Marset Case: Ferrufino Expands Statement and Requests Review of Security Cameras
Lieutenant Colonel Ferrufino, detained in Patacamaya, presented new information to the Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the operation in which Uruguayan drug trafficker Sebastián Marset was captured.
Ferrufino expands statement and demands review of cameras in the Marset case
Lieutenant Colonel Juan Marcelo Ferrufino Rojas appeared before the Public Prosecutor's Office on Friday to expand his statement in the framework of the Marset case, according to El Deber. The officer, who remains in preventive detention at the Patacamaya penal facility, provided new information regarding the police operation of 13 March 2026 in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, during which Uruguayan drug trafficker Sebastián Marset was captured.
His lawyer, Freddy Velásquez, stated that Ferrufino ratified his previous statement and added references to the types of uniforms used during the operation, as well as to the participation of personnel transferred from other departments, including members of the Delta group from Oruro.
The defence announced that it will request a review of the security cameras from the operation in order to identify the uniformed officers present in each property. The central argument is that Ferrufino did not enter the residence from which four suitcases and other valuable items allegedly disappeared.
Velásquez indicated that statements from Captain Guillermo Ruiz, together with information which according to him emerged unofficially, would support his client's version. He also mentioned references attributed to Tatiana Marset, the drug trafficker's sister, and to Lieutenant Colonel Erick Correa.
According to the defence, two separate properties were intervened during the operation. Ferrufino allegedly commanded the team that acted at a second residence, where Marset's sister and several members of his security group were apprehended. The defence maintains that it was at the first property where the alleged theft took place, and that their client was not present there.
This version, however, forms part of the defence strategy and will need to be contrasted with the evidence gathered by investigators.
Charged with five offences
Ferrufino has accumulated six months of preventive detention by judicial decision. The Public Prosecutor's Office charged him with the alleged offences of embezzlement, breach of duties, aggravated theft, extortion and passive bribery. The investigation seeks to determine how the property was removed from the residence, what the suitcases contained, and who was involved in the events.
The defence considers that keeping the officer deprived of liberty while proceedings continue amounts to an anticipated sentence. Velásquez announced that he will request that Ferrufino be allowed to defend himself whilst at liberty; the officer has already filed an appeal against the preventive detention.
In addition to the review of security footage, the lawyer requested that each police officer who participated in the operation be identified and that the movements of personnel during the operation be reconstructed, with the aim of establishing which uniformed officers were at each property and comparing their actions with the statements incorporated into the case file.
The Public Prosecutor's Office continues to investigate the alleged disappearance of the suitcases and other valuable items recorded during Marset's capture. Ferrufino's responsibility and that of the other investigated parties will remain subject to the evidence and judicial proceedings that will unfold in the coming weeks.
Source: El Deber