Transnational crime and coca cultivation in Bolivia

Bolivia is experiencing an escalation in transnational organized crime and illegal coca cultivation. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has warned that criminal mafias are utilizing the country as a transit corridor for cocaine while engaging in human trafficking, money laundering, and illegal gold mining. These organizations are reportedly attempting to penetrate state institutions through corruption.

Data from the UNODC indicates that coca cultivation increased by 7% in 2025, totaling 364,000 hectares. The most significant growth occurred in the Cochabamba department, where cultivation grew by 22% and now accounts for nearly half of the nation’s total crops. Efforts to curb this trend through plantation destruction have seen a sharp decline; in 2025, only 27,000 hectares were destroyed, compared to previous annual figures of at least 100,000 hectares.

This expansion occurred during the political transition from the administration of Luis Arce to the presidency of Rodrigo Paz. Challenges to state authority are compounded by limited access to certain regions. In areas serving as strongholds for former President Evo Morales, indigenous farmers have organized militias that prevent police intervention. Morales, who faces arrest warrants for charges he denies, remains in these areas, which are protected by local groups that restrict state presence. This lack of authority coincides with a more decentralized and complex criminal landscape that integrates various illicit economic activities.