Alleged Latin American narco trafficker Sebastian Marset made his first appearance in a U.S. court on Monday after being handed over to the 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.
Marset, who is the most notorious drug baron in the southern part of South America, 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 drug trafficking organization that distributed thousands of pounds of cocaine to Europe. According to court documents, Marset’s drug trafficking organization allegedly traffics cocaine in Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal and elsewhere.
The soccer-loving Marset allegedly laundered the proceeds of his drug enterprise by purchasing and sponsoring lower-level professional soccer teams across Latin America and Europe — and even put himself in the starting lineups.
He was imprisoned in his native Uruguay for drug trafficking between 2013 and 2018 and later moved around South America, living for a time in Bolivia and Paraguay.
The Bolivian authorities announced on Monday the seizure of some $15 million in assets from Marset, including 16 planes, five houses and firearms.
DEA
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.
“Santoro and, allegedly, Marset threatened violence to protect their drug-trafficking and money laundering activities,” federal prosecutors said.
Marset could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of money laundering conspiracy.
Imitating soccer stars
A Washington Post profile from 2024 said Marset paid $10,000 in cash to wear the number 10 jersey worn by football icons Pele, Maradona and Messi during his teams’ games.
He stamped his drug shipments “The King of the South,” the Post added, and gave orders for cocaine to be stashed in shipments of cookies and soybeans.
He had been on the run since July 2023, when fled his home in Santa Cruz, on the eve of a massive police operation to capture him.
Ipa Ibanez / REUTERS 
Bolivia’s center-right President Rodrigo Paz thanked “international organizations from various neighboring countries and the continent” on Friday for their cooperation in his capture.
Paz has sought to boost ties with the United States since winning office last year in elections that ended two decades of socialist rule begun under Indigenous coca farmer Evo Morales.
Bolivia’s is the world’s third largest producer of cocaine, which is made from coca leaves.
Mrset’s arrest camee just weeks after notorious cartel leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, also known as “El Mencho,” was killed during an operation in Mexico. He had a $15 million U.S. bounty on his head and was killed in a military shootout.
