Fugitive Former Bolivian Despot Seized in Brazil
Former Bolivian dictator Luis Garcia Meza, a fugitive sentenced in Bolivia to 30 years in jail for treason and armed insurrection, was arrested Friday in Brazil.
The United States has accused Garcia Meza of involvement in drug trafficking.
Federal police inspector Roberto Precioso said Garcia Meza will be charged with using false documents and faces up to four years in jail.
Brazil’s Supreme Court is reviewing an extradition request made by Bolivia.
A team of Bolivian police and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents had followed Garcia Meza for months as he shuttled among Bolivia, Chile and Brazil. He was located in Sao Paulo by the DEA because of his contacts with drug traffickers. The DEA notified Brazilian police, who handled the arrest.
Garcia Meza took over the government of Bolivia in July, 1980, after a bloody military coup. He was ousted in an August, 1981, coup.
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