Former anti-drugs chief known as “Macho” extradited from Bolivia nearly 3 years after U.S. offered $5 million reward
Bolivia’s former drug chief was extradited to the United States on Thursday to face federal drug trafficking charges in a New York court.
Authorities said Maximiliano Davila, who served as drug chief during the final months of Evo Morales’ administration from 2006 to 2019, helped facilitate the shipment of cocaine into the United States. according to U.S. Department of JusticeDávila used his position to “ensure the entry of cocaine shipments into Bolivian airports and to arrange for Bolivian law enforcement officers under his command – including those equipped with machine guns – to provide protection for these drugs.”
david – who authorities say Also known as “Macho Man” – boarded a private jet sent by the United States specifically for extradition.
February 2, 2022, U.S. Department of State Awards announced up to $5 millionn Obtain information leading to Dávila’s conviction. He was charged with conspiring to provide the highest level of protection for cocaine destined for the United States, as well as related weapons charges involving possession of a machine gun. Dávila “allegedly used his position to protect aircraft used to transport cocaine to third countries for subsequent distribution in the United States,” according to the State Department.
Juan Carrita/AP
In late November, Bolivia’s Supreme Court approved Dávila’s immediate extradition to the United States, but he denied any wrongdoing.
Morales expelled the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration from Bolivia in 2008, accusing the agency of plotting to overthrow his government at a time when commodity prices were rising and a wave of left-wing politics across South America was challenging America’s long-standing influence in the region. At the same time, the two countries have not exchanged ambassadors for more than 15 years.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Special Operations Division launched the drug investigation that led to Davila’s charges in 2017, according to court records.
As part of the investigation, criminal informants working under the direction of the DEA recorded conversations in which one of Davila’s co-defendants boasted about his ability to transport 60 tons of cocaine into the United States using an MD-11 military cargo plane.
Co-defendant Percy Vasquez-Drew said “he and other drug traffickers were able to operate with impunity in Bolivia because the DEA and CIA had been kicked out” of the country The remaining narcotics officers are easily bribed. prosecutors said in court documents.
Vasquez-Drew was later arrested in Panama on a U.S. warrant. In 2020, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to smuggle more than 450 kilograms of drugs into the United States. Earlier this year, his federal prison sentence was reduced to 100 months.
Bolivia is the world’s third largest producer of cocaine.
It’s unclear how close Dávila’s relationship is to Morales, a former coca farmer. But the two appeared together in an October 2019 photo celebrating Morales’ birthday, standing next to several cakes decorated with coca leaves. Also in the photo is the former chief of the Bolivian National Police.
Although the Drug Enforcement Administration has arrested many Bolivian drug traffickers over the years, including one of Davila’s predecessors, Morales himself has never been charged with drug trafficking. He has strongly condemned the U.S.-led drug war in Latin America and defended the traditional use of coca, the raw material for cocaine.
