Luis Arce Gómez

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Colonel Luis Arce Gómez was a Bolivian military officer. Of strong conservative, anti-communist persuasion, in 1980 he backed the bloody coup (sometimes referred to as the "Cocaine Coup") that brought to power the infamous General Luis García Meza. Indeed, Arce served as García Meza's right-hand man and Minister of the Interior.

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Arce's tenure as Bolivia's chief repressor including the passing of such measures as the banning of all political parties, the incarceration and/or exile of most political opponents, the repression of the unions, and the censorship of the media. Among García Meza and Arce's collaborators were former Nazi officer Klaus Barbie, Italian terrorist Stefano Delle Chiaie, and professional torturers allegedly imported from the murderous Argentine dictatorship of General Jorge Videla. Some 1,000 people are estimated to have been killed by the Bolivian security apparatus in only 13 months. Apparently, Arce meant it when he cautioned that all Bolivians who may be opposed to the new order should "walk around with their written will under their arms." The most prominent victim of the dictatorship was the congressman, politician, and gifted orator Marcelo Quiroga, murdered and "disappeared" soon after the coup. Quiroga had been the chief advocate of bringing to trial the former dictator, General Banzer (1971-78), for human right violations and economic mismanagement.

As if all this were not enough, the García Meza government was also deeply involved in drug trafficking activities, and may have come to power financed directly by the drug cartels. The main link of the regime to the drug dealers seems to have none other than the notorious Colonel Arce. The impunity with which he and García Meza operated led to the complete isolation of their government. Even the new, conservative U.S. President, Ronald Reagan, kept its distance and seemed to prefer better options. Eventually, Arce was forced to resign, as was his boss, García. In the late 1980s, Arce was extradited to the United States, where he is currently in jail, serving a lengthy sentence for drug trafficking.