Bolivia has formalised a $20m security pact with the United States to disrupt cocaine production and trafficking, marking a significant shift in the landlocked country’s counternarcotics approach. The agreement, signed in La Paz on Wednesday, commits the US to fund surveillance technology, training for Bolivian police units, and alternative development programmes for coca-growing regions. The deal was accompanied by an unusual public endorsement of British anti-narcotics strategy from Bolivian officials, who praised the UK’s intelligence-led model as a template for their own operations.
The memorandum of understanding is the largest bilateral drug-control investment in Bolivia since 2009, when the country expelled US Drug Enforcement Administration agents under former president Evo Morales. Morales had pursued a policy of “coca yes, cocaine no”, permitting limited cultivation for traditional uses while cracking down on illegal trafficking. However, recent years have seen a surge in cocaine production, with UN figures suggesting a 20 per cent increase in Bolivian coca cultivation since 2020. The shift in policy reflects growing frustration within the administration of President Luis Arce, who has faced pressure from Washington and European capitals to adopt more aggressive enforcement measures.
Under the new arrangement, the US will provide aerial reconnaissance drones, mobile radar systems, and forensic laboratories to Bolivian anti-drug units. The funding also includes support for the Colombian-style programme to wean small farmers off coca by promoting coffee, cocoa, and palm heart cultivation. The UK’s involvement is less direct: British police advisors are already assisting Bolivian authorities through the UK Home Office’s International Crime Bureau, but the agreement explicitly references the UK’s National Crime Agency’s intelligence-sharing protocols as best practice.
Critics within Bolivia argue that the deal returns the country to a US-dominated security agenda. “This is a step backward,” said Amelia Rojas, a senator from the opposition Movement for Socialism. “It puts our sovereignty at risk and will criminalise small farmers who depend on coca for survival.” The Arce administration has countered that the agreement includes safeguards against human rights abuses and requires all operations to be reviewed by a joint oversight committee.
The embrace of UK tactics is notable given Bolivia’s traditionally close ties with Russia and China. British diplomats in La Paz have worked quietly to position the UK as an alternative partner, emphasising a “smart enforcement” approach that uses data analysis to target trafficking networks rather than small-scale growers. A Home Office spokesperson declined to comment on the specifics but said the UK remained committed to supporting “effective, humane” drug-control strategies abroad.
The scale of the investment is modest by Washington’s standards; the US has spent over $10bn on Plan Colombia alone. But the symbolism is potent. For the first time in more than a decade, Bolivia has officially aligned its drug strategy with US priorities, and it has done so while publicly citing a British model. Whether this marks a durable pivot or a temporary tactical adjustment will depend on the next harvest’s size and the fickle diplomacy of Latin American narcopolitics.
