Bolivia’s top anti-drug officials met this week with DEA agents in La Paz to coordinate a crackdown on the cryptocurrency money-laundering operations tied to Sebastian Marset, the fugitive drug trafficker often called the 'Modern Pablo Escobar'. Ernesto Justiniano, the country’s anti-drug czar, and Frans William Cabrera Quispe, director of Bolivia’s FELCN anti-narcotics unit, sat down with U.S. counterparts to organize a joint effort aimed at dismantling the financial networks that move Marset’s illicit cash through crypto.
Bolivia and DEA plot joint operation
The meeting took place this week at an undisclosed location in La Paz. Justiniano and Cabrera Quispe led the Bolivian side. The DEA delegation included officials from its regional office. Exact names weren’t released, but the agency’s involvement signals a rare formal collaboration between Bolivia and the U.S. on crypto-related drug money. The two sides agreed to share intelligence and coordinate financial probes, according to a short statement from Bolivia’s Interior Ministry.
Marset’s cryptocurrency trail
Sebastian Marset has been on the run for years, accused of running tons of cocaine through South America and Europe. Authorities say he increasingly relies on cryptocurrency to move, store and hide his profits. The 'Modern Pablo Escobar' label sticks because of his scale and his use of modern tools — encrypted phones, shell companies, and now digital tokens. The FELCN had already flagged several wallet addresses linked to his network, but tracking the money across borders has been slow without U.S. resources.
A new front in anti-drug efforts
Bolivia isn’t typically a hub for crypto laundering on par with Colombia or Brazil, but Marset’s operations have made it one. The country’s anti-drug agency has limited crypto-forensics capacity. The DEA brings chain-analysis tools, subpoena power over U.S.-based exchanges, and experience chasing dark-web transactions. For Bolivia, this is also a diplomatic step — it’s been years since U.S.-Bolivia counter-drug cooperation was this direct.
The collaboration is expected to begin with a joint analysis of transaction records already seized in raids last month. Arrests aren’t imminent, but officials involved say they’re building a case that could lead to indictments by late 2026. Whether the DEA’s involvement speeds up Marset’s capture — or just disrupts his cash flow — remains the open question.
