“Within the context of strengthening control actions and the fight against smuggling, we are currently moving our Armed Forces to vital points, including cities, to prevent this outflow of fuel,” the minister stated.

The controls were initially established at service stations in border areas such as Yapacaní, Los Yungas, San José de Chiquitos, Locotal, La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz.

According to Molina, the long lines to buy fuel were caused by a mismatch in the distribution as a result of road blockade maintained by farmers in Cochabamba from January 22nd to February 6th, in rejection of the self-extension of the judges of the Supreme Constitutional Court (TCP) and the Supreme Court, whose constitutional mandate expired on December 31st.

Based on the Ministry of Hydrocarbons explanation, the pressure measure prevented more than 130 fuel tankers with around 4.5 million liters of fuel from reaching the west of the country.

Most of the blockades ended last Friday after an agreement reached by the Multiparty Bicameral Commission to make judicial elections viable, and the last eight blockades were opened this Tuesday after the promulgation of Transitory Law 144 for Judicial Elections.

Due to the excess demand, in the case of Santa Cruz, the supply capacity was increased from 400 thousand to 600 thousand liters per day; a similar situation occurred in La Paz.

The operations also aim to prevent the “resale of gasoline”, for which soldiers and police, personnel from the Bolivian Fiscal Oil Fields, will act jointly with the Public Ministry.

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