Bolivia arrests former judge on suspicion of drug trafficking

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkThe facade of the Legislative Palace in La Paz, Bolivia, 10 November 2026 [LUIS GANDARILLAS/EPA]By AFPPublished On 12 Nov 202612 Nov 2026Bolivian authorities say they have arrested a former senior judge on suspicion of drug trafficking, as part of a US-backed crackdown against officials involved in suspected cartel activity in Latin America.Prosecutor Marcelo Inchausti told reporters that Aldo Quezada was arrested at his home in Santa Cruz in eastern Bolivia on Wednesday on suspicion of drug trafficking and criminal association.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Why are Latin American countries building closer ties with Israel?list 2 of 3Why the US, Mexico and Guatemala may lose their measles-free statuslist 3 of 3Bolivia declares state of emergency over El Nino weather patternend of listQuezada had resigned last month as chief justice of the Santa Cruz departmental court after being named to a US visa restrictions list for alleged links to drug trafficking.The United States has also cancelled the visas of officials in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru under the same policy.Quezada is one of a number of senior Bolivian judicial officials to have been arrested since September on suspicion of having links to drug cartels, including former Attorney General Roger Mariaca.Mariaca was arrested on September 30, also on suspicion of money laundering and drug trafficking, with police finding bundles of cash smuggled out of his house.In September, the Trump administration imposed “visa restrictions on twelve Bolivian nationals and their families”, according to a statement by the US State Department.Bolivia’s conservative President Rodrigo Paz assumed office on November 8, 2025, ending nearly 20 years of Movement for Socialism (MAS) governance, and has sought closer ties to the US.Paz has signed his country up to US President Donald Trump’s “Shield of the Americas”, a new US-backed security alliance for the Americas.