Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Anne Milgram, the Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), announced today that MAXIMILIANO DAVILA-PEREZ, a/k/a “Macho,” was extradited from Bolivia and arrived in the U.S. this morning to face federal charges for conspiring to import cocaine into the U.S. and conspiring to use and possess machineguns in connection with this cocaine importation conspiracy. DAVILA-PEREZ will make his initial appearance in the Southern District of New York this afternoon before the Honorable Robyn F. Tarnofsky. DAVILA-PEREZ’s case is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Denise L. Cote.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, Maximiliano Davila-Perez abused his position as the head of Bolivia’s anti-narcotics law enforcement agency to instead aid the very narcotics traffickers he was entrusted to investigate and arrest. Along the way, he sought to use Bolivian law enforcement officers to guard and transport cocaine shipments and participate in the shipment of massive quantities of cocaine. While this conduct is abhorrent, it is sadly not shocking; instead, this is the latest example of our work with the DEA’s Special Operations Division in rooting out this type of cocaine-fueled corruption around the globe. Let this be another loud message to those who would abuse their positions to send ton-quantities of cocaine to the United States: our reach is global, our memory is long, and we will not allow you to continue to flood our country with cocaine without punishment. I commend the work of the career prosecutors of this Office, who have investigated and prosecuted these cases alongside the Special Operations Division for years and will continue to do so for as long as remains necessary.”
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said: “Maximiliano Davila-Perez was supposed to fight the drug trade, but instead he fueled it. As the head of Bolivia's anti-narcotics agency, he turned law enforcement into a cocaine trafficking machine, seeking to flood our streets with poison. His betrayal of public trust ends here. Let this extradition serve as a warning: no corrupt official is untouchable, and the DEA will stop at nothing to bring criminals to justice, no matter where they hide.”
According to the allegations contained in the Superseding Indictment, other court filings, and statements made during court proceedings:[1]
Until in or about November 2019, DAVILA-PEREZ was the Director of Bolivia’s chief anti-narcotics law enforcement agency, Fuerza Especial de Lucha Contra el Narcotráfico (“FELCN”). In DAVILA-PEREZ’s role as Director of FELCN, he exploited his official position in furtherance of large-scale cocaine trafficking activities, including by seeking to divert resources away from investigating traffickers supported by DAVILA-PEREZ, and by providing heavily armed FELCN officers under his command as security for cocaine shipments. DAVILA-PEREZalso worked in partnership with large-scale cocaine suppliers who operated cocaine labs in Bolivia and agreed to ship more than a thousand kilograms of Bolivian cocaine to New York.
In or around July 2019, while DAVILA-PEREZ was still the Director of FELCN, DAVILA-PEREZ and his co-conspirators were recorded while they discussed a plot to send over one ton of cocaine to the U.S. via airplane from Bolivia. During that meeting, DAVILA-PEREZ suggested using particular airfields in Bolivia at which he controlled airport security and could divert law enforcement resources to provide cover while the aircraft was loaded with ton-quantities of cocaine. DAVILA-PEREZ also committed to providing uniformed FELCN officers armed with machineguns to guard the plane during loading and before takeoff. DAVILA-PEREZ explained that he charged by-the-kilogram rates for the protection of the cocaine load.
In November 2019, DAVILA-PEREZ was demoted from his post at FELCN but continued to use his political influence and law enforcement authority while he conspired to import ton-quantities of cocaine from Bolivia to the U.S. and provide armed paramilitary protection for those cocaine shipments. Indeed, between November 2019 and February 2020, during a series of recorded meetings and calls, DAVILA-PEREZ and his co-conspirators continued to arrange the anticipated cocaine shipment. During those meetings, DAVILA-PEREZ discussed the drug competition in the New York market; his continued promise to provide armed protection for the cocaine shipment; and the successful delivery of a 10-kilogram sample of cocaine in Lima, Peru, which was delivered on or about December 10, 2019, in anticipation of the larger cocaine shipment that DAVILA-PEREZ and his co-conspirators intended to import to the U.S. under DAVILA-PEREZ’s protection.
DAVILA-PEREZ, 60, of Bolivia, is charged with: conspiring to import cocaine into the U.S., which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum term of life in prison; and conspiring to use and carry machineguns during, and to possess machineguns in furtherance of, the cocaine importation conspiracy, which carries a maximum term of life in prison.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding efforts of the Special Operations Division of the DEA Bilateral Investigations Unit for its ongoing assistance. He also thanked the DEA Southern Cone Division, the DEA Newark Field Division, the DEA Aviation Division, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs for securing extradition of DAVILA-PEREZ.
This prosecution is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sam Adelsberg, Matthew J.C. Hellman, and David J. Robles are in charge of the prosecution.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Superseding Indictment, and the description of the Indictment and court filings set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
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