The judge of the United States District Court, Denise L. Cote, set a date for the start of the trial against the former anti-drug chief of Bolivia, Maximiliano Dávila59, who is accused of being part of an international network that trafficked cocaine to that country.
“The trial is on October 14, 2025″the judge said at the hearing, as reported by the journalist Matthew Russell Lee through his account in X. Additionally, the representative of the federal prosecutor indicated that they have videos and audios of the meetings in which Dávila allegedly participated.
According to Lee’s report, the lawyer defending Dávila may possibly be changed in the coming months, since the current one has another trial in September. The judge gave a deadline until February 28 to confirm if there will be a relief in the defense.
Dávila, who He was the last anti-drug chief of the Government of Evo Morales (2006-2019) and also served in the Government of Luis Arcewas extradited in the early morning of December 12, 2024.
In Bolivia, he was under preventive detention in the San Pedro prison (La Paz) for an accusation of illicit profits, but in November the Supreme Court of Justice authorized his “immediate” extradition at the request of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The United States accuses him of having taken advantage of the position of National Director of the Special Force to Fight Drug Trafficking (Felcn) to protect planes that were used to transport cocaine to the United States.
According to a press release from the New York Prosecutor’s Office, the former Bolivian colonel “He abused his position as head of Bolivia’s anti-narcotics agency to help the very drug traffickers he was tasked with investigating and arresting. Along the way, he attempted to use Bolivian law enforcement officers to monitor and transport shipments of cocaine and participate in the shipment of massive quantities of cocaine.”
Cited in the same document, Anne Milgram, director of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)said about Dávila: “His betrayal of public trust ends here. Let this extradition serve as a warning: no corrupt official is untouchable, and The DEA will stop at nothing to bring criminals to justiceno matter where they hide.”
The charges for which he is accused –conspiracy to traffic drugs and weapons to promote drug trafficking– have a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
In his first appearance with the judicial authorities of the United States, Dávila pleaded “not guilty” to the charges against him and accepted preventive detention while the investigations are carried out.
At the same time, in Bolivia, its lawyer Manolo Rojasreported the former colonel left a letter before leaving in which he reveals information that could complicate authorities and politicians in the country and that he will make it known when he is authorized to do so.
His extradition generated mixed reactions and accusations in Bolivia. Former President Morales stated that the country ““It is once again a colony of the United States.” by handing over the former police chief, while opposition leaders believe that he fears being involved by Dávila in drug trafficking crimes.
Dávila is not the only Bolivian anti-drug chief who was investigated for drug trafficking in the northern country. Other police officers were also targeted by the DEA for their links to international drug trafficking networks, such as Faustino Rico Toro, René Sanabria, Omar Rojas Echeverría, Óscar Nina and Gonzalo Medina.
