UNODC presented the Final Report on the Destruction of Drugs Seized in Bolivia in the 2021 administration

La Paz, December 30, 2021 (United Nations). - Within the framework of the Results Presentation of the Fight against Drug Trafficking, organized by the Ministry of Government, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) presented the Final Report on the Destruction of Drugs Seized in Bolivia in 2021. This activity is developed with funding from the European Union in Bolivia and in coordination with national counterparts.

The event was attended by the President of the Plurinational State of Bolivia Luis Arce Catacora, the Minister of Government Eduardo Del Castillo, national authorities, and the UNODC Representative Thierry Rostan, who presented the insights of UNODC's support in the destruction process of illegal drugs seized in the country during the 2021 administration.

UNODC corroborates the information on the destruction of illegal drugs in Bolivia under the framework of its Support Program for the Implementation of the Action Plan of the Strategy to Combat Drug Trafficking and Reduce Excess Coca Crops in the Plurinational State of Bolivia, funded by the European Union.

In 2021, the FELCN and the Public Prosecutor's Office carried out 565 acts of destruction of illegal drugs, 21% higher than the 467 acts of the previous year. In 2021, UNODC validated 38% of the acts of destruction of illicit drugs, equivalent to 213 of them. That year, 18.2 tons of cocaine (10.9 tons of cocaine base and 7.3 tons of cocaine hydrochloride) were seized. Likewise, they confiscated 9.8 tons of marijuana intended for sale. The UNODC Representative in Bolivia stated that UNODC participated in the destruction of 84% of cocaine base (9.2 tons), 92% of cocaine hydrochloride (6.7 tons), and 80% of marijuana for sale (7.7 tons).

UNODC validated the destruction of 84% of the total amount of illegal drugs seized in Bolivia in 2021, the highest percentage of drugs validation since the beginning of this activity in mid-2013.

Among the conclusions and insights of the work conducted during 2021, UNODC indicated that, based on the sample collected through the accompaniment to the acts of destruction in addition to the number of controlled substances destroyed and validated, it is possible to state that in Bolivia, in 2021, the procedure of destruction of illicit drugs was performed with significant levels of transparency, safely and in compliance with legal standards.

UNODC in Bolivia participates as an observer in the destruction of the seized drugs for sale in the national territory, verifying the destruction of illegal drugs since their extraction from evidence rooms until their obliteration in the field, strengthening the national and international reliability of the institutions responsible for the incineration/destruction of illegal drugs, promoting the transparency of the acts and the coordination of the entities involved.

Some of the principal recommendations of the UNODC are: to maintain the standards and good practices applied in the destruction of drugs to strengthen the continuous training of those involved, to conduct periodic maintenance of the scales used in the weighing and re-weighing of seized controlled substances, and to promote environmental studies or diagnostics regarding possible impacts of the destruction of drugs.

Thierry Rostan expressed gratefulness to the European Union for the assistance and financial support to validate the information on the destruction of illegal drugs. He also praised the work and efforts of the Ministry of Government, the Vice-Ministry of Social Defense, the FELCN, and the Public Prosecutor's Office.

Since the performance of the Plurinational State of Bolivia against illicit drug trafficking reflects significant progress, Mr. Rostan congratulated all the operational personnel who risk their lives fighting against this scourge for the welfare of the community, in addition to the authorities who promote the development of a sovereign strategy with successful results, regional coordination, modernization and a sovereign approach yielding successful results. Therefore, he congratulated all authorities on promoting policies and leading interdiction tasks.

United Nations

UNODC Brussels Liaison Office

UNODC presented the Final Report on the Destruction of Drugs Seized in Bolivia in the 2021 administration