Felipe Cáceres, Bolivia’s former vice-minister of Social Defence and Controlled Substances under former President Evo Morales, was detained after anti-narcotics forces busted a cocaine laboratory on his land in the Chapare, the stronghold of the coca growers’ unions and Morales’s political base. His arrest has intensified scrutiny of the leftist Movement for Socialism party (MAS) and reignited debates over the links between Morales’s allies and drug trafficking.

The operation, carried out at dawn on September 23 in Puerto Villarroel, Cochabamba, led to the destruction of a crystallisation lab for cocaine hydrochloride. The Special Force for the Fight against Drug Trafficking (FELCN) seized 2,000 litres of acetate, 200 litres of petrol and 50 kilos each of activated carbon, bisulphite and permanganate, according to Infobae. 

Interior Minister Roberto Ríos confirmed that the laboratory was located on property belonging to Cáceres, alongside a construction materials business he operates. Ríos denied political motives and said the judiciary will determine his responsibility.

Cáceres, a coca producer and union leader, was a central figure in Morales’s governments between 2006 and 2019. Despite being the architect of anti-narcotics policy, he faced persistent questions about his personal fortune, which rose from BOB1.9mn to more than BOB9mn ($1.2mn) during his time in office. He left his post after Morales resigned in 2019 following allegations of electoral fraud.

Morales, a staunch advocate of legal coca cultivation, has attempted to defend Cáceres, calling the arrest a “set-up” and alleging a government conspiracy to "deflect public attention from their own scandals". He claimed the laboratory was not inside the property and accused President Luis Arce’s administration of fabricating the case to distract from corruption scandals. These assertions directly contradict the government’s statements and the FELCN’s findings.

The case follows the detention of Elba Terán, arrested days earlier with 10 kilos of cocaine. Terán, previously convicted for drug trafficking, is linked to the Chapare unions and has long been associated with Morales’s political network.

Chapare remains Bolivia’s most significant coca-producing region, where the shady overlap between union leadership, MAS politics and narcotrafficking has long raised concerns.