Bolivia seizes more than 176 kg of marijuana in three-day Operación 200 sweep
Bolivia's FELCN seized more than 176 kilos of marijuana across five departments between 1 and 3 April 2026 as part of the government's Operación 200. The same sweep collected large amounts of cocaine products and led to two FELCN sergeants being held over tampered drug evidence.
🇧🇴 Santa Cruz, Cochabamba, La Paz, Tarija and Beni departments, Bolivia
Bolivia’s anti-drug force FELCN seized more than 176 kilos of marijuana in
larger operations.[1]The results were part of the plan Operación 200: por
nuestras familias, Bolivia y nuestro futuro, which ran from 1 to 3 April in
Santa Cruz, Cochabamba, La Paz, Tarija and Beni.[2]
The same operations also recovered about 100 kilos of coca paste, more than 21
kilos of cocaine hydrochloride and more than 980 litres of liquid drug, which
are described only to explain the mixed seizure and are not counted as cannabis.[1]In the Trópico de Cochabamba officers located four cocaine factories and
burned large quantities of chemical precursors, including 2,000 litres of
petrol, sulphuric acid, sodium carbonate and cement.[1]Authorities detected
irregularities in the weighing and incineration of controlled substances
involving two FELCN police officers with the rank of sergeant, who were caught
altering drugs due to be incinerated in Cotoca, Santa Cruz, and were ordered to
serve 180 days of preventive detention.[1]
Officials described the consolidated result as a confiscation of 300 kilos of
drugs in simultaneous operations.[2]
Photos and video
FELCN officers during the coordinated operations. Photo: Viceministerio de Defensa Social y Sustancias Controladas via InfobaePhoto details
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Source: InfobaeA FELCN officer during the confiscation of drugs. Photo: Viceministerio de Defensa Social y Sustancias Controladas via InfobaePhoto details
The operation ran from 1 to 3 April 2026, so 3 April is used as the incident date for the final day reported.
No breakdown of the marijuana seizures by department, site or number of plants was published, so only the stated total of more than 176 kilos is recorded as 176.
The 300-kilo figure covers marijuana, coca paste, cocaine hydrochloride and liquid drug together, so it is not recorded as a cannabis quantity.
No court outcome beyond 180 days of preventive detention was reported for the two sergeants, and no charges were specified.
The reports do not say what happened to the marijuana or whether the marijuana seizures led to any additional arrests.
Material on national coca cultivation, cocaine production potential and eradication targets is policy background, not this event, and is left out of the report.
Felcn's detector dog Lía alerted on two bags in the parcel store of an interprovincial transport company in southern Cochabamba. Officers found 42 vacuum-sealed packages that tested positive for marijuana. No weight or arrest was reported.
Police and prosecutors in Bermejo seized 42.2 kg of marijuana plus 4 grams of cocaine from a vehicle that tried to evade a checkpoint. Four people were charged, with two in preventive detention and two under house arrest, a split the prosecution has appealed.
Bolivia's anti-drug force FELCN seized 18 packages of marijuana from an international bus luggage compartment at the Terminal Bimodal in Santa Cruz and another 10 packages testing positive for marijuana and cocaine base paste from a vehicle near San Ignacio de Velasco. The force opened investigations into the shipments without releasing their weight or saying whether anyone was detained.
Bolivia's interior minister said the more than 30 suitcases flown from the United States to Viru Viru airport in November 2025 carried altered marijuana intended for the high-priced Brazilian market. A January search of property linked to former judge Hebert Zeballos did not find the suitcases but seized 70 kilograms of marijuana.
