A notorious Latin American drug lord named Sebastian Marset, who for years eluded authorities, has been handed over to U.S. law enforcement after being arrested Friday in Bolivia’s economic capital, Santa Cruz.
Marset, an Uruguayan national with a significant $2 million bounty on his head due to alleged money laundering and leadership of one of the largest drug trafficking organizations south of the Rio Grande, was nabbed during a high-profile police operation that involved hundreds of officers.
“The arrest was carried out in accordance with a court order issued by the U.S. justice system,” reported Marco Antonio Oviedo, a senior minister. “Marset had been on the run since July 2023 when he fled his home in Santa Cruz, only days before authorities planned to execute a sweeping operation to capture him.”
The soccer-loving Marset, who was 34 years old at the time of arrest, laundered proceeds from his drug empire by purchasing and supporting low-level professional soccer teams across Latin America and Europe. During one stint in Bolivia, he even claimed a spot on the starting lineups for several clubs.
Marset had previously been incarcerated in Uruguay for his involvement in drug trafficking between 2013 and 2018 before moving around South America. He also made appearances in Paraguay, where he was issued an arrest warrant along with Bolivia’s center-right President Rodrigo Pacheco.
Pacheco expressed gratitude to “international organizations from various neighboring countries and the continent” for their cooperation in bringing down the fugitive drug lord. The president has sought to strengthen ties with the United States since taking office last year, following two decades of socialist rule under Indigenous coca farmer Evo Morales.
Bolivia is the world’s third-largest producer of cocaine, which comes from coca leaves. With U.S. intelligence assistance in his arrest, Marset joins notorious cartel leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, also known as “El Mencho,” who was killed during a shootout earlier this year.
The capture of El Mencho and now Marset represents the latest action in a string of arrests against high-profile drug lords. Both fugitives were involved in significant cocaine trafficking operations. The DEA alleges that Marset’s network moved tons of cocaine from South America to Europe, generating billions in cash and proceeds.
In a Washington Post profile published in 2024, it was reported that Marset had paid $10,000 in cash to wear the number 10 jersey associated with iconic soccer players Pelé, Diego Maradona, and Lionel Messi. His drug shipments bore his distinctive label “The King of the South,” while cocaine was concealed within shipments of cookies and soybeans.
Marset’s extradition underscores how international efforts against organized crime are tightening their grip on the world’s illicit trade in drugs. As President Pacheco praised “international cooperation” for this latest capture, Bolivia stands ready to play a more active role in confronting its own drug cartels under U.S. oversight.