The memorandum of understanding was signed at the CNI headquarters by its president, Pablo Camacho, and ANPB leader Zulema Lanes.

“Today we have a very prudent estimate of more than 3.3 billion dollars regarding the extent of the damage caused by smuggling to the national economy; this figure is equivalent to eight percent of Bolivia’s gross domestic product (GDP),” Camacho said in an interview with Prensa Latina.

He commented that this figure is equivalent to almost one month of the national GDP or the cost of two second level hospitals that are no longer being built for the benefit of the population.

He considered that the impact is strong, and that is why the CNI alerts the governments, since the problem is not only in Bolivia but in the entire South American region.

“That is why we started a year ago to develop these debates on Smuggling and Organized Crime with the presence of international experts,” he explained in reference to the forum held on Wednesday with the participation of Bolivian, Chilean and Peruvian scholars.

In relation to the theoretical event, he recalled that when they convened the first meeting in 2023, many thought that the title was an excess; however, today the evidence and the reaction of other countries to invite the CNI to bring their experiences in this regard, show that it is a worrying problem.

Camacho added that in this context, the agreement with the ANPB is very important as a continuation of the work started last year with a contest of reports on the fight against smuggling.

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