Bolivia to Set Up Rapid-Reaction Groups in the Border With Chile

Bolivian authorities are monitoring the area and announced the increase of controls and checkpoints in coordination with the Armed Forces

The National Customs Office of Bolivia (ANB) will set up this month the first fixed immediate reaction camp, to fight the smuggling activities and reinforce the control operations in the border with Chile.

According to the ANB’s executive president, Marlene Ardaya, the teams will work to stop trucks carrying illegal goods that pass through the territory of Charaña in La Paz.

Ardaya explained that the Customs Office is monitoring ‘suspicious’ cars, and announced the increase of controls and checkpoints in coordination with the Armed Forces.

A surveillance plan with airplanes and helicopters to detect smuggling routes, is also included, he said.

The permanent camps on the border with Chile will have the capacity to house about 30 people, the Customs Office president stressed.

The Customs Office and the Armed Forces established a single intelligence center, taking into account the different forms of operation in each area of the country, he said.

Bolivia and Chile share a border of around 900 kilometers and it is estimated that 70 percent of the illegal merchandise entering the country comes from Chile.