Attorney General Arrested Over Rp8.9 Billion Bribery Scandal, 13 Others Implicated
The Attorney General of Bolivia, Roger Mariaca, was officially arrested by local authorities last weekend. This arrest occurred just two days after the United States unilaterally revoked his visa, accusing him of accepting bribes to facilitate drug trafficking operations.
Quoting Reuters on Thursday (5/10/2026), Minister of the Interior Marco Antonio Oviedo revealed that Mariaca was arrested alongside 13 other individuals. The sting operation specifically targeted what authorities described as a criminal organisation deeply embedded within the judicial system and the Office of the Attorney General.
“A criminal organisation embedded within the judicial system and within the administration of a highly important institution in our country, the Public Ministry, has been dismantled,” he stated. “This network worked to protect and facilitate drug trafficking activities in Bolivia,” Oviedo concluded.
The large-scale operation was launched following the circulation of video and audio recordings linked to the Uruguayan drug kingpin, Sebastian Marset. Authorities acted swiftly after the release of material in which Marset allegedly explicitly referred to Mariaca as a “friend.”
Marset even claimed to have deposited funds worth US$500,000 (approximately Rp8.9 billion) to remain free in Bolivia and continue his illicit operations. Marset himself was arrested in Bolivia last March and was subsequently extradited to the US, where he is currently awaiting trial.
This series of arrests comes amidst a period of improving diplomatic relations between La Paz and Washington after years of tension. President Rodrigo Paz, who took office in November 2025, has promised to rebuild ties with the US, particularly as his administration works hard to secure a US$1.9 billion (Rp33.82 trillion) International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme recently approved by the Bolivian congress last month.
Earlier on Monday, the US Department of State officially accused Mariaca of receiving illicit funds. “He accepted bribes to facilitate drug trafficking and to help violent criminals evade justice,” the department asserted.
In response, Mariaca vehemently denied all allegations, describing the US decision as a form of political interference closely linked to investigations he had previously overseen.
According to local media reports, Mariaca was detained at Viru Viru International Airport in Santa Cruz. During a live broadcast on the official social media account of the Attorney General’s Office, an official openly condemned the detention, describing it as “a kidnapping.”
Notably, nearly 20 individuals from Bolivia, Colombia, and Ecuador have been blacklisted by Washington this week due to corruption cases, links to drug trafficking, or involvement in plots to overthrow their governments. Separately, the US has also revoked the visas of 12 Bolivian officials.