The massive recent seizure of cocaine precursor at Chile’s Arica port underscores its growing role as a trafficking hotspot for Bolivian drug networks.
On November 5, Chilean officials revealed they had seized 43 metric tons of sodium carbonate, which authorities say could have been used to produce a similar amount of cocaine, and was shipped from Hong Kong and destined for landlocked Bolivia.
The precursor was falsely declared as “tile adhesive” by a Chilean-Bolivian transport company in an attempt to evade detection. The consignee and logistical operator, linked to a Bolivian company, are now under investigation, officials added.
It was “one of the most important seizures in the history of the country, due to the quantity and economic value of the drugs that could have been produced,” the Arica-based prosecutor Mario Carrera told the Chilean news outlet BioBioChile.
Sodium carbonate is a chemical widely used for legitimate purposes, such as glass manufacturing and as an ingredient in cleaning detergents. However, in cocaine production, it is added to coca leaves to extract the cocaine alkaloid within.
InSight Crime Analysis
Arica’s proximity to cocaine-producing Bolivia and its distinctive customs framework make it a vital point for both the import of precursor chemicals and export of Bolivian cocaine. The agreement stretches back to a 1904 post-war treaty between Chile and Bolivia, which lacks direct access to sea ports. The treaty grants Bolivian customs officials a degree of control over Bolivian cargo passing through Arica, somewhat limiting Chilean oversight.
This latest seizure is the largest sodium carbonate confiscation in Chilean history, but Arica’s port has seen multiple large-scale seizures of cocaine and precursor chemicals in recent years. In December 2023, for example, Bolivian authorities intercepted 8.7 tons of cocaine hidden among wooden boards destined for the port. Similarly, Chilean officials discovered 2.2 tons of Bolivian cocaine bound for Belgium in July 2023 and, in 2022, seized a record 690 tons of precursor chemicals from 41 abandoned containers originally shipped from China and heading for Bolivia.
While Peru, another major cocaine producer, is geographically closer, its vast coastline makes Arica less relevant to Peruvian cocaine trafficking operations. Around 75% of the cargo traffic in Arica either originates in or is bound for Bolivia, with the port handling 30% more Bolivian cargo in 2023 than in 2022.
Officials say Bolivian drug trafficking operations rely on the port for importing precursor chemicals and exporting cocaine.The port is attractive to drug traffickers thanks, in part, to the restrictions on Chilean customs officials inspecting Bolivian cargo, Carrera told InSight Crime in June 2024.
“It’s not that we can’t inspect containers that come from Bolivia,” he said. “We can, but we have more demands. The issue limits us a bit. In other words, we have to have a stronger probable cause.”
Carrera added that Chile’s reputation for “low levels of corruption” compared to other countries in the region also makes Arica an attractive port for drug traffickers, as its cargo is less likely to raise suspicion from foreign customs officials.
“We have a port with a flag that is better regarded internationally than a ship, for example, that has a Peruvian, Ecuadorian, Colombian, or Venezuelan flag,” he said.
What’s more, a recent agreement lowering tariffs on Bolivian cargo passing through Arica’s port, coupled with rising cocaine production in Bolivia, could lead to an increase in drug trafficking through the sea terminal.
Featured Image: Chilean customs officials alongside the 43 tons of sodium carbonate seized at Arica port. Credit: Frontera Norte
