Sebastian Marset, a notorious Latin American narco trafficker wanted by the United States, was arrested in Bolivia on Friday and handed over to U.S. authorities. The 34-year-old Uruguayan national, who faces charges for leading a major cocaine trafficking operation, was transferred at Santa Cruz airport and placed on an American plane. His capture involved hundreds of police officers and international cooperation.
Sebastian Marset, a Uruguayan national on the U.S. most-wanted fugitives list, was arrested in an upscale neighborhood of Santa Cruz, Bolivia's economic capital. The operation, witnessed by an AFP journalist, mobilized hundreds of police officers and resulted in four additional arrests.
According to Marco Antonio Oviedo, a senior minister, "The arrest and deportation were carried out pursuant to a court order issued by the U.S. justice system." Marset was passed to agents of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration at Santa Cruz airport and boarded a U.S. airplane, as shown on state television.
The U.S. had offered a $2 million bounty for Marset, accused in an indictment from the Eastern District of Virginia of leading a large-scale drug trafficking organization. The DEA states that this group moved ton quantities of cocaine from South America to Europe, generating tens of millions in cash and proceeds. Marset is also accused of overseeing a network that imported more than 16 tons of cocaine into Europe.
A soccer enthusiast, the 34-year-old laundered drug money by purchasing and sponsoring lower-level professional soccer teams in Latin America and Europe, even playing in their starting lineups. A 2024 Washington Post profile noted he paid $10,000 in cash to wear the number 10 jersey, associated with stars like Pele, Maradona, and Messi. His shipments were stamped "The King of the South" and hidden in cookies and soybeans.
Marset had been imprisoned in Uruguay for drug trafficking from 2013 to 2018. After his release, he moved around South America, including stays in Bolivia and Paraguay, both of which issued arrest warrants. He evaded capture since July 2023, fleeing his Santa Cruz home ahead of a police operation. The U.S. reward followed a major Paraguayan investigation into cocaine trafficking, which revealed Marset's text messages seeking advice on disposing of murdered enemies' bodies.
This arrest occurred days after Bolivia joined an anti-cartel military alliance with 16 other countries. Bolivia, the world's third-largest cocaine producer, has seen increased U.S. ties under its current leadership. Marset's capture marks the second major Latin American narco boss taken down in under a month, following the death of Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," in a Jalisco shootout. U.S. intelligence aided the operation.
