Bolivia’s Top Cop Busted: 25 Years for Coke Smuggling

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NEW YORK – The ex-head of Bolivia’s anti-drug unit, Maximiliano Davila Perez, is facing a quarter-century behind bars after a New York federal court handed down a 25-year sentence for orchestrating a cocaine-smuggling operation. Perez, who once led Bolivia’s Fuerza Especial de Lucha Contra el Narcotráfico (FELCN), wasn’t just on the wrong side of the law – he was the law, using his position to grease the wheels for a massive influx of cocaine into the United States.

Perez was convicted last October following a week-long jury trial before Judge Denise L. Cote. Federal prosecutors proved Perez abused his authority, flipping from cop to co-conspirator to facilitate the drug trade he was supposed to combat. He was extradited from Bolivia in December 2024.

“Davila Perez didn’t just look the other way,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “He actively helped drug traffickers flood our streets with cocaine.”

DEA Administrator Terrance Cole slammed Perez’s actions as a “complete abandonment of the oath” and a prime example of how corruption can cripple law enforcement. Cole vowed that the DEA will continue to target and prosecute anyone, “no badge, no title,” who uses their power to push drugs into US communities. The case highlights a disturbing pattern of high-level narco-corruption reaching across borders, and a rare instance of a foreign official held accountable in a US court.

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