📜 Post with us on Reddit
📝 Create a new article
🏭 Create a company page
🇬🇧 - in English
🇫🇷 - en Français (FR)
🇵🇹 - em Português (PT)
🇩🇪 - auf Deutsch (DE)
🇯🇵 - 日本語で (JA)
Sponsored articles

You can edit almost every page by Creating an account and confirming your email.

Arrest of Roger Mariaca

From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki

Template:Prod llm/dated

On the night of 30 September 2026, Bolivian police arrested Attorney General Roger Mariaca at Viru Viru International Airport near Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Over the following hours, police detained 14 people in total in Santa Cruz, La Paz and Sucre, including other senior prosecutors. The government of President Rodrigo Paz said the operation had dismantled a criminal organization embedded in the country's justice system and Public Prosecutor's Office [es]. Officials accused Mariaca of leading the group and using it to protect drug traffickers, and said he was under investigation for organized crime, money laundering and drug trafficking.[1][2] Mariaca denied the allegations, and the Public Prosecutor's Office described his arrest as a "kidnapping".[3]

The arrests came two days after the United States Department of State publicly designated Mariaca for involvement in "significant corruption" and restricted the visas of twelve other Bolivians.[4] They also followed the circulation of a police video, recorded when Uruguayan drug trafficker Sebastián Marset was captured in March 2026, in which Marset calls Mariaca a friend.[5] Mariaca said the U.S. action was political pressure linked to his office's investigation of the Argentine political consultant Fernando Cerimedo, a former adviser to Paz.[6] Former president Evo Morales and other critics made similar claims of foreign interference, while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised the arrests as action against narcotrafficking and corruption.[7]

The arrests set off a dispute over who leads the Public Prosecutor's Office, with a senior prosecutor declaring himself interim attorney general and the government refusing to recognize him. As of 2 October, Mariaca remained in police custody, prosecutors were preparing formal charges, his lawyers had challenged the legality of his detention, and the Legislative Assembly was meeting to consider the case.[8]

Background

Mariaca and the Public Prosecutor's Office

Roger Mariaca Montenegro, a lawyer born in Santa Cruz in 1987, served as departmental prosecutor of Santa Cruz before becoming attorney general.[9] The Legislative Assembly appointed him in October 2024 to a six-year term with the support of more than two-thirds of its members, at a time when the Movement for Socialism (MAS) dominated the chamber.[10] The Assembly retains the power to elect and remove the attorney general.[11]

Sebastián Marset

Sebastián Marset, a Uruguayan wanted by Paraguay since February 2022 and indicted in the United States on money laundering charges, had operated for years in Bolivia.[12] He evaded a police raid on his home in Santa Cruz in July 2023.[13] Police captured him in Santa Cruz on 13 March 2026 in a morning raid involving hundreds of officers, and he was transferred to U.S. custody within days.[14][12]

Cerimedo investigation

Fernando Cerimedo, an Argentine political consultant, worked on Javier Milei's 2023 presidential campaign and later became a consultant to Paz. He acknowledged a friendship with Paz but denied having held government office or influenced the government.[15][16]

Cerimedo was arrested on 18 August 2026 at Viru Viru airport as he tried to fly to Buenos Aires, a day after an armed attack on his former partner, the lawyer Nadia Beller.[17] Prosecutors charged him with attempted femicide, alleging he was the intellectual author of the attack, and a judge ordered 180 days of pretrial detention. His lawyer called the case a "political show".[15][18] He was later transferred from Palmasola prison in Santa Cruz to the maximum-security Chonchocoro prison near La Paz under a second order in a separate illicit enrichment case.[19]

Mariaca's office was handling these proceedings. After the United States acted against him, he cited the Cerimedo investigation as a possible reason, saying his cases had implications beyond Bolivia.[3][20]

U.S.–Bolivian security cooperation

Paz took office in November 2025, ending nearly two decades of MAS dominance, and moved to warm relations with Washington. His government resumed cooperation with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in February 2026; Morales had expelled the agency in 2008.[2][14] In March 2026, Paz attended the inaugural Shield of the Americas summit hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump in Miami, where participants announced a regional coalition against drug cartels, transnational organized crime and narcoterrorism.[21]

U.S. visa restrictions and designation

On 28 September 2026, the State Department announced visa restrictions on nationals of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, all participants in the Shield of the Americas, citing commitments made at the summit and in a 22 September leaders' statement. The measures covered twelve Bolivians and their families, and the department separately designated Mariaca for his involvement in significant corruption.[4] The State Department said he had solicited and accepted bribes to facilitate narcotrafficking and helped violent criminals evade justice.[7] In total, 27 officials, former officials and family members across the four countries were affected.[6]

Mariaca denied the accusations and called the decision political pressure related to his investigations. He said he would continue them.[6] Prosecutors Alberto Zeballos and Martín Irusta, later arrested, were also among the Bolivians affected.[22]

Arrests

Operation

Mariaca and Zeballos, the Santa Cruz departmental prosecutor, were arrested at Viru Viru airport on the night of 30 September after arriving from Sucre. Police later took them to the La Paz area.[23] Police also raided the Public Prosecutor's Office headquarters in Sucre and offices in Santa Cruz and La Paz.[7] Prosecutors said masked officers entered the Sucre building.[5]

According to the government, 14 people were arrested in Santa Cruz, La Paz and Sucre. They included Mariaca, Zeballos, the senior prosecutor Martín Daniel Irusta Flores, police officer Rubén Aparicio Villarroel and other prosecutors' office employees.[2] Irusta had previously been a lawyer for Morales.[24] Mabel Andrade became interim Santa Cruz departmental prosecutor.[11]

Interior Minister Marco Antonio Oviedo said "a criminal organization entrenched in the justice system has been dismantled".[7] He said it was headed by Mariaca and had protected and facilitated drug trafficking, and that Mariaca faced accusations of organized crime, money laundering and trafficking of controlled substances.[25][1]

Seizure of cash

Oviedo said four people were caught in the early hours of 1 October trying to remove cash from Mariaca's residence in an ambulance, and the government released video of police removing banknotes from the vehicle's panels.[7] Authorities reported finding 3,532,100 bolivianos and US$10,000;[26] AFP put the total at about US$300,000.[7] Oviedo alleged the money was proceeds of extortion. The allegation was part of the investigation and had not been adjudicated.[2]

Marset recordings

Hours after the arrests, Bolivian police released a video recorded on 13 March 2026, shortly after Marset's capture. An officer says Mariaca is calling, and Marset replies that Mariaca is his friend and that he speaks with him.[5][27] The Public Prosecutor's Office had denied the previous day that Mariaca met Marset before his extradition and asked for evidence.[28]

A separate audio attributed to Marset, aired by the program No Mentirás, refers to payments to former Interior Minister Eduardo del Castillo, nicknamed "Sonia", through a go-between named Aparicio. In it, the voice says he paid US$500,000 to stay in Bolivia.[29] News outlets reported that the authenticity of the audio and the statements attributed to Marset had not been officially confirmed.[29][9]

Oviedo also alleged that Marset had been detained in 2023, while Mariaca was Santa Cruz departmental prosecutor, then quickly released, and that seized assets were returned to him.[2]

Eduardo del Castillo

Del Castillo was interior minister under President Luis Arce and a MAS presidential candidate in 2025.[30] Several Bolivian outlets reported overnight that police had arrested him in La Paz. On 1 October, Oviedo said he was not in custody, was being sought and that results were expected "in the coming hours".[31]

Challenges to the arrests

The Public Prosecutor's Office initially described Mariaca's arrest as a kidnapping and questioned its legality.[3] Anti-drug prosecutor Miguel Gonzales told the Associated Press that Mariaca had been detained without a warrant. The government maintained that the operation was lawful and supported by an ongoing criminal investigation.[2] Irusta's lawyer, Alberth Burthon, called his client's arrest illegal and argued that the requirement of flagrante delicto had not been met.[32]

On 1 October, Mariaca, Zeballos and Irusta filed an acción de libertad, a constitutional remedy against unlawful detention, naming Paz, Oviedo and national police commander Adrián Javier Álvarez. It was filed with the Third Constitutional Chamber of the La Paz Departmental Court of Justice, with a hearing set for 08:30 on 2 October.[33][34] Irusta's lawyer said a second action had been filed in Santa Cruz.[32] Their lawyer Jerjes Justiniano argued the arrests violated fundamental rights and that, if a criminal structure existed within the prosecutor's office, the legal procedure for prosecuting the attorney general should have been followed.[26]

Charges and custody

Mariaca invoked his constitutional right to remain silent when questioned by the anti-narcotics police force (FELCN) and prosecutors in La Paz. Prosecutors said they expected to file formal charges on 2 October and to request pretrial detention, citing risk of flight and obstruction.[35] His lawyer Romel Ipamo said the defense would cooperate and asked only that due process be respected.[36]

Defense Minister Ernesto Justiniano said Bolivia had not received a U.S. extradition request for Mariaca but did not rule one out. He said the government expected Washington to share its evidence.[26]

Dispute over leadership of the Public Prosecutor's Office

After Mariaca's arrest, the Public Prosecutor's Office announced his "definitive absence" and said Luis Whaner Montaño Morales, a superior prosecutor for organized crime and the most senior by length of service, had assumed the post of attorney general on an interim basis.[1][37]

The government rejected this. Oviedo said an interim attorney general could not be self-appointed and that the Assembly, which elects the attorney general, must decide.[38] Presidential spokesman José Luis Gálvez accused Montaño of usurping functions, said he had tried to remove the prosecutors in charge of the cases against the detainees, and warned that he could be arrested.[39] Manolo Rojas, chair of the Assembly's justice commission, called Montaño's assumption of the post void.[40] The lawyer Frank Campero argued that Mariaca legally remained attorney general because only the Assembly can remove him and he had not resigned.[41]

Legislative Assembly

Senate president Diego Ávila, acting as head of the Assembly while Vice President Edmand Lara was in Spain, moved a session originally set for 5 October up to 2 October. The agenda covered official reports on the arrests and the institutional, legal and constitutional issues they raised.[42] Lara, who had called the original session to discuss the U.S. visa measures, said the Assembly could neither arbitrarily remove Mariaca nor directly name a replacement, and called for due process.[37] At the time of writing, the Assembly's decision had not been reported.

Role of the United States

The arrests occurred amid expanding U.S.–Bolivian security cooperation. After the arrests, Rubio wrote that the Trump administration "stands firmly" with Paz and praised the government's "bold and decisive actions" against narcotrafficking, systemic corruption and transnational organized crime.[7][43]

Oviedo said the operation was carried out by Bolivian police under the supervision of prosecutors and that it took place with the cooperation of the U.S. government.[7] He denied reports that the DEA had taken part in the arrests or flown the detainees to Lima.[44] Some outlets reported that the operation had DEA support, and Spanish media said the investigation had drawn on DEA information.[10][3] As of 2 October, there was no confirmed transfer of Mariaca to U.S. custody.[23]

Reactions

Mariaca and the Public Prosecutor's Office rejected the accusations as political, and Mariaca said the Cerimedo investigation would continue.[6] Evo Morales said the arrests confirmed that "the United States governs Bolivia" and argued they were meant to protect Cerimedo and, through him, Paz and his family.[24] He said he was convinced the DEA had intervened.[45] The government rejected the claims of foreign direction of the operation.[44]

Some opposition figures and Mariaca's supporters questioned the circumstances of the arrests and called for due process,[3] while the opposition politician Samuel Doria Medina said he would support Paz if he acted likewise against corrupt figures close to the government.[46] The arrests intensified debate over Bolivia's renewed security relationship with the United States.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Detienen al fiscal general de Bolivia tras ser acusado por EE.UU. de tener vínculos con el narcotráfico" [Bolivia's attorney general detained after being accused by U.S. of drug trafficking links]. La Nación (in español). Agence France-Presse. 1 October 2026.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "Bolivia arrests top prosecutor and 13 others accused by US of protecting drug traffickers". Associated Press. 1 October 2026.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "Detenido el fiscal general de Bolivia por supuesto narcotráfico tras una acusación de EE UU" [Bolivia's attorney general detained for alleged drug trafficking after U.S. accusation]. El País (in español). 1 October 2026.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Visa Restrictions for Foreign Nationals Undermining Democratically-Elected Governments in Western Hemisphere Countries". U.S. Department of State. 28 September 2026.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "El video en el que el narco Sebastián Marset habla sobre el ex fiscal general de Bolivia, Roger Mariaca: "Es mi amigo"" [The video in which drug trafficker Sebastián Marset talks about Bolivia's attorney general Roger Mariaca: "He is my friend"]. Infobae (in español). 1 October 2026.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "US revokes visas from Latin American officials, including Bolivia's top prosecutor". Associated Press. 28 September 2026.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 "Bolivia's attorney general arrested for alleged money laundering and drug trafficking". France 24. Agence France-Presse. 1 October 2026.
  8. ↑ "Parlamento boliviano examinará caso de arrestado fiscal Mariaca" [Bolivian parliament to examine case of arrested prosecutor Mariaca]. Prensa Latina (in español). 2 October 2026.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Mariaca, el fiscal general acusado por Bolivia y Estados Unidos de proteger al 'narcoterrorismo'" [Mariaca, the attorney general accused by Bolivia and the United States of protecting "narcoterrorism"]. Aristegui Noticias (in español). 1 October 2026.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Detienen a fiscal general de Bolivia después de que EU le revocara su visa" [Bolivia's attorney general detained after U.S. revoked his visa]. Proceso (in español). 1 October 2026.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Róger Mariaca: Así fue la caída del fiscal general de Bolivia, acusado de liderar una organización criminal" [Róger Mariaca: How Bolivia's attorney general fell]. Unitel (in español). 1 October 2026.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Sebastián Marset fue trasladado a EE.UU., donde enfrenta cargos por narcotráfico y lavado de dinero, dice la DEA" [Sebastián Marset transferred to U.S., where he faces drug trafficking and money laundering charges, DEA says]. CNN en Español (in español). 16 March 2026.
  13. ↑ "Estados Unidos procesa a Sebastián Marset, el "Rey del Sur", acusado de narcotráfico y lavado en equipos de fútbol" [United States prosecutes Sebastián Marset, the "King of the South"]. Infobae (in español). 17 March 2026.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Bolivian authorities capture drug kingpin Sebastian Marset in police raid". Al Jazeera. 13 March 2026.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Detención de Fernando Cerimedo, ex asesor de Milei, en Bolivia: qué se sabe del ataque a Nadia Beller" [Arrest of Fernando Cerimedo, former Milei adviser, in Bolivia: what is known about the attack on Nadia Beller]. Chequeado (in español). August 2026.
  16. ↑ "Cerimedo enfrenta dos nuevos delitos en Bolivia mientras cumple la medida de prisión preventiva" [Cerimedo faces two new charges in Bolivia while in pretrial detention]. EFE (in español). 8 September 2026.
  17. ↑ "Revelan fotos de Cerimedo con el hijo de Trump y detienen en Bolivia al jefe de la Fiscalía que investiga al exasesor de Milei" [Photos of Cerimedo with Trump's son revealed as Bolivia detains head of prosecutor's office investigating Milei's former adviser]. elDiarioAR (in español). 1 October 2026.
  18. ↑ "La Justicia de Bolivia dictó 180 días de prisión preventiva para Fernando Cerimedo por el ataque a Nadia Beller" [Bolivian court orders 180 days of pretrial detention for Fernando Cerimedo over attack on Nadia Beller]. La Nación (in español). 21 August 2026.
  19. ↑ "Trasladaron a Fernando Cerimedo a Chonchocoro y apuntó contra Nadia Beller" [Fernando Cerimedo transferred to Chonchocoro]. Perfil (in español). September 2026.
  20. ↑ "Bolivia detuvo al fiscal que investiga a Cerimedo tras ser acusado por EE.UU de vínculos con el narcotráfico" [Bolivia detains prosecutor investigating Cerimedo after U.S. accusation of drug trafficking links]. Los Andes (in español). 1 October 2026.
  21. ↑ "Paz celebra la iniciativa de Trump de una coalición de las Américas contra los carteles" [Paz welcomes Trump's initiative for an Americas coalition against cartels] (in español). Agencia Boliviana de Información. 7 March 2026.
  22. ↑ "Fiscal general y otros 13 funcionarios bolivianos son sancionados por EE.UU" [Attorney general and other Bolivian officials sanctioned by U.S.]. Agencia de Noticias Fides (in español). 29 September 2026.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Bolivia detains attorney general, government ministry says". Reuters. 1 October 2026.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Evo ante aprehensión de Mariaca: "Se ratifica que en Bolivia gobierna Estados Unidos"" [Evo on Mariaca's arrest: "It is confirmed that the United States governs Bolivia"]. Urgente.bo (in español). 1 October 2026.
  25. ↑ "El Gobierno boliviano acusa al fiscal general de liderar una organización que protegía al «narcoterrorismo»" [Bolivian government accuses attorney general of leading organization that protected "narcoterrorism"]. EFE (in español). 1 October 2026.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 "Caso Mariaca genera remezón político y judicial entre pedido de libertad y la sombra de la extradición" [Mariaca case causes political and judicial upheaval between habeas request and shadow of extradition]. Opinión (in español). ERBOL. 1 October 2026.
  27. ↑ ""Es mi amigo": Difunden video en el que Marset habla del fiscal Mariaca" ["He is my friend": Video released in which Marset speaks about prosecutor Mariaca]. Unitel (in español). 1 October 2026.
  28. ↑ "Video filtrado: Marset menciona a "Mariaca" durante su captura y lo llama "mi amigo"" [Leaked video: Marset mentions "Mariaca" during his capture]. Red Uno (in español). 1 October 2026.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 "Difunden supuesto video donde Marset se refiere a Mariaca como su "amigo"" [Alleged video in which Marset calls Mariaca his "friend" released]. La Voz de Tarija (in español). 1 October 2026.
  30. ↑ "Reportan la aprehensión de Eduardo Del Castillo, exministro de Gobierno de Luis Arce" [Arrest of Eduardo Del Castillo, former minister under Luis Arce, reported]. Unitel (in español). 1 October 2026.
  31. ↑ "Exministro Del Castillo no está detenido, 'se lo está buscando', dice Oviedo" [Former minister Del Castillo is not detained, 'being sought,' says Oviedo]. La Razón (in español). 1 October 2026.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 "Abogado confirma que este viernes será la audiencia de acción de libertad de Mariaca, Zeballos e Irusta" [Lawyer confirms Friday hearing on habeas action for Mariaca, Zeballos and Irusta]. Eju.tv (in español). 1 October 2026.
  33. ↑ "Mariaca, Zeballos e Irusta presentan acción de libertad contra autoridades del Gobierno y la Policía" [Mariaca, Zeballos and Irusta file habeas action against government and police authorities]. Visión 360 (in español). 1 October 2026.
  34. ↑ "Acción de libertad: Mariaca y 2 fiscales van a audiencia este viernes" [Habeas action: Mariaca and two prosecutors head to hearing Friday]. La Patria (in español). 2 October 2026.
  35. ↑ "Roger Mariaca se acoge al silencio y aguarda su imputación formal en La Paz" [Roger Mariaca invokes silence and awaits formal charges in La Paz]. Tinformas (in español). 2 October 2026.
  36. ↑ "Bolivia investiga por narcotráfico al fiscal general detenido tras sanciones de EEUU" [Bolivia investigates detained attorney general for drug trafficking after U.S. sanctions]. Unitel (in español). Agence France-Presse. 1 October 2026.
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 "Senado adelanta sesión legislativa por el caso de Roger Mariaca y Lara pide evitar nombrar a una nueva autoridad" [Senate moves up legislative session on Mariaca case and Lara asks to avoid naming a new authority]. Visión 360 (in español). 1 October 2026.
  38. ↑ "Gobierno desconoce a Montaño y espera que la Asamblea defina la conducción de la Fiscalía" [Government does not recognize Montaño and awaits Assembly decision on prosecutor's office leadership]. Opinión (in español). 1 October 2026.
  39. ↑ "El Gobierno de Bolivia desconoce al fiscal general designado tras detención del titular" [Bolivian government does not recognize attorney general designated after detention of incumbent]. El Comercio (in español). EFE. 1 October 2026.
  40. ↑ "La Asamblea Legislativa sesionará este viernes tras la caída de Roger Mariaca" [Legislative Assembly to meet Friday after Mariaca's fall]. Tinformas (in español). 1 October 2026.
  41. ↑ "Abogado Campero cuestiona designación de Montaño y asegura que Mariaca sigue siendo fiscal general" [Lawyer Campero questions Montaño's appointment and says Mariaca remains attorney general]. Éxito Noticias (in español). 1 October 2026.
  42. ↑ "Asamblea adelanta al viernes sesión para tratar aprehensión de Roger Mariaca" [Assembly moves up to Friday session on Roger Mariaca's arrest]. Opinión (in español). 1 October 2026.
  43. ↑ "El rol del Escudo de las Américas en detención del fiscal general de Bolivia que investigó a Cerimedo" [The role of the Shield of the Americas in the detention of Bolivia's attorney general who investigated Cerimedo]. BioBioChile (in español). 1 October 2026.
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 "Gobierno confirma la aprehensión de 20 personas, entre ellas no está Eduardo Del Castillo" [Government confirms arrest of 20 people, Eduardo Del Castillo not among them]. Juan Pastén (in español). 1 October 2026.
  45. ↑ ""Estoy convencidísimo": Evo acusa a la DEA de intervenir en las aprehensiones de Mariaca y Zeballos" ["I am completely convinced": Evo accuses DEA of intervening in arrests of Mariaca and Zeballos]. Éxito Noticias (in español). 1 October 2026.
  46. ↑ "Doria Medina dice que apoyaría a Paz si actúa así "contra los corruptos cercanos al gobierno"" [Doria Medina says he would support Paz if he acts this way "against corrupt people close to the government"]. Opinión (in español). 1 October 2026.


This article "Arrest of Roger Mariaca" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Arrest of Roger Mariaca. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.


Retrieved from "https://en.everybodywiki.com/index.php?title=Arrest_of_Roger_Mariaca&oldid=6838722"
License CC BY-SA 3.0
Powered by MediaWiki