Diego Nicolás Marset Alba, 22, of Uruguay was arrested in Brazil on December 26, 2023. It was part of a police operation involving the national central bureaus of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) in Brasilia, Brazil, in La Paz, Bolivia, in Asuncion, Paraguay and in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Marset and his half-brother Sebastián Enrique Marset Cabrera, 32, are accused of being central figures in the trafficking of drugs from South America to Europe. Born in Montevideo, the latter is the founder of the Primer Cartel Uruguayo cartel, which is reportedly smuggling cocaine from Paraguay through Uruguay to Europe.
Paraguayan and Uruguayan authorities identified the cartel as the partner group of the criminal organization Clan Insfrán. Diego allegedly acted as an intermediary for Sebastian on frequent trips from Bolivia to Paraguay.
Diego was the subject of an Interpol red notice requested by Paraguay. To avoid arrest, he allegedly used multiple false identities in Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Recently, Interpol shared intelligence that his pregnant wife was about to give birth in Foz de Iguacu, Paraná, Brazil. She is Bolivian.
Officers from the Polícia Federal do Brasil expected Diego to visit Brazil for the birth so they monitored his wife’s luxury condominium in Foz do Iguaçu. When he arrived there, they arrested him.
“It was the crucial leads provided by countries in the region to the global police community which permitted Brazil’s capture of Diego Marset,” Interpol vice president for the Americas Valdecy Urquiza stated. “It is by working together this way to ensure dangerous fugitives are behind bars that police contribute to global security.
Urquiza is also Brazil’s director of international cooperation. He said Diego’s arrest “not only makes the world a safer place but also demonstrates South America’s determination and commitment to dismantling global criminal networks for global security”.
Since May 2022, Sebastian has been wanted internationally by Interpol. He managed to escape when police offers raided his residence in Bolivia on July 29, 2023.
On November 26, 2023, Canal 4 aired a pre-recorded interview of “Santo y Seña” host Patricia Martin with Sebastian. His whereabouts are still unknown but is believed to be either in Brazil or in an African country.
CONAN Daily 