BOLIVIA · SECURITY
Key Facts
- The country Bolivia, a landlocked Andean country of about 12 million people, is led by President Rodrigo Paz.
- What happened Police arrested two brothers on Thursday 29 October 2026 after finding dynamite, ANFO and firearms in Quillacollo.
- The claim The government says one brother was in contact with ex-president Evo Morales about violence planned for November.
- The response Morales’s allies reject the claim and call the case a smokescreen. No proof has been made public.
- Power Index Bolivia ranks 12th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 28.4 points (October 2026 edition).
Bolivian police arrested two brothers on Thursday 29 October 2026 after finding dynamite, a mining explosive called ANFO and firearms during a court-ordered search in Quillacollo, near Cochabamba. Minister of Government Marco Antonio Oviedo says one of them, Alain Torrico, was in contact with former president Evo Morales about violence planned for November protests.
For US readers, the case shows how tense Bolivia remains while its government pushes economic reforms and Morales’s supporters prepare to march. The claims come from the government alone, and Morales’s allies deny them.
What Police Found
Minister of Government Marco Antonio Oviedo, who runs Bolivia’s police and interior affairs, announced the arrests at a news conference in Cochabamba on Thursday night. Police searched a home in Quillacollo under a judge’s order, with prosecutors present.
They seized dynamite, ANFO and firearms, and the officials gave no quantities. Police Commander General Adrián Álvarez said the items were meant to cause harm and grief to Bolivian families.
Officers also found human bones that police say, in a preliminary finding, belong to a woman who died more than a year ago. Cochabamba prosecutor Eddy Ordóñez said a separate investigation will try to identify her and learn how she died.
The Government’s Case
Oviedo said Alain Torrico, a former supporter of Morales, was caught after intelligence work and surveillance. He said investigators obtained communications between Torrico and Morales in which, Oviedo says, Morales was told of preparations to sow mourning, violence and death.
Oviedo added that Torrico then received phone instructions to organize for the November protests. Both brothers are under investigation for illegal possession, carrying and manufacture of explosives, and Prosecutor Ordóñez said formal charges are being prepared.
Morales’s allies plan a march from Patacamaya, a town about 100 km south of La Paz, to La Paz starting on Friday 6 November 2026 against the government’s economic policies. The government links the explosives to those mobilizations.
The Denial
Feliciano Vegamonte and Vicente Choque, Morales-aligned leaders of the CSUTCB, Bolivia’s main farmworkers’ union, said Torrico once worked with them but later moved closer to the government. They called the case a smokescreen meant to divert attention from audio recordings in a separate political scandal, and Choque said Torrico must answer personally for the accusations.
A sister of the two men, quoted in local reports, said their father, aged about 90, is a former miner who ran a cooperative. She said the ANFO and dynamite had been in the house for a long time and that the two guns are old and unusable.
What It Means for You
If you hold Bolivian bonds or invest in the region, a new round of marches and blockades is a risk for roads, fuel supply and the reform plan. A long protest would hurt an economy that is already weak.
Travelers should expect possible road blockades and marches around La Paz and Cochabamba from early November. Check your government’s travel advice before you go and avoid demonstrations.
What Is Not Known
It is not known whether the communications Oviedo describes exist as he says, because the government has not shown them. Morales has not answered the claim in the reports we reviewed.
It is also not known how much explosive was seized, who the woman whose bones were found was, or whether the bones are linked to the brothers. The court has yet to rule on the formal charges.
More: Bolivia news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Was Arrested in Bolivia?
Police arrested Alain Torrico and his brother Saúl Torrico Quiroga in Quillacollo, near Cochabamba, on Thursday 29 October 2026. They are investigated for possessing, carrying and making explosives.
What Does the Government Say About Evo Morales?
Minister Marco Antonio Oviedo says investigators obtained communications between Alain Torrico and Morales about violence planned for November. Morales’s allies deny any link, and no proof has been made public.
When Is the Planned March?
Morales’s supporters plan a march from Patacamaya to La Paz starting on Friday 6 November 2026. They are protesting the government’s economic policies.
Sources: Ministry of Government of Bolivia, statements by Minister Marco Antonio Oviedo, 29 October 2026; Bolivian Police, statements by Commander General Adrián Álvarez, 29 October 2026; Public Prosecutor’s Office of Bolivia, Cochabamba departmental prosecutor Eddy Ordóñez, 29 October 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error