Bolivia opens investigation into former presidential advisor for alleged links to drug trafficking

The Bolivian Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday announced a third proceeding against former presidential adviser Fernando Cerimedo, who had worked on the staff of President Rodrigo Paz. The latest case has been brought on charges of alleged trafficking of controlled substances and concealment of drug trafficking. The Argentine consultant, who is being held in pretrial detention, is already under investigation for alleged illicit enrichment and for attempted femicide against his former partner, Nadia Beller, who was shot three times. “The case opened by the Controlled Substances Unit concerns the protection allegedly being provided in the municipality of Santa Ana regarding irregular flights. Allegedly, small aircraft linked to the trafficking of controlled substances are being shielded,” Prosecutor Alexander Mendoza explained at a press conference on Tuesday.

Beller, after being shot last Monday, made several allegations against Cerimedo, a political consultant whose clients included Argentine President Javier Milei and Honduran leader Nasry Asfura. Among the accusations, she claims that Cerimedo and people in his inner circle used the installation of GPS devices in light aircraft as a pretext to exert control over certain air operations and allow aircraft carrying controlled substances to fly over the country. “His excuse was that he was clearing the light aircraft to install radar on them and then ground them. He never admitted to me that he received money through corruption, but rather claimed it was a cover to install radar, ground the planes, and thus get rid of the drug traffickers,” Beller said.

The alleged complicity in drug trafficking is said to have taken place in the department of Beni, an Amazonian region bordering Brazil. Mendoza, the departmental prosecutor for Beni, stated that not only Cerimedo and private individuals will be summoned, but also airport authorities and those tasked with combating drug trafficking. “If this is true and can be proven with compelling evidence, it would demonstrate that both public officials and civilians are providing cover for drug trafficking and irregular flights,” Mendoza said.

The representative of the Public Prosecutor’s Office refers to the city of Santa Ana in Beni as the main location where the alleged release of light aircraft loaded with controlled substances took place. The city has a reputation linked to drug trafficking, as it is an area with vast expanses of jungle and little ground infrastructure, which facilitates air traffic and the establishment of clandestine airstrips on ranches. It is also the birthplace of Roberto Suárez Gómez, known as “the cocaine king” in the 1970s and 1980s. In March 2025, 316 kilograms of cocaine were found on a ranch in that municipality. Last week, police arrested seven people in the same town for possession of high-caliber weapons.

Beller also denounced an alleged corruption network involving gasoline, diesel, gold, and insurance that reportedly includes President Paz, his wife, Vivian Urquidi, and Cerimedo. The government rejected the accusations but urged the whistleblower to present evidence. As part of that case, which is being handled by the La Paz District Attorney’s Office, Beller was summoned to testify on August 25. The investigations have progressed with the raid of at least five properties linked to the Argentine advisor, where the Public Prosecutor’s Office claims to have found more than $40,000 in cash and a “mini bot farm.”

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