The Bolivian anti-drug force destroyed this Monday in the east of the country a “megalaboratory” with the capacity to produce between 150 to 200 kilos of cocaine hydrochloride per day, with a cost of more than $250,000 to drug trafficking.
The “megalaboratory” was found near the community of Palermo, in the Guarayos province of Santa Cruz, the largest Bolivian region, in operations carried out last week, the vice minister of Social Defense and Controlled Substances, Jaime Mamani, explained to EFE.
“Today (Monday), with the presence of the Public Ministry and different media outlets, the destruction and incineration of this ‘megalaboratory’ was carried out in accordance with police protocols, affecting more than $250,000 with this destruction,” he said.
The structure was made up of 11 areas and “had a daily production capacity of 150 to 200 kilos of cocaine hydrochloride,” said the vice minister.
Between 25 to 30 people were operating there, including Bolivians and foreigners who, it is presumed, were of Colombian nationality, according to the authority.
During the “raking” operations, a 21-year-old Bolivian was detained and a clandestine landing strip was located about 20 kilometers from the site, he added.
In addition to the destruction of the “megalaboratory,” anti-narcotics agents seized solid and liquid chemical substances used by drug traffickers at the site, including “ethyl acetate used for the crystallization of cocaine base paste,” Mamani said.
The site is located on the border between Santa Cruz and the Amazon region of Beni, on the banks of the Rio Grande.
The vice minister highlighted that during this year the anti-drug work carried out in the efforts of other Governments was “statistically” surpassed.
He mentioned that the seizures of cocaine base and hydrochloride so far amount to about 64 tons and that 490.85 tons of marijuana were also confiscated.
The Special Force to Fight Drug Trafficking (Felcn) also destroyed 90 cocaine purification laboratories and 1,398 factories for the production of base paste.
In addition, some 3,282 people allegedly linked to drug trafficking crimes were arrested, 51 aircraft were seized and 60 clandestine runways were intervened, Mamani detailed.
“Drug trafficking assets have been affected by more than $219 million to date, in this 2024 administration alone,” he added.
