Evo Morales Accused the Government of Facilitating the Escape of Hitmen in the Aldunate Case.

From the tropics of Cochabamba, where he has retreated to escape the arrest warrant for the case of child abuse, Evo Morales launched harsh criticisms against the current Government, which he himself placed in power. The stronghold of the former dictator is a region historically noted for coca production and the lack of state presence.

Through his radio program, the Chapare leader accused the Ministry of Government of facilitating the escape of the hitmen responsible for the murder of police captain José Aldunate, claiming they left the country from El Trompillo airport in a plane seized by the General Directorate of Registration, Control, and Administration of Seized Assets (DIRCABI).

Additionally, Morales stated that he believes the authorities will not investigate the case, “These authorities are not going to investigate. Who authorized the escape from El Trompillo airport? Who lent the plane? Who allowed the hitmen to flee?" Suggesting with these statements that the government is intimately connected with organized crime.

Despite having been the main promoter of the current Government, Morales has intensified his criticisms, pointing out that the country is under the control of drug trafficking. His statements arise in a context where the discovery of drugs on a plane of the state airline Boa last year and other recent scandals have fueled the debate about the infiltration of drug trafficking in state institutions.

Morales, who knows the functioning of state institutions in depth, accused the Ministry of Government of being "expert in planting evidence", thus rejecting any official investigation. Instead, he demanded the formation of a legislative and international commission to clarify the recent violent events.

For the one accused of pedophilia, the murder of captain Aldunate is more than an isolated incident. He suggests it could be a message directed at the upper echelons of the Government. He later emphasized that the Legislative Assembly must take on the investigation, alleging that the Police are experts in "planting and making evidence disappear."

In this sense, it is contradictory that the power structure that still supports Morales comes largely from coca-growing sectors, which have historically been questioned for their relationship with illicit activities. While his accusations aim to discredit Arce's current administration, his insistence on labeling Bolivia as a narco-state highlights his double discourse: one in which he discursively rejects drug trafficking while continuing to operate from the region that represents his greatest political and economic strength.

Denounce drug trafficking from the coca stronghold?

During his administration, Chapare was consolidated as a coca-growing enclave with little oversight, and many of his allies have been linked to cases related to drug trafficking. Now, by distancing himself from the Executive, he intends to assume a role of whistleblower without acknowledging the permissiveness that characterized his administration in this matter.

The vice president of the Civic Committee of Santa Cruz, Agustín Zambrana, also referred to the situation and pointed to the general commander of the Police, Jhonny Aguilera, claiming that "he has an outstanding account with the country" due to his participation in the Hotel Las Américas operation in 2009. According to Zambrana, Aguilera would be nervous, and some MAS activists have even suggested he leave the country for fear of reprisals.

The statements of Morales, who maintains his political leadership from a region historically linked to drug trafficking, have caused mixed reactions. While some sectors consider that his accusations highlight the country's institutional crisis, others accuse him of using drug trafficking as a pretext to weaken the Government he himself helped to install.