Updated on: March 17, 2026 / 6:55 AM EDT / CBS/AFP
Alleged Latin American narco trafficker Sebastian Marset made his first appearance in a U.S. court on Monday after being handed over to American authorities. Marset, 34, a Uruguayan national, faces money laundering conspiracy charges connected with his alleged cocaine trafficking organization.
Marset, who eluded police for years, was captured in Bolivia last week and transferred to U.S. custody. He had a $2 million U.S. bounty on his head for alleged money laundering. An indictment unsealed in the Eastern District of Virginia alleges Marset “leads a large-scale drug trafficking organization that is believed to be responsible for moving tons of cocaine from South America to Europe, while generating tens of millions in cash and proceeds,” according to the DEA.
The Justice Department said he made an initial appearance on Monday in a federal district court in Virginia. Marset is accused of leading a large-scale organization that distributed thousands of pounds of cocaine to Europe. Court documents say the organization trafficked cocaine in Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal and elsewhere.
Authorities allege Marset laundered proceeds by purchasing and sponsoring lower-level professional soccer teams across Latin America and Europe, even putting himself in starting lineups. A Washington Post profile from 2024 said Marset paid $10,000 in cash to wear the number 10 jersey and stamped shipments “The King of the South,” with orders to stash cocaine in shipments of cookies and soybeans.
Marset was imprisoned in Uruguay for drug trafficking between 2013 and 2018 and later moved around South America, living for a time in Bolivia and Paraguay. Bolivian authorities announced the seizure of about $15 million in assets from Marset, including 16 planes, five houses and firearms.
Federico Ezequiel Santoro Vassallo, a close associate of Marset, was sentenced to 15 years in prison by a U.S. court in July after pleading guilty to money laundering. Federal prosecutors said Santoro and, allegedly, Marset threatened violence to protect their drug-trafficking and money laundering activities.
Marset has been on the run since July 2023, when he fled his home in Santa Cruz on the eve of a massive police operation. Bolivia’s center-right President Rodrigo Paz thanked international partners for their cooperation in the arrest; Paz has sought to boost ties with the United States since taking office last year. Bolivia is the world’s third-largest producer of cocaine.
Marset could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of money laundering conspiracy. His arrest came weeks after cartel leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” was killed in Mexico; El Mencho had a $15 million U.S. bounty.