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NEW YORK, NY – The former head of Bolivia’s anti-drug unit is facing a quarter-century in a federal prison. Maximiliano Davila Perez, once the director of Bolivia’s Fuerza Especial de Lucha Contra el Narcotráfico (FELCN), was sentenced today to 25 years for conspiring to import cocaine into the United States and a connected weapons violation.
Perez, 50s, wasn’t just looking the other way. Prosecutors proved in a week-long trial before Judge Denise L. Cote that he actively helped move massive amounts of cocaine towards American streets. He was extradited from Bolivia last December, finally facing the music for a betrayal that shocked even hardened DEA agents.
“Davila Perez wielded extraordinary power…and chose to abuse that power,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, laying it out plain. “He used his position to protect the traffickers he was sworn to investigate.”
DEA Administrator Terrance Cole was equally blunt. “This wasn’t just corruption, it was a criminal enterprise,” Cole stated. “He fueled violence, addiction, and enabled the flow of drugs into the United States. No badge, no title will shield those who choose crime over duty.”
Details of the operation – the weapons, the specific trafficking routes, and the extent of Perez’s take – remain largely sealed, but sources say the scope of the conspiracy was significant. The case, handled by the Southern District of New York and the DEA’s Special Operations Division, signals a stepped-up effort to target high-level narco-corruption overseas.
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