**Bolivian Military Officer Arrested at U.S. Request for Drug‑Trafficking Investigation**
*Santa Cruz, Bolivia –* On Thursday afternoon, Bolivian authorities detained a senior member of the Bolivian Air Force (FAB) following a joint operation with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The arrest was carried out by the Special Force for the Fight Against Narcotrafficking (FELCN) in coordination with a DEA intelligence team.
The individual, identified as Colonel Henry Richard C.D., a reservist actively serving in the FAB, was apprehended in a neighborhood of Santa Cruz. After his capture, he was initially transferred to the Interpol office in the city before being moved to the San Roque prison in Sucre, Bolivia’s constitutional capital, on Saturday.
According to Dimar Caprirolo, director of FELCN for the eastern region of Santa Cruz, the United States Embassy in Bolivia has requested that Bolivian judicial authorities issue a “supreme order and preventive detention warrant for extradition” against the colonel. The pending judicial order would require the detainee to serve his sentence in the prison nearest to the location where the arrest warrant was issued.
The United States is seeking Colonel Richard’s extradition to face charges related to narcotics trafficking and illegal arms trade. The specific allegations have not been detailed publicly.
The cooperation between Bolivian and U.S. law‑enforcement agencies occurs under the framework of the “Shield of the Americas” alliance, a regional anti‑drug partnership signed in March. The alliance includes Argentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago, and later expanded to incorporate the Bahamas, Belize, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Jamaica, and Peru.
The operation marks a renewed presence of the DEA in Bolivia after a hiatus of more than 18 years. The agency’s return follows the inauguration of President Rodrigo Paz in November 2023, who announced the reinstatement of DEA activities. The DEA and former U.S. ambassador Philip Goldberg were expelled from Bolivia in 2008 by the administration of former President Evo Morales, who accused them of involvement in a conspiracy.
The case is ongoing, and Bolivian judicial authorities will determine the next steps regarding the extradition request and any subsequent legal proceedings.
Article and image source: eldeber.com.bo
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