Bolivia arrests attorney general accused by U.S. of drug cartel ties
The U.S. State Department said that Roger Mariaca received "bribes to facilitate drug trafficking and help violent criminals evade justice."
Bolivian officials Roger Mariaca and Alberto Zeballos were arrested by police on Wednesday, following the United States revoking their visas over alleged drug cartel ties, according to a government source. The arrests, which involved nearly 20 individuals from Bolivia, Colombia, and Ecuador, were confirmed by a source from the Ministry of Government.
The attorney general and the Santa Cruz prosecutor's office were raided, with police surrounding the prosecutor's head of communications, Claudia Pardo, in a live broadcast. The U.S. State Department accused the arrested officials of corruption, drug trafficking links, and conspiring against their governments. Mariaca denied the accusations and called the arrest an act of "interference" and "political pressure." The U.S. revoked visas for 12 Bolivian officials and nine other Bolivian nationals.
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