Uruguayan drug lord Sebastián Marset, considered one of the most wanted criminals in South America and who last year appeared on video alongside members of the Brazilian faction Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), was captured this Friday (13) in Bolivia during a police operation that United States authorities associated with the “Shield of the Americas”, a coalition launched by President Donald Trump’s government last weekend to intensify the fight against cartels and criminal organizations on the continent.
According to information released by the Bolivian government, the operation that culminated in Marset’s arrest took place during the early hours of this Friday in the Las Palmas neighborhood, in the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. As stated by the President of Bolivia, Rodrigo Paz, the drug trafficker was detained along with other people who would be part of his security team, and large-caliber weapons were seized during the operation.
According to Bolivian authorities, after his arrest, the criminal was transferred to Viru Viru airport and sent to the United States, where he will face charges related to international drug trafficking and money laundering. The US State Department even offered a reward of up to US$2 million for information leading to Marset’s capture. He was treated as one of the main organizers of drug trafficking in South America.
In a post on the social network The message cited the “Shield of the Americas”, stating that the initiative is making the region “safer and stronger”. Bolivia is among the countries that began to participate in joint security actions within the scope of Trump’s shield since the launch of the agreement last weekend.
Marset was being investigated by authorities in several countries and had been wanted for years for involvement in major drug trafficking schemes. In November last year, the drug trafficker had appeared armed alongside members of the PCC in Bolivian territory. The material reinforced suspicions of an alliance between the group led by Marset and the Brazilian criminal faction, which operates on trafficking routes that pass through Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil.
Before the video emerged, Paraguayan and Brazilian authorities had already warned of a possible rapprochement between Marset and the PCC.
Marset’s capture occurs in the same week that information emerged that President Donald Trump’s government is considering classifying the Brazilian factions PCC and Comando Vermelho (CV) as terrorist organizations. In a statement to People’s Gazettea US State Department official stated that the American government considers the two criminal groups to be threats to regional security.
