Bolivian minister: US drug combat assessments lack technical evidence

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
17 Sep 2023 19:03
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Bolivia, Myanmar, and Venezuela were singled out by the United States for allegedly failing to fulfill their obligations under international drug control agreements, and Bolivia rebukes these claims.

A picture of Bolivian Interior Minister Eduardo del Castillo was taken on October 11, 2022. (Bolivian Government)

In a recent statement, Bolivian Interior Minister Eduardo Del Castillo has accused the United States of undermining the anti-drug efforts of other nations to further its geopolitical interests, asserting that Washington's assessment lacks technical justification, Sputnik reported.

The remarks from Minister Del Castillo came on Sunday, following the release of the US government's "Memorandum on Presidential Determination on Major Drug Transit or Major Illicit Drug Producing Countries." In this memorandum, Bolivia, Myanmar, and Venezuela were singled out by the United States for allegedly failing to fulfill their obligations under international drug control agreements.

"Regarding the US government's memorandum that discredits our sovereign policy to combat drug trafficking for the 16th time in a row, it is important to clarify that this document was developed unilaterally, without technical justification, and for obvious geopolitical and political purposes," Castillo said.

Minister Del Castillo strongly defended Bolivia's efforts to combat drug trafficking and production in recent years. He emphasized that Bolivia had achieved remarkable success in drug seizures and had been actively dismantling illegal laboratories and facilities responsible for producing banned substances.

In stark contrast, Minister Del Castillo pointed out that the United States was setting records in drug consumption, highlighting a concerning disparity between Washington's domestic drug issues and its criticism of other nations.

Back in July, it was reported that a fatal drug known in US streets as Tranq, which is Xylazine mixed with Fentanyl, became widespread in the US, causing the number of fatal overdoses to increase.

Fentanyl laced with xylazine has been recognized as an "emerging threat" by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

According to the CDC, the drug was involved in 4,859 overdose deaths nationwide between January 2021 and June 2022.