Evo Morales

March 20 (UPI) — A U.S. district court has sentenced former Bolivian anti-drug chief Maximiliano Dávila to 25 years in prison for conspiring to import large quantities of cocaine into the United States.

Dávila, 54, was convicted of coordinating cocaine shipments and using heavy weapons to protect drug trafficking operations while serving in senior law enforcement roles in Bolivia under former President Evo Morales.

The sentence, imposed Thursday by U.S. District Judge Denise L. Cote in a Manhattan court, concludes a legal process that began with his arrest near Bolivia’s border with Argentina in 2022 and his extradition in December 2024, Bolivian newspaper La Razón reported.

Dávila served as head of Bolivia’s Special Force to Fight Drug Trafficking, the country’s main anti-narcotics agency, until November 2019. His tenure placed him among the most influential figures in Bolivia’s efforts to combat drug trafficking.

However, his career was marked by allegations of ties to criminal networks, which later led to international investigations, according to local outlet Red Uno.

Prosecutors in New York said Dávila used his position to facilitate drug trafficking operations rather than combat them, turning his office into a logistical hub for organized crime.

They said he ensured safe passage for aircraft carrying cocaine from Bolivian airstrips to intermediate destinations in Central America and the Caribbean, with the drugs ultimately bound for the United States.

According to the investigation, Dávila provided armed protection for cocaine shipments, Bolivian newspaper El Deber reported.

In 2022, the U.S. State Department offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his conviction, underscoring his alleged role in regional drug trafficking networks.

In addition to the 25-year prison sentence, Dávila will face five years of supervised release. His defense has indicated it may appeal, though legal experts say the strength of the evidence makes a reduced sentence unlikely.