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The danger is real. In 1980 General Luis Garcia Meza seized control of Bolivia in what came to be called the Cocaine Coup. One of his first acts was to release drug mafiosos from jail. He proceeded to have the police records of cocaine traffickers destroyed and to punish those who disagreed with his policy. His army meanwhile pocketed millions of dollars in bribes and payoffs from drug dealers. In despair, local U.S. drug enforcers closed their office. As soon as Siles brought back democracy in 1982, however, the fight against drugs resumed. The DEA reopened its office and President Reagan appointed Corr, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotic Matters, as ambassador. Ten months after taking office, Siles signed a bilateral agreement with the U.S. for a five-year, $88 million program to fight cocaine. But the effort remains an uphill struggle. "The mere fact that they're beginning to chase the traffickers is refreshing," says Dr. Carlton Turner, special assistant to President Reagan for drug abuse policy. "But I have my doubts that you're going to be able to do away with the corruption built into the Bolivian system."