The Diplomat
The Government of Bolivia has questioned the efficiency of the Spanish institutions in charge of the fight against drug smuggling after the arrival in Madrid of a shipment of 478 kilos of cocaine coming from Bolivia and after the subsequent shipment of another shipment to the Andean country coming from Spain.
The drugs seized at Madrid-Barajas airport had left Viru Viru international airport in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, on February 11, in a plane rented by Boliviana de Aviación (BbA) from Wamos Air, which operated with its Spanish crew. The merchandise remained in the aircraft’s hold and it was not until May that its nature was discovered.
The Customs and Excise Administration of Madrid, belonging to the Special Delegation of Madrid of the Tax Agency, was the one that identified the drug, according to the Ministry of Finance and Public Function of Spain. According to a press release from the Tax Agency, this is one of the largest drug seizures at Barajas in recent years.
During a press conference last Wednesday, the Bolivian Minister of Government, Eduardo del Castillo, wondered why the Spanish security forces were not able to detect the drugs in Madrid, but the customs authorities did. “Why was it the Customs that became aware of the cargo and the irregularities, and not the Civil Guard?” asked Del Castillo, quoted by the Bolivian Information Agency (ABI), “Why didn’t we investigate that?” continued the minister, who specified that “a series of emails had been sent to all the authorities in Spain” to obtain an official response on these facts.
Likewise, the minister recalled that last March a shipment of 67,744 MDMA pills (synthetic drug) coming from Spain was discovered at Viru Viru airport. For that reason, Del Castillo also wondered why the Spanish authorities did not investigate the shipment to Bolivia of this shipment. “Why is there no one apprehended in this case, or perhaps in Spain there are no controls? Why are there no civilians or police responsible for the shipment of drugs to our country with courier companies?” he stated. “Why is it not being investigated how drugs are sent (from Spain to Bolivia)? Here all those involved in sending cocaine to Spain are going to fall, but we also want those responsible who are sending drugs to our country,” he continued.
Minister Del Castillo also criticized that the Spanish institutions are handling different figures about the drugs seized at Barajas airport and that they do not provide official and accurate information to clarify the fact. “Why is there a difference in the weight of the controlled substances, allegedly sent? Some institutions in Spain speak of 476 kilograms and another institution of the same country speaks of 484 kilograms. What is Bolivia investigating? We need that Spain, that the corresponding authorities, send official information to our country to have exemplary sanctions against these people”, he concluded.
