BOLIVIA · SECURITY
Key Facts
- —The country Bolivia is a landlocked Andean nation led since November 2025 by President Rodrigo Paz, who has renewed security cooperation with Washington.
- —What happened On Friday 9 October, the US Embassy gave Bolivia’s police protective gear, tear gas and crowd-control equipment at a ceremony in La Paz.
- —Who paid The State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs funded it; no value or quantities were published.
- —Who gets it UTOP, the police tactical operations unit that faced the 53-day blockades, which marked its 50th anniversary at the same ceremony.
- —Why now The government says UTOP held the line through 53 days of road blockades; supporters of ex-president Evo Morales now threaten new ones.
- —For travellers The US rates Bolivia Level 2, “exercise increased caution”, and tells visitors never to cross roadblocks.
Bolivia police have received riot gear, tear gas and protective equipment from the United States, a sign of renewed security ties. The handover took place in La Paz on Friday 9 October, as the police tactical unit known as UTOP marked its 50th anniversary.
US taxpayers paid for it, a reversal for a country that once expelled the US ambassador and US law enforcement agencies. On Friday, supporters of ex-president Evo Morales warned they could encircle the eastern city of Santa Cruz if lawmakers pass an anti-blockade bill.
What the US Gave Bolivia’s Police
The equipment came from the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), the State Department bureau that funds police and anti-drug programmes abroad. Matthew Zamary, INL’s director at the US Embassy in Bolivia, led the ceremony at the National Police Academy.
“The United States is proud to donate protective equipment, tear gas and crowd-control equipment,” Zamary said, according to the state news agency ABI. No value, quantities or number of Bolivia police officers equipped were published.
Government Minister Marco Antonio Oviedo and Police Commander General Adrián Álvarez received the material. “We receive this valuable donation of riot-control equipment with deep gratitude,” Álvarez said, according to the radio network Erbol.
Oviedo addressed the diplomats directly. “Gentlemen of the Embassy, thank you very much for the donation,” he said, according to his ministry.
Why Washington Is Backing Bolivia’s Police
Zamary described the gift as part of an alliance between two democracies that have chosen to face common threats together. He cited Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has described the relationship as a truly renewed partnership.
Zamary said a new chapter opened in November, when Rodrigo Paz became president. Paz replaced Luis Arce of the Movement for Socialism (MAS), the leftist party Evo Morales led as president from 2006 to 2019.
The embassy called the gift part of a wider agenda: police professionalisation, anti-corruption work and joint action against drug trafficking and transnational crime networks. The State Department lists Bolivia as the world’s third-largest cocaine producer.
Paz praised the Bolivia police at a decoration ceremony on Thursday 8 October. He said seizures of drug-trafficking aircraft rose from about nine a year to between 50 and 60.
He also credited the force with capturing Uruguayan drug trafficker Sebastián Marset.
The relationship still has friction points, as Washington’s latest human trafficking grade for Bolivia shows.
The Blockades Behind the Donation
Oviedo said UTOP was decisive during 53 days of road blockades and handled them without a single death caused by the police. He said those blockades were “financed by narco-terrorism”, according to the ministry’s statement.
Zamary spoke of “more than seven weeks of violent blockades.” He said legitimate protest must be told apart from actions that deny others free movement and access to food, medicine and basic services.
He added that the equipment must come with training, discipline, proportionality and full respect for human rights. On Thursday, Paz said police and soldiers kept humanitarian corridors open for oxygen and food during the 53 days.
The security climate stayed tense on Friday. In the La Paz district of San Antonio, Bolivia police found four handmade dynamite devices ready to detonate and 20 firecrackers, the ministry said.
Officers also seized three phones, a passport and a jacket with the letters DEA, the initials of the US Drug Enforcement Administration. Oviedo linked the devices to Aristóteles Calle, whom he called a key figure in a “terrorist and drug-trafficking structure”.
Calle is a former ministry official under Eduardo Del Castillo, Arce’s government minister, whom prosecutors now seek over alleged links to Marset. Police commander Álvarez said the evidence suggests the devices were meant for announced protests; no arrests were reported.
What It Means for You
For US travellers, the most direct effect is on road travel. The State Department rates Bolivia at Level 2, “exercise increased caution”, in an advisory updated on 18 August 2026.
It warns that “roadblocks are a common form of protest throughout the country” and tells visitors: “Do not cross roadblocks.” The new threat against Santa Cruz makes that advice current again.
The anti-blockade bill would let prosecutors pursue ministers, governors, mayors and other officials who fail to resolve conflicts in time. A committee of the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house, reportedly approved it, but one deputy told Visión 360 it is being reconsidered.
Vicente Choque, a pro-Morales leader, said that if the law is approved, “we have to call to encircle Santa Cruz”, according to Opinión.
Adriana Jiménez, a deputy for Libre, the conservative alliance of ex-president Jorge Quiroga, said his claims lacked political basis.
For US taxpayers and investors, the gift to Bolivia police shows Washington backing the Paz government with practical security help. It is equipment, not personnel: neither government announced US officers or troops on the ground.
What Is Not Known
Neither government has said what the equipment cost, how much tear gas was delivered or how many Bolivia police officers will use it. It is also unclear whether more INL deliveries are planned.
No date for a full Chamber of Deputies vote on the anti-blockade bill has been announced. Morales supporters have not said when, or whether, they would act on the Santa Cruz threat.
In the explosives case, the ministry named no one charged. The link between the devices and protest plans remains a police hypothesis.
More: Bolivia news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the US give Bolivia police?
Protective equipment, tear gas and crowd-control gear, according to Bolivia’s Ministry of Government. It was handed over in La Paz on Friday 9 October 2026 and funded by the US State Department.
Which Bolivia police unit will use the gear?
UTOP, the tactical operations unit of the Bolivia police, which was marking its 50th anniversary at the handover ceremony. The government says the unit handled 53 days of road blockades.
Is it safe to travel to Bolivia now?
The US rates Bolivia Level 2, “exercise increased caution”. Roadblocks are common, and the State Department tells visitors never to cross them.
Why does this matter for US–Bolivia relations?
Bolivia once expelled the US ambassador and US law enforcement agencies. The donation shows security cooperation has returned since Rodrigo Paz became president in November 2025.
Sources: Ministerio de Gobierno, En su 50 aniversario, Oviedo destaca a la UTOP … EE.UU. refuerza alianza histórica con donación de equipamiento policial, 9 October 2026; ABI (Agencia Boliviana de Información), EEUU dona a Bolivia equipos antidisturbios para el control del orden público, 9 October 2026; Ministerio de Gobierno, Allanamientos a inmuebles vinculados a Del Castillo revelan arsenal explosivo, 9 October 2026; ABI, Fiscal General afirma que se emitió alerta migratoria con sello rojo contra Del Castillo, 9 October 2026; ABI, Presidente Paz condecora al pabellón de la Policía Boliviana por sus servicios al Estado, 8 October 2026; US Department of State, Bolivia Travel Advisory, 18 August 2026; US Department of State, U.S. Relations With Bolivia, accessed 10 October 2026; Erbol, EEUU dona equipos a la Policía para protección y control del orden público, 9 October 2026; Opinión, EEUU dona equipos a la Policía para protección y control del orden público, 9 October 2026; Erbol, Paz afirma que la Policía está “a la altura”, 8 October 2026; Opinión, El evismo advierte con cercar Santa Cruz si se aprueba la ley antibloqueo, 9 October 2026; Visión 360, ¿Cuál es la situación de la ley antibloqueos en el Legislativo? Diputado afirma que “no salió de la Comisión”, 9 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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