In a dramatic pre-dawn operation that ended one of South America’s most extensive international manhunts, Bolivian authorities captured Uruguayan drug kingpin Sebastián Marset in the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra on March 13. Within hours of his arrest, the suspected cartel boss-long sought by law enforcement agencies across the continent-was extradited to the United States, where he now faces federal charges for laundering millions of dollars in drug proceeds through American financial institutions.

The arrest marks a major milestone in the fight against organized crime in the Southern Cone and underscores a rapidly evolving landscape of international cooperation against transnational drug cartels.

Bolivian security forces launched the operation shortly before sunrise in the Las Palmas district, a residential neighborhood near the bustling Abasto market in Santa Cruz. Heavily armed units from the country’s anti-narcotics police surrounded several streets before moving in on two properties believed to be linked to Marset’s operations.

According to officials, authorities simultaneously raided Marset’s primary residence and a nearby property that functioned as a secondary safe house. The operation was coordinated by Bolivia’s Special Force Against Drug Trafficking (FELN) alongside prosecutors specializing in controlled substances.

Three individuals believed to be members of Marset’s network were detained during the raids. Authorities emphasized that the operation unfolded without any exchange of gunfire or injuries among officers, suspects, or civilians-an outcome that officials described as remarkable given Marset’s reputation and the scale of his criminal network.

Bolivian Interior Minister Marco A. Oviedo later confirmed the success of the operation during a press briefing, calling it one of the most significant anti-narcotics actions undertaken in the country in recent years.

At midday, Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz publicly announced the capture and rapid extradition of Marset.

“The capture of Marset marks a turning point in the fight against organized crime,” the president said in a televised address. “This operation reaffirms the position of our government in........

© Blitz