BOLIVIA · SECURITY

Bolivia’s interior minister says he asked US partners on Tuesday night to help build two elite police units. He announced it on Wednesday as a new border security phase began in Santa Cruz.

Bolivia has asked US partners to help build two elite police units, minister Marco Antonio Oviedo said on Wednesday, 21 October. He spoke in Santa Cruz, Bolivia’s largest city, as the government launched a second phase of its border security plan.

The request matters to US readers because Brújula Digital reports that Washington has publicly backed the Paz government’s fight against crime. It also follows three killings in under 24 hours near Santa Cruz city, Los Tiempos said.

What Oviedo Announced

Oviedo, who runs the police as Bolivia’s Government Minister, told reporters he sat down with US cooperation officials on Tuesday night. He said he proposed two “super elite” units, according to El Deber and Los Tiempos.

One unit would sit between San Ignacio de Velasco and San Matías in Santa Cruz department, he said. The other would go to Santa Ana “or around there” in Beni, El Deber reported.

Oviedo chose those areas because, he said, narcoterrorism is most frequent there. Narcoterrorism is his government’s term for drug gangs that use armed violence.

The Santa Cruz unit should open faster because “some infrastructure” already exists in San Ignacio, he told El Deber. Los Tiempos quoted him saying the units would be installed in “just under a year”.

Both units would get “all the technological and logistical elements” needed to confront crime, Oviedo said. He gave no cost, no headcount and no US funding figure.

Bolivian police officers and US Embassy staff at a ceremony for fallen officers in May 2019; the photo does not show the new units or this week’s events. Photo: Diplomatic Security Service / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Why Santa Cruz Is Under Pressure

Two Brazilian men were shot dead inside a home in Warnes, Santa Cruz department, on Tuesday, 20 October, Los Tiempos reported. Neighbours described the attackers as tall men in camouflage with Brazilian accents.

In La Guardia, police found a body in the boot of a car without number plates, Los Tiempos added. Santa Cruz police commander Edson Fernández confirmed investigations into the Warnes killings.

Oviedo said Santa Cruz has become a “central objective” for criminal groups. He rejected the idea that police were overwhelmed, saying they were “showing results”, El Deber reported.

He also said narcoterrorism had taken over part of the Attorney General’s Office. Bolivia’s prosecutors have not answered that claim in the sources reviewed.

What Frontera Segura 2.0 Does

Frontera Segura 2.0, or Safe Border 2.0, is the second phase of a plan to put police permanently on the frontier. It was launched on Wednesday on Plaza 24 de Septiembre in Santa Cruz city.

Police commander Adrián Álvarez said 230 officers finished a training course and will join the plan. He promised a fresh contingent every 45 days, El Deber reported.

Álvarez named three aims: a permanent state presence at the border, territorial control there, and security for residents. Santa Cruz will be the hub, with operations in Beni and Pando too.

The training course was called Organised International Networks and Narcoterrorism: Safe Border, Los Tiempos and Opinión reported. Oviedo spoke at its closing ceremony.

Oviedo admitted the police have too few officers. He said numbers would grow “little by little” as the budget allows, Opinión and Los Tiempos reported.

The US Link and Oviedo’s Record

Oviedo told Los Tiempos his ministry also works with the European Union, the United Nations, American cooperation bodies and foreign intelligence. The US has openly backed Paz’s government against crime, Brújula Digital wrote.

Brújula Digital adds that Bolivia belongs to the Shield of the Americas, a Washington-led alliance against narcoterrorism, alongside 13 other countries. The sources do not say whether that alliance would pay for the new units.

Oviedo listed what he calls his results, including the capture of Uruguayan suspect Sebastián Marset and his expulsion to the United States. Oviedo called Marset one of the world’s two biggest traffickers, a claim the sources do not test.

He also cited the arrests of former president Luis Arce and his son Marcelo Arce, who are suspects, not convicted. Former attorney general Roger Mariaca and prosecutor Alberto Zeballos were detained on 30 September over alleged drug links, Brújula Digital reported.

Oviedo warned judges and prosecutors who, he says, shield the criminal network. Mariaca, Zeballos and both Arces are accused or detained, not convicted, and the sources give no reply from them.

What It Means for US Readers

Oviedo says Bolivia already works with US cooperation bodies, so a request for elite units could deepen a security tie. Marset, whom Oviedo says was expelled to the United States, is one reason Bolivia’s drug fight draws US attention.

Travellers to Santa Cruz, Beni and the Brazilian border area should check State Department advisories before they go. Investors in Bolivian debt and mining should note that the government links crime and its prosecutors in public.

Background is in earlier reports on threats against the Paz family, a PCC gang arrest and the Santa Cruz jewellery heist. Another report covers US riot gear for Bolivian police, and the Bolivia hub has more.

What Is Not Known

No US statement on the two units was found, so it is unknown whether Washington has agreed. Oviedo described a proposal made on Tuesday night, not a signed deal.

The cost, the number of officers and the opening dates are not public. Brújula Digital says only Santa Cruz and Beni, while El Deber and Los Tiempos name San Ignacio and San Matías.

The Government Ministry’s own statement could not be opened, so quotes rest on El Deber, Los Tiempos, Opinión and Brújula Digital. Police have not named suspects in the Warnes and La Guardia killings, and the Brazilian attackers’ identity rests on neighbours’ accounts.

Shield of the Americas membership comes from Brújula Digital alone. The same outlet is the only source for US public backing of Paz.

What Comes Next

Police promise new contingents every 45 days, so the first test is whether the next one arrives on time. Any US announcement on funding or training would show whether the elite units are firm.

None of this means US troops or agents will operate in Bolivia, and no source says so. It also does not mean the killings are solved.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Bolivia ask the United States for?

Minister Marco Antonio Oviedo said he asked US cooperation partners on Tuesday night to help install two elite police units. One would sit between San Ignacio de Velasco and San Matías, the other in Beni.

Has the United States agreed?

No US statement was found in the sources reviewed. Oviedo described a proposal, and Washington has not confirmed funding or training in the reports found.

What is Frontera Segura 2.0?

It is the second phase of Bolivia’s Safe Border plan, launched on Wednesday, 21 October, in Santa Cruz. It aims for a permanent police presence on the frontier and territorial control there.

When would the elite units open?

Oviedo told Los Tiempos the units would be installed in just under a year. He said the Santa Cruz unit should be faster because infrastructure already exists in San Ignacio.

Is it safe to travel to Santa Cruz?

Santa Cruz saw three killings in under 24 hours this week, according to Los Tiempos. Travellers should check State Department advice and local news before visiting.

Sources: El Deber, super elite units, 21 October; El Deber, Frontera Segura 2.0, 21 October; Los Tiempos, Oviedo and US cooperation, 21 October; Los Tiempos, Frontera Segura 2.0, 21 October; Los Tiempos, killings in Warnes and La Guardia, 21 October; Opinión, 21 October; Brújula Digital, 21 October (all accessed 22 October 2026).