Bolivian Attorney General Arrested Following Visa Revocation

Interior Minister Marco Antonio Oviedo stated that Mariaca and an accompanying prosecutor were taken into custody on suspicion of money laundering, criminal organization, and drug trafficking. The operation occurred just days after the U.S. State Department revoked visas for Mariaca and over a dozen other officials across Bolivia, Colombia, and Ecuador, citing allegations of corruption.

Observers link the detention to the August arrest of Fernando Cerimedo, a political operative with ties to President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager, Brad Parscale. Mariaca’s office had been investigating Cerimedo for alleged collusion in drug trafficking and his role as a presidential adviser to Rodrigo Paz. Following the airport detention, police units searched Mariaca’s office and home, a move that the Public Prosecutor’s Office decried as an illegal intervention. While the Trump administration maintains these actions are part of its broader campaign against regional drug cartels, critics argue the administration is weaponizing anti-trafficking efforts to shield political allies and pressure investigators.