Bolivia arrests former judge on suspicion of drug trafficking

What the report says

Bolivian authorities have arrested former senior judge Aldo Quezada on suspicion of drug trafficking and criminal association, according to a report by AFP published by Al Jazeera on 12 November 2026. Prosecutor Marcelo Inchausti said Quezada was detained at his home in Santa Cruz, in eastern Bolivia, on Wednesday. The arrest is part of a broader crackdown in Latin America that Al Jazeera says is being supported by a US-backed security initiative aimed at officials suspected of cartel ties.

Quezada had stepped down last month as chief justice of the Santa Cruz departmental court after being placed on a US visa-restrictions list over alleged links to drug trafficking, the report said. Al Jazeera noted that the United States has also cancelled visas for officials in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru under the same policy. The case adds to a series of arrests involving senior Bolivian judicial figures since September.

Among those detained was former Attorney General Roger Mariaca, who was arrested on 30 September on suspicion of money laundering and drug trafficking after police reportedly found bundles of cash hidden in his home. Al Jazeera also reported that the Trump administration imposed visa restrictions on 12 Bolivian nationals and their families in September.

The developments come after President Rodrigo Paz took office on 8 November 2025 and moved to strengthen ties with Washington. He has joined Bolivia to the US-backed “Shield of the Americas” security alliance, which Al Jazeera says is part of the wider regional anti-cartel effort.