Part 6/10:
Suarez's ambitions led him to finance a military coup in 1980, providing General Luis Garcia Mesa with the necessary resources to take control of the Bolivian government. With this newfound power came almost unbridled freedom in cocaine production. His audacity peaked when he offered to alleviate Bolivia's national debt—$3 billion—in exchange for legal immunity, highlighting his desire not just for wealth but dominance over Bolivia’s political landscape.
Downfall: The War on Drugs
By the mid-1980s, as the U.S. declared an all-out war on drugs under President Ronald Reagan, the pressure mounted on Bolivia's government to act against Suarez, now labeled a “narco-terrorist.”