Alleged narco trafficker makes first US court appearance

Alleged Latin American narco trafficker Sebastian Marset made his first appearance in a US court on Monday after being handed over to the US 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 US custody.

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 (kilograms) of cocaine to Europe.

The soccer-mad 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.

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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.

Federico Ezequiel Santoro Vassallo, a close associate of Marset, was sentenced to 15 years in prison by a US court in July after pleading guilty to money laundering.

Marset could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of money laundering conspiracy.

cl/dw