An important agreement between Brazil and Bolivia will help to suppress the drug trade

An important agreement between Brazil and Bolivia will help to suppress the drug trade. On Monday (December 17), Justice Minister José Eduardo Cardozo, announced, during a meeting with the Bolivian Minister of the Presidency, Carlos Romero, that the Brazilian government will make Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) available from the Federal Police to fly over Bolivian territory in order to provide images with the aim of tackling organized crime in the country.

The meeting dealt with cooperation between the countries in combating drug trafficking, police training and joint intelligence operations, in addition to strengthening border relations and combating money laundering. As a result of the meeting, intelligence actions are expected to go ahead which should unite the efforts of the Brazilian Federal Police with the Bolivian and Peruvian police forces, create and strengthen drug forensic laboratories, and allow for the exchange of intelligence information.

“We have developed very solid work in our Strategic Border Plan and have already improved monitoring a great deal. However, the international collaboration involved in the exchange of experiences and in these integrated actions is of vital importance for us to achieve further success,” said Cardozo.

The minister mentioned that Brazil has 16,000 kilometers of border with various countries in South America - 3,126 km with Bolivia alone. "It's not easy to monitor, but with this international collaboration and the efforts developed by the Brazilian government, I'm sure we're on right track," said the minister.

Cardozo also reinforced the need to suppress criminal organizations economically. "Brazil will help Bolivia to set up good legislation that permits drug traffickers to lose their assets and we can then smother criminal organizations that operate in the country, and in others, including Brazil," he concluded.

The meeting between the ministers took place after the Bolivian minister visited the Federal Police and the Integrated Air Traffic Control and Air Defense Center (CINDACTA).

Trilateral Agreement
Brazil, Bolivia and Peru signed an agreement in November to implement joint actions to reduce the supply and demand for drugs. In order to achieve this, the countries are joining forces to carry out thorough monitoring across their common borders. In the second week of January, a seminar will be held in La Paz to present a plan of joint actions between the three countries. The event will focus on the harmonization of laws for the termination of ownership, allowing the confiscation of assets derived from drug trafficking. A working group responsible for drafting a tripartite action plan will also be created, with the aim of tackling the global drug problem, especially in border areas.

Source:
Ministry of Justice