Bolivia arrests attorney general Roger Mariaca for protecting drug traffickers
Bolivian police arrested attorney general Roger Mariaca and 13 other officials in an operation backed by the United States against a criminal network embedded in the Public Ministry.
Operation against judicial corruption
According to elmundo.es, Bolivia's police detained attorney general Roger Mariaca and 13 other officials in a raid on Thursday against a criminal organisation that allegedly protected drug traffickers. The operation had support from the US anti-drugs agency the DEA and other international bodies, though it was carried out entirely by Bolivian officers.
Government minister Marco Antonio Oviedo stated at a press conference that "a criminal organisation embedded in the judiciary has been dismantled" which under Mariaca's leadership became "a criminal organisation aimed at protecting and encouraging narco-terrorism in the country".
Money seized and charges
During the operation, agents found 3.53 million bolivianos—around 294,000 dollars—and another 10,000 dollars in an ambulance leaving Mariaca's home. Mariaca faces accusations of being part of a suspected criminal organisation, laundering illicit proceeds and drug trafficking, according to Oviedo.
The arrest came after the United States revoked Mariaca's visa and that of other individuals. The Trump administration supports the actions of Bolivian president Rodrigo Paz, indicated secretary of state Marco Rubio on the social network X.
Background of protection
Oviedo recalled that the authorities had detained but quickly released the alleged Uruguayan drug trafficker Sebastián Marset in 2023, when Mariaca was regional prosecutor in Santa Cruz. "They let him go and, not only that, they returned the seized assets to him", he stated. Marset was captured again in Bolivia in March this year and extradited to the United States to face money laundering charges.
Defence and timeline
Mariaca's defence lawyer, Jerjes Justiniano, described the detention as "a political measure" and filed an action seeking the release of the detainee on alleged violations of rights and procedures. The Legislative Assembly debated on Friday the appointment of a new attorney general.
When informed of the revocation of his visa, Mariaca rejected the measure and stated that he would continue investigating cases that generated "discomfort" for the government, including the detention in August of Argentine political consultant Fernando Cerimedo for alleged attempted femicide of his ex-partner.
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)