U.S. extradition request of a former Bolivian police chief accused of drug trafficking , Bolivian government removes high-ranking police chief after corruption and drug protection scandal
In June 2011, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) arrested former Bolivian police general René Sanabria in Panama for trafficking cocaine to that country and sentenced him to 14 years in prison.
Sanabria was director of Bolivia’s anti-drug force years earlier and at the time of his arrest was an intelligence adviser in the Morales government (2006-2019).
The president of Bolivia, Luis Arce, changed this Friday the commander and the senior staff of the police after the murder of two agents and a civil guard 15 days ago at the hands of alleged hitmen, which led to strong questions to some police officers for suspicions of protection of drug trafficking.
General Jhonny Aguilera, close to the government, was removed from office after 18 months in office and in his place General Orlando Ponce was sworn in, with the mission of “banishing old practices that do so much damage to the police,” Arce said in the possession of the new police command.
“Some bad police chiefs dazzled by easy money and quick enrichment have been captured by criminal gangs,” the president said, while asking the new chiefs for urgent action to “rectify mistakes.”
