin American governments to take more aggressive action against the illicit drug trade, taking advantage of economic sanctions and military threats.

Already, in late December and early January, Trump has approved two attacks on Venezuela on the grounds of combating drug trafficking.

The Trump administration targeted a port on December 29, alleging its use for drug smuggling. Second, on January 3, several explosions occurred, dozens of people were killed, and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was kidnapped. He is in custody in the US, where he faces charges of drug trafficking and weapons possession.

Critics have argued that Trump’s anti-drug campaign has blurred the line between law enforcement and military activities.

The increased use of military force against criminal suspects has raised concerns that human rights are being violated and legal processes are being circumvented, including the use of extrajudicial killings.

One example occurred as part of a military campaign called Operation Southern Spear.

On September 2, the US announced the first of approximately 44 “lethal strikes” against suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.

About 150 people have been killed in the attacks. Despite international organisations such as the United Nations questioning its legality and calling for its end, Operation Southern Spear continues.