DEATHS  OF A COCALERO AND A SOLDIER
OCTOBER 6TH, 2002 IN BOLIVIA'S  CHAPARE AREA
DEA FOIA RESPONSE -- REFERRAL FROM STATE DEPARTMENT
(DEA HAS TROUBLE FINDING SUCH MATERIAL WHEN DIRECTLY FOIA'D
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1.[REDACTED WORD] SYPNOSIS [sic]: PURSUANT TO THE NEWLY APPOINTED GOVERNMENT OF BOLIVIA, [REDACTED WORDS] VOWED TO HALT GOB ERADICATION EFFORTS WITHIN THE CHAPARE REGION.

MOREOVER [REDACTED WORD] HAS STIPULATED THAT GOB DEMILITARIZE THE CHAPARE ZONE. THREE (3) MEETING BETWEEN GOB PRESIDENT [REDACTED WORDS] HAVE TRANSPIRED BETWEEN THE DATES OF SEPTEMBER 13, 2002 AND OCTOBER 4,2002 IN COCHABAMBA, BOLIVIA (REF A). THE COMMISSIONS WERE DESIGNATED TO NEGOTIATE THE AFOREMENTIONED TOPICS IN CONJUNTION [sic] WITH ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT ISSUES IN THE CHAPARE REGION. ON OCTOBER 4, 2002, BOTH PARTIES AGREED TO EXTEND THE NEGOTATIONS [sic] FOR A FIFTEEN (15) DAY PERIOD. NUMEROUS ACTS OF ARMED VIOLENCE CONTINUE TO OCCUR BETWEEN CHAPARE BASED COCALERO FACTIONS AND GOB ERADICATION/INTERDICTION FORCES (REF B,C,D).

2.[REDACTED WORD] DETAILS: ON OCTOBER 4, 2002, AT APPROXIMATELY 7:30 A.M., FTC ERADICATION ELEMENTS WERE DISPATCHED TO THE REMOTE AREA OF CENTRAL SAN ANDRES, CHAPARE VALLEY. AT APPROXIMATELY 8:00 A.M., WHILE CONDUCTING ERADICATION OPERATIONS, AN ESTIMATED ONE-HUNDRED & FIFTY (150) COCALEROS AGGRESSIVELY INITIATED A PROTEST AGAINST FTC FORCES. IN ADDITION, OFFICIALS HEARD SMALL ARMS FIRE AND EXPLOSIONS IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA.

AS A RESULT OF HARASSMENT TACTICS, FTC MEMBER [REDACTED WORDS] SUSTAINED SERIOUS ABDOMINAL INJURIES DUE TO AN EXPLOSIVE DEVICE (DYNAMITE) LAUNCHED BY THE COCALEROS. [REDACTED WORDS] WAS IMMEDIATELY AIR MEDEVACED [sic] TO SANTA CRUZ, BOLIVIA FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT. [REDACTED WORDS] WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD UPON ARRIVAL IN SANTA CRUZ, BOLIVIA.

3.(SBU) ON OCTOBER 4, 2002, ALL CHAPARE BASED COCA FEDERATIONS WERE ORDERED TO MUSTER ALL CAMPESINO MEMBERS TO CONDUCT ROADBLOCKS ON THE COCHABAMBA/SANTA CRUZ HIGHWAY. SEVERAL HUNDRED COCALEROS WERE STRATEGICALLY EMPLOYED THROUGHOUT THE CHAPARE REGION. NUMEROUS COCALEROS CONDUCTED TEMPORARY ROADBLOCKS IN THE AREAS OF CHIMORE AND VILLA TUNARI. GLEANED INTELLIGENCE REVEALED THAT COCALEROS WERE INSTRUCTED TO INITIATE CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE TACTICS, TO INCLUDE THE CLOSURE OF THE HIGHWAY, IF NEGOTIATIONS FAILED. UPON THE DETERMINATION THAT THE MEETING BETWEEN [REDACTED WORDS] WAS EXTENDED FOR A FIFTEEN (15) DAY PERIOD, COCALERO FACTIONS CEASED ALL MOBILIZED CONTACT ON THE HIGHWAY.

4.(SBU) ON OCTOBER 6, 2002, AT APPROXIMATELY 6:30 A.M., WHILE CONDUCTING ERADICATION OPERATIONS IN THE AREA OF COLINIA ALTO ICHOA, AN ESTIMATED FOUR-HUNDRED (400) COCALEROS INITIATED A PHYSICAL ALTERCATION WITH FTC FORCES. INTELLIGENCE INDICATED THE COCALERO SNIPERS WERE UTILIZED TO INFLICT BODILY HARM AND CONFUSION AMONG FTC PERSONNEL. DYNAMITE AND ROCKS WERE FURTHER LAUNCHED AGAINST GOB UNITS. WHILE OFFICERS RECEIVED INCOMING SMALL ARMS FIRE FROM UNIDENTIFIED PARTIES, FTC OFFICERS ATTEMPED [sic] TO DISPERSE THE CROWD WITH CHEMICAL AGENTS.

CS GAS FAILED TO DISPERSE THE CROWD AND COCALEROS CONTINUED TO ADVANCE FORWARD. DUE TO THIS AGGRESIVE [sic] MOVEMENT AND THE CONTINUED RECEIPT OF SMALL ARMS FIRE, FTC PERSONNEL RETALIATED WITH FORCE. AS A RESULT OF THE CONFRONTATION THREE (3) BOLIVIAN NATIONALS WERE INJURED. [REDACTED NAME] RECEIVED GUN SHOT WOUNDS AND SUBSEQUENTLY DIED. [REDACTED NAME] AND [REDACTED NAME] RECEIVED GUN SHOT WOUNDS AND WERE MEDICALLY TREATED IN IVIRGARZAMA, BOLIVIA.

5.[REDACTED WORD] DUE TO THE AFOREMENTIONED ALTERCATION, ON OCTOBER 6, 2002,AT APPROXIMATELY 11:00 A.M., AN ESTIMATED FOUR-HUNDRED (400) COCALEROS INITIATED A ROAD BLOCK IN THE AREA OF RIO BLANCO CHAPARE VALLEY.

[SEVERAL REDACTED WORDS] WAS UTILIZING AN UMOPAR VEHICLE ENROUTE TO THE UMOPAR BULO CHECKPOINT. [REDACTED WORDS] ENCOUNTERED THE HOSTILE CROWD AND ATTEMPTED TO RETURN TO THE UMPQAR [sic] ENTRE RIOS BASE CAMP. THE COCALEROS DETAINED [REDACTED NAME] AND FORCIBLY EXTRACTED [REDACTED NAME] FROM [REDACTED WORD] VEHICLE. COCALEROS IMMEDIATLY [sic] DESTROYED THE UMOPAR VEHICLE AND PHYSICALLY ASSAULTED [REDACTED NAME] COCALEROS SUBSEQUENTLY REMOVED [REDACTED NAME] TO A REMOTE JUNGLE TRAIL, TIED AND BLIND FOLDED [REDACTED] AND CONTINUED ASSAULTING [REDACTED] THE UMOPAR COMMAND STRUCTURE IMMEDIATELY DISPATCHED UNITS TO RESCUE [REDACTED NAME] UMOPAR ELEMENTS ARRIVED,

[End of Response in mid-sentence – typical of the barely literate DEA FOIA office!]