Bolivia's Former Top Drug Cop Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Cocaine Into Miami

Retired Gen. Rene Sanabria, who once ran Bolivia's national anti-narcotics police unit, has pleaded guilty in a Miami court to smuggling cocaine. Sanabria and his co-conspirators were arrested in March and charged with trying to sneak about 315 pounds of cocaine into the Port of Miami.

Sanabria ran Bolivia's anti-narcotics police unit from 2007 to 2008, and since 2009, he was considered a top adviser to Evo Morales's interior minister. During that time, he was living a double life as a would-be cocaine kingpin.

Sanabria and his associates entered into a deal with an undercover U.S. agent to transport vast amounts of cocaine into Miami for $250,000. Sanabria sent his first shipment of 220 pounds of cocaine here in November. Federal agents seized the shipment and then arrested Sanabria in Panama in March. He was transported to Miami for trial.

Today Sanabria and an associate, Marcelo Foronda, entered a guilty plea in a Miami court.

It's believed the guilty plea is part of a deal in which Sanabria might provide information to U.S. authorities in exchange for a lighter sentence.

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