Bolivia, US Sign $20m Anti-Drug Agreement

Bolivia and the United States have signed a new security cooperation agreement worth up to $20 million aimed at strengthening efforts to combat drug trafficking and organised crime.

Bolivia’s Foreign Ministry announced that the funding will be used to train and equip security personnel involved in counter-narcotics operations, public security and criminal investigations.

The agreement marks a significant step in the warming relationship between the two countries, nearly 18 years after former Bolivian President Evo Morales expelled the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from the country.

Bolivia remains one of the world’s leading producers of coca, the raw material used in the manufacture of cocaine, making anti-drug cooperation a sensitive and strategically important issue.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the agreement is intended to strengthen institutions responsible for public safety while enhancing the country’s ability to tackle organised criminal networks involved in drug trafficking.

The pact was signed in the capital, La Paz, less than two weeks after President Rodrigo Paz appointed Ernesto Justiniano, the country’s anti-drug chief, as defence minister.

The US Embassy has reportedly confirmed that Washington will work closely with Bolivian authorities by providing training, equipment and additional support under the agreement.

The development is widely viewed as another sign of Bolivia’s closer alignment with the United States under President Paz.

Earlier this year, Bolivia joined the Shield of the Americas, a US-led regional security initiative designed to strengthen cooperation against transnational criminal organisations and what participating countries describe as “narco-terrorism.”

President Paz attended the alliance’s inaugural summit in Florida in March alongside 12 other regional leaders at an event hosted by US President Donald Trump.

The coalition has also publicly backed Paz's government amid recent anti-government protests and road blockades across Bolivia.

In a joint statement issued in May, alliance members expressed support for the Bolivian government and voiced concern over actions they said were aimed at destabilising the country’s constitutional order.

The new agreement comes amid broader US efforts to curb the flow of illegal drugs into its territory.

President Trump has previously directed American military forces to target vessels suspected of participating in narcotics trafficking across parts of the Caribbean and Pacific regions.

Those operations have attracted criticism from some legal experts who argue that certain strikes may raise questions under international law.

Despite the controversy, both governments maintain that closer cooperation remains essential to disrupting criminal networks and strengthening regional security.