Alleged drug trafficker accused of laundering money through soccer teams appears before a US court after years on the run

Alleged Latin American drug trafficker Sebastián Marset made his first appearance in a US court on Monday after being handed over to US authorities.

Marset, who eluded the police for years, was captured in bolivia last week and transferred to US custody. The 34-year-old Uruguayan citizen faces money laundering conspiracy charges related to his alleged cocaine trafficking organization.

Marset is the most famous drug trafficker in southern South America and had a $2 million reward on his head for alleged money laundering. An indictment unsealed in the Eastern District of Virginia alleges that Marset “leads a large-scale drug trafficking organization believed to be responsible for moving tons of cocaine from South America to Europe, while generating tens of millions in cash and profits,” according to the DEA.

The Justice Department said it made an initial appearance Monday in 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 other countries.

The soccer-loving Marset allegedly laundered the proceeds of his drug business by purchasing and sponsoring lower-level professional soccer teams in Latin America and Europe, and even placing himself in starting lineups.

He was imprisoned in his native Uruguay for drug trafficking between 2013 and 2018 and then moved through South America, living for a time in Bolivia and Paraguay.

Bolivian authorities announced on Monday the seizure of some $15 million in Marset assets, including 16 planes, five houses and firearms.

Federico Ezequiel Santoro Vassallo, a close collaborator of Marset, was sentenced in July to 15 years in prison by a US court 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 2024 Washington Post profile said Marset paid $10,000 in cash to wear the No. 10 jersey worn by soccer icons Pelé, Maradona and Messi during their teams’ matches.

He stamped his drug shipments as “The King of the South,” the Post added, and gave orders that the cocaine be hidden in shipments of cookies and soybeans.

He had been a fugitive since July 2023, when he fled his home in Santa Cruz, on the eve of a massive police operation to capture him.

Bolivia’s center-right president, Rodrigo Paz, on Friday thanked “international organizations from several neighboring countries and the continent” 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 grower Evo Morales.

Bolivia is the world’s third largest producer of cocaine, which is made from coca leaves.

Marset’s arrest came just weeks after notorious cartel leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, also known as “El Mencho”, He was murdered during an operation in Mexico. He had a $15 million bounty on his head and was killed in a military shootout.