Bolivian President denounces organised crime threats against his family
Rodrigo Paz claims his family is at risk due to decisions against drug cartels. The statements come following the extradition of Sebastián Marset to the US.
Paz denounces narco threats following Marset extradition
Bolivia's President Rodrigo Paz declared that his family is in a situation of "risk" due to threats from organised crime groups, according to radiomontecarlo.com.uy. The head of state directly links this situation to his Executive's offensive operations against major drug trafficking cartels active in the region.
"My family is at risk because we have made decisions against the Marsets, against high-profile criminals," Paz stated during the enactment of the Law on Prescription and Consolidation of Judicial Deposits, an event covered by Bolivian newspaper El Deber.
The head of state took advantage of the judicial context of the event to highlight the vulnerability faced by authorities in the country's border zones. "I know that a judge suffers on the border. When the judge is defenceless, they don't even have to come and blackmail him or come and offer him anything, just the threat alone creates fear and it is true, this happens in Bolivia," he acknowledged.
Paz also described how these transnational networks exert pressure on the judicial system. "Imagine, in the face of these mafias that use heavy-calibre weapons, they don't even have to go and offer them something, they just tell them 'make the ruling I want you to make because if you don't your life is in danger'," the head of state alleged.
Despite the gravity of the situation, Paz emphasised the need to remain firm in combating these organisations and assured that his Government's actions "for now are going well".
The statements come months after Bolivia captured and extradited to the United States in March Sebastián Marset, identified as leader of the so-called First Uruguayan Cartel and one of the most wanted fugitives on the continent. The 34-year-old Marset was wanted for drug trafficking offences in Paraguay and Bolivia, as well as money laundering in the United States. The US anti-drugs agency DEA had offered a reward of up to two million dollars for information facilitating his capture.
Source: Google News BO — Crime