Transnational organized crime groups steal quality cars in Brazil and are able to trade them in Bolivia for 10 kilograms of cocaine, according to security officials.
Officials in Bolivia believe that up to 92 percent of the cocaine produced in the country is trafficked to Brazil.
Bolivia is third in the world in cocaine production, after Peru and Colombia.
In 2012, citizens of Brazil used the second most cocaine in the world, trailing only the United States in cocaine usage. 80 percent of the cocaine abused in Brazil was trafficked in from Bolivia.
In 2011, around 2,400 people from foreign countries were arrested for crimes in Chile. 70 percent of those arrested were for drug trafficking activities. 48 percent of the drug trafficking arrests were of people from Bolivia, 34 percent from Peru, and 8 percent of the foreign nationals were from Argentina. In 2011, up to 5 percent of the jail population in Chile were of foreign nationals.
According to the US Office of National Drug Control Policy, Bolivia produced 195 metric tons of cocaine in 2009 and Peru produced 225 metric tons of cocaine in 2009.
In 2009, 45.4 percent of coca was from Peru, 39.3 from Colombia and 15.3 percent from Bolivia. 119,000 metric tons of coca leaf was from Peru, with Colombia producing 103,000 metric tons.
The US Department of State reported that in 2009, Bolivia’s cultivation of coca increased by 10 percent over the previous year. The potential production of cocaine in the country increased to 195 tons, an increase of 50 percent from the 130 tons in 2007.
In 2008, the harvest of black market coca production in Bolivia was estimated to be 75,000 acres. The production of illegal coca was up 65 percent from previous years.
According to the World Bank, the rate of illegal logging in Bolivia is 80 percent.
The market value of coca produced in Bolivia based on farm-gate prices was $180 million in 2005.