Uruguayan Man Faces U.S. Federal Charges in Drug-Money Laundering Case
A 34-year-old man from Uruguay has been brought before a federal judge in Alexandria, Virginia, accused of taking part in a scheme to launder proceeds from a major cocaine-trafficking operation.
Uruguayan Man Faces U.S. Federal Charges in Drug-Money Laundering Case
A 34-year-old man from Uruguay has been brought before a federal judge in Alexandria, Virginia, accused of taking part in a scheme to launder proceeds from a major cocaine-trafficking operation. The defendant, Sebastián Enrique Marset Cabrera, allegedly heads a criminal group that moved narcotics from South America to European markets, according to a statement from the U.S. Embassy in Uruguay.
Investigators contend that Marset's organization handled enormous quantities of cocaine—shipments reportedly as large as ten tons at a time—destined for buyers across the Atlantic. The network's footprint allegedly extends through Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, and beyond.
Prosecutors say Marset worked closely with Federico Ezequiel Santoro Vassallo, nicknamed "Capitán," who allegedly acted as a financial intermediary from Paraguay. Santoro is accused of channeling millions in drug earnings from Europe back toward South America and other regions. His methods allegedly involved collecting cash—often in euros—through runners and gambling tokens, then slipping those profits into the legitimate financial system. From there, he supposedly orchestrated wire transfers around the world, frequently demanding final payouts in American currency. A U.S.-based correspondent bank allegedly handled many of these transactions.
In early 2021, Marset supposedly had roughly 17 million euros in unpaid earnings from one cocaine load alone. Santoro allegedly managed to wash at least 5 million euros of that sum, with most of it flowing through American financial institutions.
Both men are also accused of using threats of force to shield their illicit enterprise.
Santoro has already admitted guilt and received a 15-year prison term in July 2025. Marset, if found guilty, could be sentenced to as many as 20 years. The judge will set punishment after reviewing federal guidelines and other legal considerations.
The prosecution is being handled by assistant U.S. attorneys Anthony T. Aminoff and Catherine Rosenberg. The probe was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration's Bilateral Investigations Unit, with help from numerous agencies including the Justice Department's international office, the American embassy in Bolivia, diplomatic security personnel, Bolivian police and government officials, several DEA field offices across South America, and Europol.
Washington has offered a bounty of up to two million dollars for tips leading to Marset's capture or conviction, announced in May 2025 under a program targeting transnational organized crime. Bolivia had previously posted a separate $100,000 reward in 2023.
Source: U.S. Embassy in Uruguay
Source: Google News UY — Crime