312 kg of hashish hidden in volcanic stone tiles seized at Bolivian border
Bolivia's anti-narcotics force found 312.25 kg of processed marijuana sold as hashish, packed into artificial volcanic stone tiles in a container travelling from Chile to Santa Cruz, together with 18.2 kg of methamphetamine. Prosecutors in Oruro detained the 48-year-old Bolivian driver and are investigating the shipment's route and destination.
🇧🇴 Tambo Quemado border post, Sajama, Oruro · Bolivia
- Arrested
- 1
- Cannabis
- 312.25 kg
- Value (official estimate)
- USD 582,550
Bolivia’s Special Force for the Fight against Drug Trafficking (FELCN) found the
drugs at the Tambo Quemado border control post in Oruro during operations on 23
and 24 October 2026.[1] They were inside a container carrying 20 pallets of
volcanic stone that had come from Mexico, passed through Chile and was bound for
Santa Cruz de la Sierra.[2][3] Officers noticed cracked tiles and broke them open
to find packages hidden in pieces made to imitate the stone.[2]
The container held 312.25 kg of processed marijuana, sold as hashish, in 257
packages, and 21 packages holding 18.2 kg of methamphetamine.[2] Oruro’s
departmental prosecutor, Franz Villegas, said the driver, Pablo P., 48, had been
detained and charged with drug trafficking aggravated by the volume transported.[1] The FELCN also seized the tractor-trailer and a mobile phone.[2]
Vice-Minister for the Fight against Drug Trafficking Dorian Badani said the load
was destined for Santa Cruz and possibly Brazil, and that investigators were still
establishing the route, the organisers and whether earlier imports used the same
method.[2] The FELCN put the economic impact at US$582,550 and said the case
formed part of the “Frontera Segura 2.0” border plan.[2][3] Early reports
described the white substance as possibly cocaine; EL DEBER later reported that
laboratory tests identified it as methamphetamine.[2][1]
Sources
- Baldosas de piedra volcánica fueron utilizadas para transportar más de 312 kilos de marihuana desde Chile a Santa Cruz. Visión 360, 26 October 2026. In Spanish.
- Piedras volcánicas importadas de México llegaron con 300 kilos de hachís de marihuana. EL DEBER, 28 October 2026. In Spanish.
- Decomisan 312 kilos de marihuana procesada y 18 kilos de metanfetamina procedentes de Chile. ANF, 28 October 2026. In Spanish.
Open questions the AI reported
- Visión 360 reported 312.5 kg and ANF 312 kg; the report uses 312.25 kg, the figure EL DEBER gives from the FELCN's technical data.
- Early reports described the 18.2 kg of white substance as possibly cocaine; EL DEBER later reported that laboratory tests identified it as methamphetamine.
- The US$582,550 valuation is the FELCN's estimate for the whole 330.45 kg load, not for the hashish alone.
- The reports do not say where the container was loaded or who consigned it, and the possible onward destination of Brazil was described as preliminary.
- All accounts reproduce statements from the FELCN and the Oruro prosecutor's office, so there is no independent description of the inspection.
