Former prosecutor Mariaca: links to drug trafficking from his time as lawyer in Santa Cruz
The Public Ministry is investigating Róger Mariaca from before his role as Attorney General, including his past as a lawyer. Two cases are open; the former official is in preventive detention in Cantumarca.
Mariaca under investigation since his time as lawyer: two cases for drug trafficking and money laundering
The investigation against former Attorney General of the State Róger Mariaca extends further back than his tenure leading the Public Ministry. According to confirmation from El Deber, the commission of prosecutors analysing the legal situation of former senior officials points to links with drug trafficking dating from when Mariaca worked as a private lawyer, before taking office as departmental prosecutor of Santa Cruz on 12 June 2020.
"Since when, including when he was a lawyer, because he has represented people who were linked to drug trafficking crimes. So it begins there, then departmental prosecutor, then attorney general," declared Edwin Sarmiento, prosecutor of the investigating commission, following the hearing on precautionary measures.
Two ongoing cases
The Public Ministry confirmed the existence of two parallel cases. The first was opened for the crimes of criminal organisation and trafficking in controlled substances. The second was scheduled for this Sunday at 07:00 before the Second Criminal Instruction Court of the Southern zone, although prosecutors avoided providing details about the accused and the specific facts, citing strategic reasons.
El Deber confirmed that in that second case Mariaca and three other people will be investigated for money laundering. Following the arrest of the former prosecutor, these people travelled to his residence, loaded an ambulance with money and fled. The amount found in the vehicle amounts to Bs 3 million and $us 10,000.
Preventive detention in different prisons
As a result of the first case, the courts ordered six months' preventive detention for Mariaca and three other investigated individuals, distributed in different penitentiary facilities. Mariaca was sent to Cantumarca prison in Potosí; departmental prosecutor of Santa Cruz Alberto Zeballos to El Abra in Cochabamba; superior prosecutor Martín Irusta to Patacamaya; and police major Rubén Aparicio to Chonchocoro.
The Public Ministry explained that distribution in different prisons aims to preserve the integrity of the investigated individuals and prevent contact between them during the course of the investigations.
Evidence presented
The charges are supported by a series of elements collected during the investigation: sums of money, high-end mobile phones, documents, intelligence reports and cyber patrol reports from the Police. According to Sarmiento, these elements were presented at the hearing on precautionary measures in order to establish the individual participation of each investigated person.
Source: El Deber