The Vice Minister of the Fight Against Smuggling, Luis Velásquez, confirmed to the press that the army, the police, and personnel from the National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH) were involved in the operation. He described that one of the tankers was transporting 24,000 liters of gasoline with an approximate value of 89,280 bolivianos (more than 12,700 dollars) and the second another 24,000 liters of diesel for an amount of 89,760 bolivianos (about 12,800 dollars).
The tankers were transferred to the 30th Murillo Mechanized Infantry Regiment for safekeeping and, according to him, it is presumed that the fuel was destined for illegal mining.
Velásquez said on Monday that the Strategic Operational Command patrols had struck illegal trade in the last few days for more than a million bolivianos (143 thousand dollars).
Since October 9th, decree 5245 has been in force to sanction the so-called, reverse smuggling (illegal transfer of food and fuel to border countries) with the consequent increase in internal prices.
Within this context, the Armed Forces deployed more than a thousand soldiers to control the crossings to Peru, Chile, and Argentina.
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