Bolivia clamps down on one of the world's largest drug traffickers

Santa Cruz, Bolivia - Bolivian authorities have launched an extensive security operation to apprehend one of the world's most wanted cocaine traffickers, who is sought after by four countries. The suspect, Sebastian Enrique Marset Caprera (32), is wanted for drug trafficking charges in his home country of Uruguay, as well as in Paraguay, Brazil, and the United States, and has been on the run, evading capture by moving between several countries.

Eduardo del Castillo, the Bolivian Interior Minister, stated, "A series of raids were carried out in the province of Santa Cruz [...] to arrest a major drug smuggler in our region and the entire world." He added, "We have deployed over 2250 police officers and more than 144 vehicles, conducted more than 23 operations, and executed six raids, resulting in the arrest of 12 individuals."

Bolivian authorities believe that Marset Caprera is currently located in the vast Santa Cruz region, which borders Brazil and Paraguay in southeastern Bolivia. Del Castillo pledged that they would succeed in capturing Marset Caprera in the coming hours, noting that his Peruvian wife and three of his children are accompanying him.

Armed police personnel raided a luxurious residence in Santa Cruz, a city with a population of approximately 1.9 million, and searched other locations near La Paz, according to a journalist from the French Press Agency.

During the Sunday raids, authorities seized 17 rifles, a pistol, around two thousand rounds of ammunition, 31 vehicles, and bulletproof vests.

Imprisonment in the UAE

Officials believe that Marset Caprera entered Bolivia in September of last year and engaged in public activities, including the purchase of a football club playing in the country's second division.

Two years ago, Marset Caprera was detained in the UAE for using a forged Paraguayan passport but managed to escape using identification documents from Uruguay.

Authorities accuse him of being one of the most powerful drug traffickers in the Southern Cone region, which includes Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Brazil.

Marset Caprera's name has been linked to Horacio Cartes, the former president of Paraguay, who was convicted of marijuana trafficking.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro revealed in a tweet last year that Marset Caprera was behind the assassination of the Paraguayan anti-mafia prosecutor Marcelo Bichis, who was killed on the Colombian island of Baru in May 2022 while on his honeymoon with his wife at a resort.

Last May, two Colombian brothers were sentenced to up to 25 years and six months in prison for their involvement in the murder. Andres and Ramon Perez paid around $340,000 to the gunman, according to prosecutors.

However, Petro disclosed that Marset Caprera was the mastermind behind the assassination plot.

In August, he clarified that "the investigation into the crime... committed by drug smuggler Marset on Colombian territory shows that drug trafficking is no longer solely a Colombian-American problem, but has become a global issue."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AFP