LA PAZ, Bolivia, Nov 28, (AP): Bolivia's highest court on Wednesday approved the extradition to the United States of a former anti-narcotics chief on charges of conspiring to smuggle cocaine into the US, a rare ruling against a top security official in the Andean nation whose relations with Washington have been strained for decades.

The decision, which cannot be appealed, caps the rapid downfall of Maximiliano Dávila, 59, Bolivia's top drug cop in 2019 under former leftist President Evo Morales, the first Indigenous president of Bolivia who became a global anti-imperialist icon for kicking out the U.S. ambassador and Drug Enforcement Administration in 2008.

A former police colonel, Dávila was indicted in 2022 in New York on federal charges of conspiring to import cocaine to the US and possessing machine guns. The indictment accused Dávila of leveraging his position to provide top-level protection to cargo planes transporting cocaine through third countries for distribution in the US.

The Justice and State Departments also offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his conviction. Dávila official has denied the charges. Bolivia’s Supreme Court of Justice announced it was granting a formal U.S. request for Dávila to be extradited on drug conspiracy charges. The U.S. State Department and Department of Justice did not publicly comment on the announcement.

"After reviewing the documentation and the corresponding evidence, it has been determined to proceed immediately with Dávila’s extradition,” said Marco Jaimes, the court's president. Inside Bolivia, Dávila is facing money laundering charges. Bolivian authorities arrested him in 2022 as he was allegedly fleeing to Argentina, hauling him to jail in the capital of La Paz where he now remains.

Dávila led the anti-narcotics agency in Bolivia for the final nine months of Morales’ 14-year presidency, which ended abruptly in November 2019. The powerful former coca farmer resigned as street protests erupted after the announcement that he had won re-election to an unprecedented fourth term. The interim government of Jeanine Áñez, which took power following Morales' ouster, sacked Dávila.