Migration alerts issued for two police chiefs investigated in Marset suitcase case
The Public Prosecutor's Office activated migration controls against two colonels with arrest warrants for irregularities in the operation to capture drug trafficker Sebastián Marset in Santa Cruz.
Prosecutor activates migration controls after discovery of empty suitcases at police headquarters
The Public Prosecutor's Office issued migration alerts against Lieutenant Colonel Erick Correa and Colonel Fernando Moreno, according to El Deber. Both police chiefs have active arrest warrants for alleged irregularities committed during the operation to capture Sebastián Marset, the Uruguayan drug trafficker arrested on 13 March 2026 in the Las Palmas neighbourhood of Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
Prosecutor Gabriel Gutiérrez confirmed on Wednesday that migration control mechanisms had been activated to determine whether the two officers had left Bolivia. "We have issued the orders for the corresponding migration alerts, and the migration flows have also been collected immediately to establish any possible exits registered within national territory," the prosecutor declared. As of now, the Prosecutor's Office has no information confirming that either of the two has left the country.
The investigation centres on the handling of objects removed from the residence where Marset was living during the police operation. According to the complaint, the police chiefs allegedly entered the property and extracted suitcases containing money and other belongings.
The case gained greater significance after the Prosecutor's Office located four empty suitcases at the headquarters of the Special Tactical Actions Group (GEAT) in La Paz, specifically in a space used as storage within the gymnasium of that unit. The discovery was made following a statement by Captain Guillermo Junior Ruiz Guzmán, who indicated that the suitcases could be found at those facilities. Ruiz Guzmán claimed to have removed one of them from Marset's residence on instructions from his superiors, although he maintained that he was unaware of its contents.
Gutiérrez clarified that it remained to be verified whether the four suitcases found actually corresponded to those removed from the property, what they originally contained, and what became of the objects that allegedly were inside them. The Prosecutor's Office also did not confirm reports about the alleged presence of large sums of money, jewellery or watches. Furthermore, the safe that appears in images of the operation was not found during the search.
Correa served as departmental chief of the Special Police Investigation Centre (CEIP), while Moreno held the position of Intelligence chief. Both participated in the operation alongside the then national Intelligence chief, Lieutenant Colonel Juan Marcelo Ferrufino. The Prosecutor's Office seeks to determine the specific participation of each official and whether crimes were committed during the procedure.
Captain Ruiz faces charges for the alleged offences of embezzlement, dereliction of duty, theft, extortion and passive bribery. The Public Prosecutor's Office requested six months of pre-trial detention for the officer, warning of risks of flight and obstruction of the investigation.
Pending proceedings include review of the original security camera recordings, a reconstruction of what occurred during the operation, and verification of the handling of objects removed from the property.
Source: El Deber