The Governments of the United States, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago have expressed this Thursday their joint support for the actions taken by Bolivia against drug trafficking and corruption, following the arrest of the Attorney General of the Bolivian State, Róger Mariaca.
In a joint statement released by the U.S. State Department, the 15 countries that make up the so-called Shield of the Americas have praised the Bolivian Executive for the measures implemented to dismantle the networks linked to drug trafficking and to hold accountable those who facilitate its operation.
The signing Executives have also requested La Paz to keep investigations active and to bring the members of these criminal structures before the courts. In this regard, they have highlighted the recent high-impact police operations directed against high-ranking officials—current and former—allegedly related to drug trafficking activities.
These actions, the statement emphasizes, "send a strong message" both within Bolivia and to the entire region, making it clear that democratically elected governments and the States participating in this initiative reject the infiltration of illicit networks in the hemisphere.
The declaration also emphasizes that regional cooperation is based on the common commitment to protect governments arising from democratic processes and to strengthen security against narcoterrorist organizations.
"Today, we firmly stand in solidarity with Bolivia," concludes the joint text, recalling the meeting of leaders of the Shield of the Americas held on September 22, in which they reiterated their shared determination to contain the influence of these organizations and safeguard regional stability and security.
The statement is made public after Róger Mariaca was arrested along with the prosecutor of the department of Santa Cruz, Alberto Zeballos, at the Viru Viru international airport in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, just days after both were sanctioned by the United States, accused of corruption and of favoring drug trafficking.
In a video disseminated on social networks, spokespeople for the Attorney General's Office of Bolivia have denounced the "kidnapping" of Mariaca and the "violation of her Human Rights," stating that "the institutionalism of the State is not being respected" and that the prosecutor had been "detained" at the Viru Viru airport informally and "without an arrest warrant."
In parallel, police sources have indicated to the Bolivian newspaper 'El Deber' that Mariaca and Zeballos were intercepted by Intelligence agents inside the airport terminal when they were arriving from Sucre, although they have not specified the concrete reasons for the detention.
The episode occurs in a context in which Washington has intensified pressure on the attorney general and other high and former high-ranking officials of the country, to whom it has banned entry to the United States and imposed sanctions.