Bolivia detains Attorney General Roger Mariaca following United States sanctions

Airport arrests in Santa Cruz

Police officers arrested Bolivia's Attorney General Roger Mariaca on Wednesday, 30 September 2026, at Viru Viru International Airport in Santa Cruz. Authorities also detained Alberto Zeballos, the prosecutor for the department of Santa Cruz, at the same airport location. An official from the Ministry of Government confirmed Mariaca's detention, though Bolivian authorities did not immediately release details regarding the specific charges or the legal warrant used to carry out the operation.

Raids on prosecutor offices in Sucre and Santa Cruz

Simultaneously with the airport arrests, police units entered the central headquarters of the Attorney General's Office in the constitutional capital of Sucre. The intervention was broadcast live on the institution's official social media channels, showing masked police officers surrounding staff members. Officers also entered the regional prosecutor's office in Santa Cruz.

The communications chief of the prosecutor's office spoke during the live broadcast as police entered the premises.

We denounce before the entire Bolivian population this intervention that is being carried out illegally.

Pardo later reported from a police station in Sucre that officers took staff into custody without presenting a search warrant as they prepared to conduct a press conference. Another official from the public prosecutor's office described the action as a kidnapping during the live broadcast.

United States sanctions and drug allegations

The detentions occurred two days after the United States revoked the entry visas of Mariaca, Zeballos, and several other regional figures. The US State Department published a list sanctioning nearly twenty officials and business figures across South America, including individuals from Colombia alongside either Ecuador or Peru depending on reports. Bolivia accounted for the largest group on the list, which cited thirteen serving and former officials as well as one businessman.

United States authorities stated that Mariaca accepted bribes to facilitate illicit narcotics shipments and assisted violent criminals in evading judicial prosecution. Washington asserted that these actions hindered counter-narcoterrorism efforts led by President Donald Trump and weakened democratic institutions under the regional Escudo initiative. Mariaca denied the allegations on Monday, 28 September, describing the visa revocations as political pressure and foreign interference directed at his ongoing investigations. During his term in office, Bolivian police had arrested Uruguayan drug trafficker Sebastián Marset in March before his expulsion to the United States with support from the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Parliamentary response and formal inquiries

Bolivia's executive branch described the United States accusations as serious on Monday and pledged to request supporting documentation from Washington to conduct an internal inquiry. The Bolivian Legislative Assembly announced plans to hold a session on 5 October 2026 to debate the establishment of a dedicated investigative commission. The parliament transmitted official notes through the Foreign Ministry requesting that the US State Department deliver its investigative files regarding Mariaca and all other sanctioned individuals.